Eid al-Fitr: Colorado State University Pledges Support to Muslim Students Balancing End Of Ramadan, Eid And Final Exams
The intersection of all three events hasn’t happened in over a decade, but Muslim students say still more could be done for them during their holidays.
This year, Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, intersects with final exams for most college students, which hasn’t happened in over a decade.
During Ramadan Muslim students like Alaa Eldeiry, a junior studying chemical engineering at Colorado State University, rose before the sun for suhoor and morning prayers and rarely had enough time to catch up on sleep before classes began.
Pictured: Eldeiry studying for final exams / image courtesy of the Coloradoan
Eldeiry says that some allowances for Muslim students would have been more equitable considering there are only two Islamic celebrations each year compared to multiple holidays for other religious groups.
“Imagine having to take finals during Christmas, or during Hanukkah. This is huge for us,” she said.
Despite this, Eldeiry said it’s “worth the sacrifice” if her grades take a hit during Ramadan.
Pictured: Jody DonovanJody Donovan, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, told AMT that CSU has a system in place that allows students to request religious accommodations. The university also sent an email reminding staff about the holiday.
“We sent an email to all faculty and staff prior to Ramadan alerting them to the intersection of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and finals week, emphasizing the need for accommodations, support, and flexibility for Muslim students,” she said. “In addition, we forwarded the link to the Religious Accommodation Form to the Muslim Student Association, International Students and Scholars Services, and University Housing to share with Muslim students prior to finals week to let them know they could request exam and assignment deadline accommodations for prayer, fasting, and celebrating with friends and family during this important holiday.”
Despite the emails asking professors to be flexible, Alison Shields, another Muslim student at CSU, believes the university could do more to support its Muslim students during Ramadan.
“I’m not sure how many of my professors are even aware it’s Ramadan,” she said.
Donovan said the university is working on ways to support CSU’s Muslim students in the future.
“We are working closely with the leadership of the Muslim Student Association and the Islamic Center of Fort Collins to identify ways we can better support our Muslim students and will certainly review policies and practices related to Islamic holidays moving forward,” she said.
