NIU does not recognize religious holidays, but students can request the holiday off to celebrate.

Brian Hemphill, vice president of student affairs, said students who want a holiday off should request accommodation from their professor or administrator.

The NIU academic policies and procedures manual states a student faced with these conflicts should notify their instructor as soon as possible.

Students who believe they have been unreasonably denied an educational benefit due to their religious beliefs or practices may bring the matter to the department chair or, if necessary, the dean of the college.

“The department chair is good at mediating between students and faculty,” said Earl Seaver, NIU vice provost.

Seaver said his office sends a reminder of religious observances to faculty every school year.

Students often request certain holidays and receive permission to celebrate.

Avi Bass, former faculty adviser for Hillel Jewish Student Organization, said he thinks Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover are the most common Jewish holidays students request off.

Shayna Zion, a junior athletic training major, said she always requests off these three holidays. She only requests off the first two days of Passover, a week-long celebration in March or April, to help her family prepare Kosher meals.

“Professors have to give you these days off,” Zion said. “I’ve never had a problem. My professors have been pretty lenient.”

Seaver said the university encourages professors to give these holidays off, but it is not required.

“We don’t recognize or not recognize certain holidays,” he said.

Thomas Roberts, professor of educational psychology, said he does not require attendance for his classes, but if a student requested an excused absence from his class for a religious holiday, he would accommodate and make necessary arrangements.

Although the university encourages professors to accommodate students’ religious observances, some professors choose to follow their attendance policy.

Sarah Conklin, associate professor of health education in the school of allied health professions, allows her students one free absence. She said she does not discriminate against something that is excused or unexcused.

“I have large classes and if they need to miss, that’s their decision,” Conklin said.

Conklin’s students can lose points for missing group activities, but she said she drops the lowest group activity grade.