On the Monday after Easter, the majority of the student body is back on campus and going to class. I’m not, however. Not because I don’t have class. Unfortunately, I have two Monday classes that I am missing. Classes that I can’t afford to take another unexcused absence from. However, when I asked if I could be excused due to travel after a religious holiday, I was told I could only be excused on the day of the actual holiday.
The university needs to be more mindful of its out-of-state student population. Not all of us are lucky enough to be able to drive home for a religious holiday and make it back to campus the next morning. I am from Wisconsin and, quite frankly, it would be impossible for me to get back to Columbia in time for my 9:40 a.m. class on Monday. The only way I could make this class would be if I took a flight on Sunday, which is Easter Sunday itself.
Education is an important part of my life, and I hate that I am going to go over the unexcused absence limit in one of my classes because of my absences due to this weekend. But religion is an even more important part of my life. I am not going to sit alone in my dorm on what Catholics consider to be the most important religious day of the year because of a short-sighted excused absence policy. On such an important holy day, I feel the need to be with my family and religious community.
I asked my professors if I could be excused from our class this Monday and was told I couldn’t because the university’s excused absence policy doesn’t take into account days of travel. I sympathize with these professors because it is not really their choice but the system that they are in. The university needs to revise its policies when it comes to religious holy days or else they could end up with students feeling discriminated against. I know that I am livid that my overall grade in one of my Monday classes may be dropped a half letter grade because of an absence due to religious reasons.