In just about all categories by which diversity is measured, Stony Brook University is a diverse community. People of all different races and creeds study here, something the school and its students and professors value. That’s why it doesn’t make sense that the administration rushed into the decision to not consider religious holidays when making the academic schedule for next year.

Stony Brook Administration has kept the discussion about the change quiet, and has put together a proposition that would drastically change the calendar. If the administration really believed that this calendar change would be a quick endeavor that was mistake number one.  The administration failed to consult x y and z, who in this case all were worth representing in the decision.

The debate was taken to the national stage after it was reported on in The Statesman, getting space on Fox News and the Washington Post. But while Rush Limbaugh and company can debate the constitutionality and legal aspects of it, what they say doesn’t really matter. It comes down to the people it directly effects: students and professors at Stony Brook University.

Recently, Stony Brook has been seeing an influx of change—from a new university logo, to new class times.  Those part of the Stony Brook community need to be included in discussions involving these sorts of changes.

We believe that while these changes aren’t going to profoundly affect the majority of the student body, there are those who will be.  Their concerns should have been heard before a decision was made.

The diversity of Stony Brook’s campus is something to be admired and respected.
To alienate any group in that community for the sake of haste isn’t fair, and it doesn’t make sense that those in charge failed to consult the many different people part of the Stony Brook community.