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Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access
Interfaith & Holiday Guidelines

ESF is a community of diverse cultures and faith traditions. 

ESF respects the religious diversity of our community and recognizes the importance of religious holy days and observances in the lives of our community members. ESF strives to be an inclusive community in all aspects of curricular and co-curricular life.  To that end, we encourage faculty, staff, and administrators to be cognizant of major religious and cultural observances when planning courses and campus events, and to be sensitive to potential conflicts.

Academic Religious Accommodations

ESF acknowledges each student’s right to freedom of religious expression, and right to observe religious holidays under New York state law; clearly outlined in the ESF College catalog. ESF students are not required to follow any specific campus-wide notification procedure. We do, however, ask that faculty and students continue to abide by NYS education law, and that faculty members include specific notification procedures which comply with these policies in course syllabi (see template).

Requesting a Course Accommodation

If a religious holiday hinders a student's ability to fully engage in class activities, they are advised to request a Religious Accommodation prior to the semester's deadline. More specifically:

  • For ESF courses, please contact your instructor directly to request an excused absence from any regularly scheduled ESF classroom, lab, or studio activities and/or to discuss modifications. Requests should be placed prior to the Academic Drop Deadline.
  • For courses at Syracuse University, follow guidance within your course syllabi. Students must register expected absences on MySlice (Student Services/Enrollment/My Religious Observances/Add a Notification), prior to SU's Drop Deadline.

Any student who thinks they have been unreasonably denied an educational accommodation due to religious beliefs or practices while taking an ESF course should complete a Bias Incident Reporting Form for ESF courses  or Stop Bias for those at SU.

Providing Accommodations

Faculty members are expected to make reasonable efforts to accommodate the religious beliefs, practices, and observances of students unless the accommodation creates undue hardship on ESF.

Instructors are encouraged to consider options to make up tests or classes, alternate assignments, or modifications around how someone might participate in impacted class meetings or lab sections.  For instance, those that are fasting might need to sit or rest heads, as bodies adjust to different schedules for sleep or limited food and water intake; to work in small groups; to step out of late classes/labs to rinse mouths or break fasts; or would benefit from an alternate lab section (for classes with multiple sections), access to recorded lectures or a temporary note-taker, flexible deadlines, or to take tests or deliver (or record) oral presentations earlier in the day before light-headedness, headaches or nausea set in.  

References

Guidelines for Festive Décor

  1. For safety reasons, electrical decorations are not permitted in personal spaces.
  2. Seasonal, inclusive decorations that encourage an appreciation for all traditions are encouraged.
  3. Managers and supervisors should handle questions regarding the appropriateness of decorations.

Permissible or not?

Christmas Trees

The display of Christmas trees on campus is generally permissible. Courts have recognized that Christmas trees have become simply a secular symbol associated with the winter holiday season. All holiday displays must also be consistent with applicable fire and safety codes. 

Nativity Scenes and Menorahs

The display of nativity scenes and menorahs has generally been upheld by courts against legal challenges if they appear as part of a larger display with a secular purpose, such as the celebration of pluralism and freedom or the promotion of tolerance and respect for diverse customs. However, any holiday display with an overtly religious symbol (such as a nativity scene or a menorah) should include at least one other religious symbol from a different religious tradition. The legal validity of these displays is premised on the notion that they do not represent an endorsement of any particular religion, any religious doctrine, or religion in general. The university is not required, however, to display any particular symbol of a religious nature requested by students, staff or the public. For example, a public school's holiday display which included a menorah, crescent and star, Christmas trees and other holiday symbols was permissible, even though it did not include a nativity scene as requested by parents and religious leaders.

Religious Symbols and Décor in Employee Offices and Cubicles

Displays of religious décor and symbols inside employees' offices and cubicles are generally permissible. In fact, prohibiting the display of religious decorations and symbols may be deemed an infringement on an employee's constitutional rights of free exercise of religion and free speech. Under certain circumstances, however, restrictions on religious displays may be appropriate such as in the office of a high-ranking university official where the display may be interpreted as an endorsement by the University of a particular religion or religions.

Public Forums on Campus

If the campus has a public forum designated for free speech purposes available throughout the year, the college cannot restrict its use during the holiday season to prevent the display of holiday symbols or messages. Such actions have been deemed impermissible content-based restrictions on speech. However, college policies that reasonably limit use of public areas in time, place and manner still apply, including quiet hours during study and exam periods.

References

Language used with permission, University of Wisconsin System