If you would like additional support or want to discuss how to communicate with faculty, staff, coaches, or supervisors, contact us at spirituallife@ithaca.edu.
Religious Observance
At Ithaca College we uphold the diverse religious and spiritual traditions - each with their own set of beliefs, practices, and observances that are part of our community. To this end we make a reasonable effort to support students seeking an accommodation for religious observance.
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Religious Observance Policy
Excerpt from the College's Attendance Policy: In accordance with New York State Education Law (Section 224-a), students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. The faculty member is responsible for providing the student with an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement that the student may have missed. Any such work is to be completed within a reasonable time frame, as determined by the faculty member.
A few suggestions:
- Notify your course instructors at at the beginning of the semester with anticipated absences so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination. The student should consult their academic dean if an instructor is unable or unwilling to grant the request.
- See this sample email to request an accommodation for your classes.
Religious Observances for 2026-2027
The following are important religious holidays from a wide variety of traditions. This listing is not meant to be comprehensive—for that, please see the following website: http://www.interfaith-calendar.org/. We try to reflect our own student population and needs in our community.
2026
| Date | Holiday | Religion | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||
| 15 | Feast of the Assumption of Mary | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 25 | Mawlid-al-Nabi | Islam | Work-restricted |
| September | |||
| 4/5 | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 8-15 | Paryushan | Jain | Special Worship |
| 11 – 13 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 20-21 | Yom Kippur | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| Sept 25-Oct 2 | Sukkot | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| October | |||
| 2 | Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 2-4 | Simchat Torah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| November | |||
| 1 | All Saints Day | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 2 | All Souls Day | Catholic | Special Worship |
| 8 | Diwali | Hindu, Jain | Special Worship |
| 10 | Birth of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 11 | Birth of Baháúllah | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 16 | Remembering the Martyrs of the UCA | Secular | Meaningful |
| 24 | Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 22 | Feast of Christ the King | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 24 | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 26 | Thanksgiving | Federal | Meaningful |
| 28 | Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá | Baháʼí | Special Worship |
| December | |||
| 1 | Advent Season | Christian | Meaningful |
| 3 | Feast of St. Francis Xavier | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 4-12 | Hanukkah | Jewish | Special Worship |
| 8 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 12 | Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 25 | Christmas | Christian | Special Worship |
| 26-Jan. 1 | Kwanzaa | Ethnic | Meaningful |
Work-restricted Religious Holy Days:
A recognized denominational sacred or holy day that is observed by persons or groups who are required - through a set or system of religious beliefs, laws/doctrines, tenets, canons or theology - to restrict or limit work and/or physical or mental activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something; toil; labor. This definition may include academic endeavors (e.g. examinations, classroom activities and research, or out-of-classroom learning experiences).
-Hindu, Jain, and Sikh holy days are calculated on a lunar calendar and are observed at different times in different regions.
-All Jewish and Bahá'í holy days begin at sunset the previous day.
-Observances/practices vary from culture to culture within and across denominations.
Sunday is widely observed as a Sabbath and day of worship for many faith traditions. In the Jewish faith, Saturday (beginning at sunset on Friday) is a work-restricted Sabbath, Regulations governing observance for worship depend on regional customs.
There are no work-restricted holy days within the Christian faith by tenet. By custom, in the United States, Easter and Christmas (a federal holiday) are considered to be non-work days.
Special worship: Such religious observances listed above are NOT work-restricted by definition but may involve a special worship or observance.
Meaningful: Such days are NOT work-restricted by definition but may be particularly significant to persons attending or working at Ithaca College.
A comprehensive list of religious observances can be found here: https://www.interfaith-calendar.org