Written by Sara Rzeszutek (QILT) and Catherine Gillespie (Office of Spiritual and Religious Life, OSRL)

Overview

Quinnipiac University students, as well as faculty and staff, represent a broad range of faith traditions that go well beyond the designated holidays on the academic calendar. This guide provides faculty with advice on supporting students of diverse religions, what to know about various traditions and their potential academic impacts, and ideas for communicating accommodation policies.

If you have questions about anything included in this document, please reach out to Sara Rzeszutek, Director for Faculty Advancement in Teaching Excellence, at sara.rzeszutek@quinnipiac.edu and/or Catherine Gillespie, Director of Spiritual and Religious Life at catherine.gillespie@quinnipiac.edu.

Intersections of Religious Affiliation, Culture, and Student Experience

While students across all faith traditions are entitled to the same educational experiences, students who are part of diverse religions and cultures can experience community and belonging, balancing family obligations and expectations, dining on campus, and other social dynamics differently. The First Year Seminar survey, conducted by Quinnipiac’s Office of Academic Innovation & Effectiveness, included questions about religious affiliation and connected that data with trends in other areas.

The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life offer additional notes about the experiences of students in diverse faith traditions:

• Overall, students who indicate religious affiliation experience greater social connection, academic belonging, and future orientation than non-affiliated students.
• Religious affiliation helps develop students’ sense of belonging, which is a great contributor to retention.
• Students who are part of religious faiths that are not widely represented at QU are less likely to feel connected with faculty than other students.
• Quinnipiac does not have designated Kosher or Halal dining options on campus.
• Parent questions about religious opportunities at Quinnipiac often come up alongside questions about institutional values at recruitment events, ranging from opportunities for worship to concerns about co-ed dormitories.

How do I let my students know about my policy on religious accommodations?

There is no set university policy on religious accommodations, but making reasonable accommodations is one way to ensure that your learning environment is welcoming, inclusive, and non-discriminatory.

A syllabus statement or a linked page in the Learning Management System is the easiest way to make your policy available to students. Note that while most religious observances are set on the calendar, the exact date on which Ramadan begins can be predicted but is not finalized until the sighting of the new crescent moon. In addition, Jewish and Muslim holidays that are designated on the calendar begin at sundown the night before, so students might request accommodations on the day before the holiday itself.

Religious Inclusion in the Classroom: A Glossary

This glossary is designed to help faculty support and include students of diverse faith traditions. It offers information on major and minor holidays, fasts, and observances across religious practices represented at Quinnipiac. The information included can help faculty better understand when students may have academic conflicts or changes in energy level and participation because of a religious observance. In addition, if you know students are fasting, it can be helpful to them to avoid serving food in class or at events you organize.

These tables were designed in consultation with experts in the represented faith traditions and include information generated by Microsoft Copilot.

Comprehensive Religious Holiday Calendar

To view a comprehensive religious holiday calendar, click here (QU login required) →