Picking Winners and Losers: On Dartmouth’s Religious Holidays Calendar

Nothing matters more to the Dartmouth College administration than the mental and physical health of its clients [sic] Also known as students. Aware that the student body still believes in things other than GPA and money, the administration, out of the benevolence of its heart, creates a list of important religious holidays that it deems worthy of being inhabited. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha’i, and Wicca are all considered worthy of Tucker Center support. African Americans and “Latinas” also appear on the list, as the Tucker Center apparently considers them to be religions as well. Despite the considered intentions behind the list, it’s clearly not without its flaws. In order to help our friends in the administration create a fairer campus environment for all, here are some simple criticisms and recommendations of the Dartmouth Religious Holiday Calendar, from ReviewTheir favorite Southern Baptist and atheist duo, James Eller and Zoe Dominguez.

First of all, the list includes some rather interesting religions, while excluding others. The list lacks any mention of Native American holidays or festivals, an especially troubling omission given Dartmouth’s ongoing efforts to recognize Native Americans. There may have been “too many” different local beliefs and belief systems for the compilers of the list to consider. So we say: do better. the…