Syracuse University has introduced a new online notification system students will use to excuse themselves from class for religious observances to help clear up confusion.

Starting Monday, students can add or delete an absence notification for teachers through the ‘My Religious Observances’ link on MySlice, said Sandra Hurd, associate provost for academic programs. The link is found under ‘enrollment’ in the student services bar.

The page also allows students to update their religious preference and access links to the religious observances policy and Hendricks Chapel website.

Before the notification system, students told teachers in writing, Hurd said. Since there was no deadline for when students had to tell professors, class curriculum was often disrupted or professors would forget, she said.

Now, students have the first two weeks of each semester to enter which days they will be absent into the MySlice program.

‘The revised policy lets faculty know ahead of time if there will be a clump of people missing, instead of a week beforehand,’ Hurd said. ‘It’s letting everybody plan ahead.’

Professors can view which students have entered notifications by clicking on a new ‘R’ icon on their class roster. The information will also go to Hendricks, she said.

Professors were asked to include the religious observances policy in their syllabi along with instructions on how students can make up work they missed, Hurd said.

‘We have always preserved the right for students to take religious holidays off,’ said Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks. ‘We are just making changes in the process.’

Besides making managing information easier for students and professors, the program was also created to reflect the religious diversity of the campus, Steinwert said.

Steinwert said different religious organization groups have asked to have their holidays included as non-instructional days on the calendar.

‘It didn’t seem quite right to us that there were three holidays that had non-instructional days and other observances were not included in that,’ Steinwert said. ‘We wanted to create a policy that was fair and balance and recognized all religious diversity on campus.’

This is the first year the university will hold classes on Eid al-Fitr, Yom Kippur and Good Friday because of the new extended fall break, which will take place over the course of Thanksgiving week. Students will still be able to take these days off using the notification system.

‘I think it will be easier and more fair for everyone this way,’ said Suraj Balani, a sophomore communication and rhetorical studies major who practices Hinduism and is planning to take off Diwali, the main Hindu tradition.

The program is aimed to provide a clear and accessible record of when students will not be in class and helps avoid any problem from faculty or students saying they did not receive any notification, Steinwert said.

‘I’m Christian and I never really understood why Good Friday was deemed important enough to be a non-instructional day when other holidays weren’t,’ said Mina Johnson, a sophomore television, radio and film major. ‘I think the school is making a good step by looking at every holiday with the same importance.’

kacrisci@syr.edu

Published on August 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm