While most public colleges and universities will be closed today to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a number of private and religious-affiliate schools across the country will be open for business, much to the chagrin of some faculty and students.
“It’s very disappointing,” says Steven McFarland, a junior at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and co-president of the Swarthmore African American Student Society. “This day is about what Swarthmore is about, social justice. That is why I came here.”
The Philadelphia native says that, for more than a decade, student leaders have, without much success, called on administrators to postpone classes until after the holiday.
Mark Anskis, a spokesman for Swarthmore, says that Dr. Collin Williams Jr., a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak at a breakfast this morning on campus and that the university will honor the lives of three generations of Swarthmore African-American men, including Paul Cato, a student leader who is scheduled to graduate in May.
“Classes are in session at Swarthmore College on Martin Luther King Day,” Anskis wrote in an e-mail. “Staff members are permitted to take the day off as part of the college’s holiday schedule.”
But because the college decided to begin its semester on the King holiday, McFarland and others say they are conflicted over how best to honor the civil rights icon.
“You can’t miss the first day of class,” says McFarland, who is majoring in political science and education policy. “I’m hopeful that eventually the university will decide to start classes after Dr. King’s birthday.”
