Back in 2017, two professors at the University of Washington Bothell decided to offer their students the option to take exams at night, from 10 p.m. to midnight. It was finals week, and some Muslim students were fasting from food and water for approximately 14 hours daily, from sunrise until sundown, for the holy month of Ramadan.
Bryan White, a biology professor, and Rania Hussein, a professor of electrical engineering, thought having tests at a later time would allow students to observe the holiday, break the fast and regain their energy in time for their tests. White said he was concerned that students fasting may have trouble with concentration during exams because of blood sugar levels.
Hussein, who is Muslim and came to the US from Egypt in 1998, said she used the time as an opportunity to build community with her students — Muslims and non-Muslims alike. She arrived at the exam room with food at sundown — around 9 p.m., an hour before testing began — and invited students to break their fast with her.
“I wanted this to be an example of diversity in action, where students can share their culture,” said Hussein, who now works at UW’s Seattle campus. “It wasn’t just an exam to me. It was a nurturing environment that we, as educators, strive to provide to our students.”
“It wasn’t just an exam to me. It was a nurturing environment that we, as educators, strive to provide to our students.”RANIA HUSSEIN, ELECTRICAL ENGINEER PROFESSOR
Hussein and White’s night exams sparked a conversation about religious accommodations for students. Shortly afterward, students at another UW campus drafted and lobbied for a bill requiring religious accommodations within higher education institutions. Washington Law Governor Jay Inslee, who is running to be the Democratic nominee in the 2020 presidential election, signed it into law in April; it goes into effect in July. Advocates say the law is unique in its scope and how it addresses religious accommodations at higher education institutions. They plan to use it as a model to advocate for similar laws in other states.
Washington law, which applies to all religions, requires faculty at higher education institutions to “reasonably accommodate” students who are observing a religious holiday and expect to be absent or endure hardship because of it. This means working with students to reschedule a test or offering alternate exam times. Students need to request an accommodation within the first two weeks of the course, and faculty must put information about accommodations on the syllabus.
