To the Editor:
In Thursday's story about dates on Brown's calendar conflicting with Jewish holidays ("Rosh Hashanah, shopping period to overlap," March 15), Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron was quoted expressing the University's willingness to accommodate students for whom these conflicts cause issues, such as holding a separate Commencement ceremony for those affected by the events' overlap with Shavuot. While not a high holiday, Shavuot is one of the three core Jewish holidays, and while observant students may have not written in requesting to graduate solo, the overlap does not leave observant students or students with observant families without complications. My grandmother does not drive on Shabbat or Jewish holidays and is going to have to walk a mile to attend events both on Saturday and Sunday of Commencement weekend - we luckily found a place for her to stay where she won't have to walk up the hill from a hotel downtown - and though it will not ruin my milestone, my dad will not be taking photographs of me graduating from college, since he does not use cameras on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. I imagine finding my parents at Campus Dance without cell phones will be difficult, too.
Throughout my time at Brown, I have found the University to be accommodating of my religious observance. My first year, I moved in a day early because I couldn't move in on Saturday due to my Shabbat observance. Professors have let me take exams on different holidays, and somebody from the registrar's office registered for me last year when my pre-registration date overlapped with Passover. While I understand the complications of calendars and that it is unrealistic to change major events for a very small percentage of students, I would like to emphasize the need I have had to seek accommodations so many times. There are very few religiously observant Jews on this campus, and I am not surprised that more do not gravitate to a school that does not make being observant easy. I would like the thank the administration and the Office of the Chaplains for the conversations that I know they are already having and encourage them to continue so as to best address these issues for future students.
Leor Shtull-Leber '12
Former Herald design editor
