Dialogue focuses on diversity in religion
Senior Amy Williams hopes to add more religious diversity to MU.
Published Nov. 6, 2008
When senior Amy Williams went to the dialogue titled "Religious Holidays: Are we balanced at MU?" she had an agenda.
Williams went into the You in Mizzou-sponsored discussion with a diverse religious background and wanted to gain insight about what MU can do to help accommodate minority religions.
"I really want to have a better understanding of what the university is trying to do," Williams said before the dialogue.
Her belief is because Christians are the majority and that MU's schedule caters to them. She also noted catering to the Christian majority's holiday schedule has been a well-established practice, and though it might not be right, it is the most realistic action the university can take.
"I have a cross-cultural background," said Williams, who grew up Christian but wanted to learn about other religions. "I have a lot of friends who are Muslim. The first year I fasted, I wanted to see what it was like. I found it a very powerful experience."
William's experiences fasting with friends changed her views about religion. She quit her job sophomore year because she worked people she felt were intolerant and joined the Muslim Student Organization. With MSO, she works to gain more privileges for the minority group such as a refund from the dining halls during Ramadan because students don't eat from dawn until dusk, the primary hours when dining halls are open.
Williams spoke to professor emeritus Peter Gardner during the dialogue. Gardner said during his teaching career, he was never asked by a university to address issues of religion in class. Students who would like to request days off for religious holidays that don't make the MU calendar must discuss it with their professor and hope he or she understands.
"It does bother me, but it does not shock me," Williams said about MU's lack of religious policies. "Even if its heart is in the right place, they don't always get it right."
She does believe the university tries to recognize all religions, but because there is still a high level of ignorance in society about minority religions, they don't always manage accommodate well.
Noor Azizan-Garnder, Chancellor's Diversity Initiative Director of Programming and Professional Development, said the university posts a list of religious holidays for teachers and encourages them not to set exams on those days. She added that there are no guidelines about absences due to religion or how equal a separate exam must be if the professor does choose to give the student a different exam.
Williams also explained the dining halls do have ways to accommodate students who don't eat certain meats, or anything that touched those meats, as a religious belief, but staff members who are either untrained or uncaring often let it slide when meats or meat juices touch the grill.
Williams pins much of the intolerance level on misconceptions and a lack of willingness to understand.
"The community needs to step up and be willing to learn, but unless minority groups say there is a problem, many don't notice," Williams said.
At the end of the discussion, Williams felt she had helped direct the conversation in the way she wanted.
"We got some solid ideas about what we can do," she said.