This fall, Orientation Week’s schedule may be altered to accommodate students who would otherwise miss out on events because of Rosh Hashanah. Orientation is scheduled for Sept. 6 to 11.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, coincides with the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of faculty orientation.
Queen’s Hillel met with the Senate Orientation Activities Review Board, a committee of the University’s Senate, last week and proposed changing the schedule of events.
Traditionally, Orientation Week runs residence orientation events on Monday and Tuesday, and faculty orientation Wednesday to Saturday.
Hillel suggested switching residence and faculty orientation events so Jewish students observing Rosh Hashanah would be able to attend most of faculty orientation and only miss residence orientation, spokesperson Joshua Zelikovitz said, adding that residence orientation presents information that students can find out about elsewhere.
“Not moving faculty orientation would essentially mean the systematic exclusion of most of Jewish frosh from one of the most formative experiences at Queen’s,” he said. “It’s important to understand the importance of Rosh Hashanah for Jewish students as a family-based holiday. Students who aren’t religious will feel the obligation to take the day off, go home and be with their families.”
Senate tabled the motion to rearrange Orientation Week dates yesterday at the request of the AMS executive.
“The motion was tabled so that we could receive greater consultation with students,” AMS Vice-President (University Affairs) Adam Zabrodski said.
Meetings between relevant student groups and administration continue next week.
Zabrodski said the AMS hopes to have a list of recommendations within the next two weeks, adding that the next Senate meeting where a motion could be brought forward is April 21.
“Our priority is finding a solution that all students are able to participate,” he said. “We’ll consider everything and in the end we’ll find a solution that students and organizers will be accepting of.”
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