Dear faculty and students,
One of the special qualities of the Rice community is our diversity, which includes our religious and cultural vibrancy. A recent survey by Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance found that the Rice student body is very religiously diverse compared to the general U.S. population, with more than 60% of students identifying with some religious tradition.
With this in mind, I’m writing to affirm that faculty should make every reasonable effort to allow undergraduate and graduate students to observe upcoming religious holidays without adverse academic consequences or impact on their academic success. I am also providing you with helpful resources.
The Office of the Dean of Undergraduates offers a sample, non-exhaustive list of religious holidays that may pose conflicts for students. Faculty are expected to provide alternative arrangements when students miss classes, exams, labs or other assignments because of religious observances.
Students who have conflicting commitments are responsible for notifying their professors as soon as possible and informing them of the dates they expect to be absent. Failure to provide adequate notice will limit the accommodations provided.
In addition to supporting academic accommodations, Rice is actively enhancing other support for religious students. We have increased kosher food options in the serveries and have made sure that halal food options are widely available. We are also working to provide washing stations near our meditation and prayer rooms.
Rice celebrates and supports our religious and cultural diversity. To learn more about how you can support our culture of care for religious and nonreligious students, I invite you to join Elaine Howard Ecklund, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, professor of sociology and director of the Boniuk Institute, and Kerby Goff, associate director of research for the Boniuk Institute, as they present the aforementioned study at a special event Sept. 9. They will discuss student religiosity, perceptions of religious discrimination, and needs for religious accommodation and religious tolerance. The presentation is in McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall from 5–6 p.m.
This event is the first in a newly launched Rice Reflects series sponsored by my office to facilitate crucial conversations across differences.
I hope you can attend!
Warm regards,
Amy Dittmar, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs