Subject:	FW: Helpful Info. 

I highlighted the Religious section below. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nihoa, Puanani (staff) 
Sent: Friday, October 5, 2018 9:28 AM
To: Swetkis, Doreen <swetkisd@evergreen.edu>; Geri, Laurance <GeriL@evergreen.edu>
Subject: Helpful Info. 

I had this forwarded to me from Dawn, regarding religious holidays. See below under 'Religious Holidays' this may be related to the topic of 'cultural days off' should an employee or student request of such relief. 
________________________________________
From: Academic Deans
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 3:04 PM
To: All Faculty
Cc: All Staff
Subject: Fall Dean Missive #1 - Calendars, Deadlines, and Start of Year Information

Dear Faculty Colleagues –
A new academic year begins! We were glad to see many of you at the Lake Panhandle Retreat last week, and we’re looking forward to supporting you in the coming year. We want to share some 2018-19 calendar information along with a few other important sources of information you are likely to find useful as we approach the first day of class.
Governance Calendar & Faculty Deadlines: The 2018-19 governance calendar (attached) includes faculty meetings, academic fairs, planning unit meetings, holidays, and other important dates. Complementing the governance calendar is a list of faculty deadlines<https://www.evergreen.edu/sites/default/files/Faculty%20Deadlines%202018-19.pdf> for professional development, program and course due dates, and more.
Orientation Week<https://www.evergreen.edu/orientation> has begun. Of special interest are:

·         All are encouraged to attend Orientation keynote sessions, scheduled Thursday for 10:00 am - 12:00 pm in Olympia (CRC Gym), and 6:00 - 8:00 PM in Tacoma.

·         For faculty assigned to lead fall Student Faculty Workshops the day workshops will be held 1:30 - 4:00 Thursday and 2:00 -4:30 Friday, evening workshops at 6:00-9:00 PM Thursday and 6:00-8:00 Friday, and a weekend workshop at 10:00 to 4:00 on Saturday. Questions about Orientation can be sent to deans@evergreen.edu<mailto:deans@evergreen.edu>
First Class Meeting Date and Location: New this year to the online catalog is a posting of your “first class meeting” time and location. Please take a look at your offering in the catalog to confirm the accuracy of the date/time. If you need to make a change, please contact spacescheduling@evergreen.edu<mailto:spacescheduling@evergreen.edu> for adjustments.
Deans' Groups: Each year faculty are assigned to deans' groups<https://sites.evergreen.edu/facultydevelopment/wp-content/uploads/sites/333/2018/09/2018-19-Deans-Groups.pdf> to provide a point of contact for various administrative issues, including contract review, student concerns, and faculty review.

Religious Holidays: We’d like to remind everyone to include accommodations for the observance of religious holidays in your plans for this quarter and for next year. According to RCW 28B.10.039<http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28B.10.039>, we should be accommodating student absences for up to two days per academic year for reasons of faith or conscience. Students may need to be absent and may need to travel to be with family. In some cases, religious observance requires students not work on a particular day. In addition, it may be helpful to avoid major assignment due dates or exams in close proximity to religious holidays. Advance planning can create more equitable learning circumstances for everyone.

Please use this resource provided by the University of Washington<https://www.washington.edu/students/reg/religcal.html> to identify dates of major religious holidays.
Evergreen’s 2018-19 New Student Handbook & Degree Planning Guide is being distributed to all new students this week. You can view the first iteration of the guide at  https://www.evergreen.edu/handbook.
First Day of Class Introductions: Therese sent a document<https://sites.evergreen.edu/facultydevelopment/wp-content/uploads/sites/333/2018/09/Welcoming_to_Inclusive_Learning_9-7-v2FINAL.pdf> yesterday with a wealth of information about creating syllabi and building an inclusive classroom environment. In particular we want to remind faculty of best practices for calling roll on the first day of class<https://sites.evergreen.edu/facultydevelopment/wp-content/uploads/sites/333/2018/09/Welcoming-Students.pdf>.

No Smoking: Please remind your students about the colleges no smoking policy <https://www.evergreen.edu/node/295631> Advising students that they have an opportunity to care for the community by adhering to the designated locations. When these designated locations are disregarded, the smoke negatively impacts the health and environment for many -- especially as HVAC systems bring smoke into classroom buildings.

The Academic Deans | 360.867.6810

Scott Coleman | Larry Geri | Lee Lyttle | David McAvity | Greg Mullins | Therese Saliba | Trevor Speller