With the holiday season fast approaching for many faiths, the Office of the Provost recently reminded the campus community to be respectful of differing faiths and viewpoints.
Tom Christensen, provost, reiterated the campus policy and shared a calendar of events.
“Please be mindful of the faith traditions of your colleagues, coworkers and students,” Christensen said. “It is important that we be accommodating and respectful.”
UCCS campus policy states the university will try to avoid scheduling university-sponsored events in conflict with religious holidays. The policy also says the university will provide “reasonable accommodations for staff, faculty and students whose sincerely held religious or spiritual beliefs, practices and ceremonial obligations conflict with work schedules or academic activities.”
Reasonable accommodation might include allowing a staff member to change work schedules or a student to reschedule an exam.
Major religious holidays for the remainder of the academic year, follow:
| Navaratri / Dassehra | Hindu | 9/21/17 – 9/29/17 |
| Rosh Hashanah * | Jewish | 9/21/17 – 9/22/17 |
| Yom Kippur * | Jewish | 9/30/17 |
| Sukkoth * | Jewish | 10/5/17 |
| Sh’mini Atzeret * | Jewish | 10/12/17 |
| Simchat Torah * | Jewish | 10/13/17 |
| Diwali | Hindu | 10/19/17 |
| Maulid al-Nabi * | Islamic | 12/1/17 |
| Hanukkah * | Jewish | 12/13/17 – 12/20/17 |
| Christmas | Christian | 12/25/17 |
| Christmas (Orthodox) | Orthodox Christian | 1/7/18 |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | 2/14/18 |
| Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | 2/14/18 |
| Beginning of Lent | Orthodox Christian | 2/19/18 |
| Purim * | Jewish | 3/1/18 |
| Holi | Hindu | 3/2/18 – 3/3/18 |
| Ramanavami | Hindu | 3/26/18 |
| Good Friday | Christian | 3/30/18 |
| Passover * | Jewish | 3/31/18 – 4/7/18 |
| Easter | Christian | 4/1/18 |
| Good Friday | Orthodox Christian | 4/6/18 |
| Easter (Pascha) | Orthodox Christian | 4/8/18 |
| Ramadan (Beginning) * | Islamic | 5/16/18 |
| Shavouth * | Jewish | 5/20/18 |
| Laylat al-Qadr * | Islamic | 6/10/18 |
| Eid al-Fitr | Islamic | 6/15/18 |
* All Jewish and Islamic holidays listed above begin at sundown on the previous day.
* Muslim holiday dates may vary based on interpretations of the lunar calendar.
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