Commencement 2010, a ceremony the University describes as one of “pomp and circumstance,” would have been less celebratory for those who would have been unable to attend due to a religious holiday conflict. But a controversial and unexpected administrative decision was made last Thursday to change the date in order to avoid this problem.
In response to complaints about a conflict between next year’s Commencement date and a major Jewish holiday, Shavuot, that celebrates the giving of the Torah, University President Lee Bollinger and the Board of Trustees approved a date change for Commencement. But the decision, which came after more than eight months of discussion, was made in spite of opposition from the University Senate, whose members argued that since the University is a secular institution, the academic calendar should not revolve around religious holidays. While one religious accommodation has been made, administrators are just learning that they need to address a similar conflict between Commencement and the Islamic holiday of Ramadan in 2018.
“When there are a substantial number of students who have a conflict of conscience ... we want to do everything we can to accommodate that,” Bollinger said in an interview on Friday, when he first announced the change. He noted that Columbia is a secular university, which usually accommodates religious groups with makeup exams and classes, but “this is one that you can’t help people make up.”
Referring to the 2018 conflict, Bollinger added that he assumes Columbia will stay true to precedent—the date for Commencement has been changed twice in the past for similar reasons—in order to accommodate all students, though he had heard of it for the first time on Friday.
The Education Committee, a body within the University Senate that reviews and sometimes recommends policies concerning the University’s education system—including the academic calendar—was approached several times at the beginning of the 2008 academic year about the conflict with Shavuot. But after discussing the issue, the Committee unanimously voted—and confirmed that vote during a subsequent meeting—not to move the Commencement date.
“Even though the members of the committee are mindful of the difficulties this will cause to those who will be affected by this decision, ... Columbia University is a secular institution,” the report stated, noting that in the past 20 years, the changing demographics of the student body have resulted in the observance of many religions.
These changing demographics point to another reason for the University Senate’s reservations about changing the date of Commencement—if the date were to be changed for Shavuot, it would also have to be changed in 2018, when Commencement coincides with Ramadan.
“It’s a slippery slope,” said University Senator Rajat Roy, SEAS ’10, who was recently impeached. “If you move it for Shavuot, then some other culture comes up with something, and then eventually you have a pretty bad snowball effect.”
To some Shavuot observers, the “slippery slope” argument was unsatisfactory. Hundreds would have been affected, whether they themselves would have been unable to attend or whether they would have had family members absent from the event. Some students began to call on the Education Committee for a change several months ago, and felt that their problem was initially disregarded.
When Columbia/Barnard Hillel became involved several weeks ago, in light of increasing complaints from students and their families, students said the administration began to consider their requests more seriously. There was close communication between Hillel Executive Director Simon Klarfeld, Rabbi David Almog, and the University administration. With mounting pressure on the University to change the date, Bollinger and the Board of Trustees signed off on the change last Thursday.
“I think on all sides there was active discussion, which is why I think in terms of the University timeline, there was a pretty quick resolution,” Hillel President Sarah Brafman, BC ’10, said. “I think even the faculty senators who decided they didn’t want to change it for religious reasons, didn’t want to shut anyone out of discussion.”
University senators reiterated at a meeting last Friday, the day after the change was made, that they disagreed the change, but Bollinger and the Trustees had already made the decision to reschedule.
And while the University Senate’s perspective remains at odds with Bollinger’s and the Trustees’, another conflict remains unsettled. Commencement will coincide with the first night of Ramadan in 2018, a problem that Bollinger was unaware of until an interview on Friday morning. And as this issue is put on the table, students are hoping that administrators will make similar adjustments as they did for Shavuot.
“I think the bigger picture is that if the date cannot be changed, then there should be accommodations set up that would benefit the students,” Sharmin Ahmed, BC ’10, Student Government Association vice president of finance-elect and a member of the Muslim Students Association, said.
“This is not to say that a push for a date change is not necessary. After all, commencement is supposed to be for the students who have worked hard for four years and are entitled to that one day.”
Joy Resmovits contributed reporting to this article.
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