By Ronny O'Leary, Columnist
It is the end of the semester, and the holidays have arrived! I am sure that everyone cannot wait to relax after a busy semester. Most people are likely celebrating some holiday, whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or the New Year. With so many holidays, it might be assumed that the University excludes some of them. However, I do not think that is the case; Hofstra focuses on the secular aspects of the holidays so that everyone can partake in the festivities.
Two examples of winter events are RSA's Annual Snowball Dance and the WRHU Holiday Party, both of which advertise that they will involve food and, for the latter, an Islanders game. These events are secular and do not recognize a particular holiday.
But, some might point out that the movie theater is showing Nightmare before Christmas. Does exclude people who do not celebrate this holiday? I think not because that movie is a classic, so even people who do not celebrate Christmas can still enjoy it. Also, because most Americans celebrate Christmas, it is only natural that there would be more Christmas-themed movies. I am sure that if there were classic Hanukkah and Kwanzaa movies, the theater would show them as well.
In addition, some might say that we should have all the days of Hanukkah off since we have Christmas Day off. However, the University would then have to recognize the holidays of other cultural groups while at the same time, trying to give us the required amount of class time. By giving us vacation around the holidays, Hofstra ensures that the greatest number of people can celebrate winter holidays with their families.
Even if Hofstra does focus more on one holiday, I have not heard people complaining. I have talked to some Jewish students who do not feel excluded even though they believe that Hofstra focuses mostly on Christmas. While I personally do not recognize any winter holidays, I still like to celebrate this time of year.
In short, Hofstra does its best to include everyone in the winter festivities, and it is not their fault if someone feels left out. There are many holidays around this time of year, and the University cannot accommodate them all; the most they can do is hold events that celebrate the wintertime so that everyone can participate.
If anyone does feel forgotten around this time of year, they should think of this time of year not as the recognition of specific holidays, but a time to celebrate with others and relax after working hard all semester.