Spring Break
Separation of Church and School
This thinly veiled "coincidence" isn't fooling anyone.
By: Kenny Ryan
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Opinion
Tomorrow, Aggies will enjoy a day off from school on what is described in the University Calendar as a reading day. Coincidentally, it is also Good Friday. Also coincidentally, this has happened every year I've been a student. Now, I love a day off from class as much as the next Ag, but this kind of religious coincidence is grossly disturbing.
Texas A&M is a public university, a state funded school, and as such, it should follow the very clear and relevant line from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." This is where Americans draw the "separation of church and state" ideal from, and has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean Congress may not adopt an official state religion or show favoritism to any religion over others. As a University partially subsidized by Congress, A&M must obey this amendment and not practice "coincidences" of religious favoritism.
Good Friday is the only day off taken purely because it is a Christian holiday. Skeptics will say, "What about winter break, that's all about Christmas. Should winter break be cancelled too?"
Of course not. Christmas may happen to occur during winter break, but so do multiple other holidays, including a globally celebrated New Years. Like summer break, winter break serves as a buffer between semesters so students can decompress and get away from the stress of school. It's not like school only takes one day off during the winter for Christmas - it's a long break surrounding New Year's, and luckily for Christians, Christmas falls smack dab in the center of it.
When it comes to Christian holidays, Christians should have to make the same choice every other religion has to make when a holiday nears: go to class or take the day off. To non-Christian students, this can be a vexing issue when their holiday overlaps a test, a review or an important lecture. This double standard violates the First Amendment.
University holidays should be reserved expressly for nationally recognized holidays. MLK Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc; if the University needs another holiday off after spring break, go with an Aggie Holiday and grant Muster off.
At the very least, I'd like to see the state and the University call it like it is. It's Good Friday; it's not a "reading day." If the University isn't comfortable enough to admit what they're up to, it's a pretty good sign they shouldn't be doing it.
Before I get the hate mail for it, this is not an attack on Christianity. I'm not trying to corrupt or convert anyone; this is just a call for the University to play fair, and treat every religion and every student as an equal. If you want a school that's run by religion, go to Baylor. Texas A&M should be a place where the calendar isn't planned at the whims of any one religion and students of all faiths are treated equally and fairly.
Texas A&M is a public university, a state funded school, and as such, it should follow the very clear and relevant line from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." This is where Americans draw the "separation of church and state" ideal from, and has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean Congress may not adopt an official state religion or show favoritism to any religion over others. As a University partially subsidized by Congress, A&M must obey this amendment and not practice "coincidences" of religious favoritism.
Good Friday is the only day off taken purely because it is a Christian holiday. Skeptics will say, "What about winter break, that's all about Christmas. Should winter break be cancelled too?"
Of course not. Christmas may happen to occur during winter break, but so do multiple other holidays, including a globally celebrated New Years. Like summer break, winter break serves as a buffer between semesters so students can decompress and get away from the stress of school. It's not like school only takes one day off during the winter for Christmas - it's a long break surrounding New Year's, and luckily for Christians, Christmas falls smack dab in the center of it.
When it comes to Christian holidays, Christians should have to make the same choice every other religion has to make when a holiday nears: go to class or take the day off. To non-Christian students, this can be a vexing issue when their holiday overlaps a test, a review or an important lecture. This double standard violates the First Amendment.
University holidays should be reserved expressly for nationally recognized holidays. MLK Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc; if the University needs another holiday off after spring break, go with an Aggie Holiday and grant Muster off.
At the very least, I'd like to see the state and the University call it like it is. It's Good Friday; it's not a "reading day." If the University isn't comfortable enough to admit what they're up to, it's a pretty good sign they shouldn't be doing it.
Before I get the hate mail for it, this is not an attack on Christianity. I'm not trying to corrupt or convert anyone; this is just a call for the University to play fair, and treat every religion and every student as an equal. If you want a school that's run by religion, go to Baylor. Texas A&M should be a place where the calendar isn't planned at the whims of any one religion and students of all faiths are treated equally and fairly.
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