- Contributing Commentary by: Taya Galab
Following a heated social media debate on the scheduling of vacations to accommodate religious holidays, the Registrar’s Office has confirmed that the Coptic Christian Holy Week will be “reflected in the spring break dates in all future academic calendars.”
In Spring 2025, both Muslim and Christian students mounted a campaign to pressure the Office to modify the academic calendar to include the end of Ramadan/Eid and Holy Week as part of Spring Break.
This year, AUC’s spring break ran from April 18 to 26. While it included Easter Sunday, it did not encompass the entire holy week (April 13–20), leading Christian students to petition for adjustments.
In response to student emails and a petition, the Registrar’s Contact Office stated in a March 3 email that, “This request cannot be accommodated this spring semester.”
However, the Office acknowledged the long-standing tradition of including Holy Week in spring break but cited, “pre-planned academic calendar and scheduling conflicts.”
This also led Muslim students to argue that the schedule does not consider their needs either, pushing for alignment with the last two weeks of Ramadan to ease fasting and late-night prayers during exams.
“I am extremely disappointed that AUC didn’t include the Holy Week this Spring Break,” said Emma Sherif, a sophomore majoring in Biology who signed the Christian student petition. “It’s a time of intense prayer every day, and attending university during this time will be so difficult to multitask.”
Facebook groups like Rate AUC Professors sparked the debate. Students voiced concerns over whether AUC applies religious accommodations equally. Despite the Registrar’s response, many Christian students feel sidelined as discussions increasingly focus on Ramadan accommodations rather than their initial concerns.
“I support my Christian peer’s request,” said Karen Anas, a sophomore Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) major. If we expect fairness in religious accommodations, just as we receive a break for Eid, then Holy Week should have been included. It’s not about one religion over the other—it’s about fairness.”
Jana Tawfiek, a sophomore Architecture major, continued to advocate for changes since Ramadan brings unique challenges. “Studying while fasting, attending late university classes, and late-night prayers is exhausting. So aligning the spring break with Ramadan would relieve a lot of stress for Muslim students.”
Students also pressured AUC’s Student Union to intervene. Haneen Gabr, a junior Management of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) major and SU member, acknowledged the issue.
“The Student Union’s goal is to represent the students’ needs, we are trying to better understand the situation.”
At press time, University Registrar Manar Zaki reiterated to The Caravan the earlier March 3 email statement that “Holy Week is reflected in the Spring break dates in all the future Academic Calendars.”
