Classes in session for federal holidays

By Emma Spreckels

FARMINGDALE, NY-Observance of all federal holidays is not evident at Farmingdale State College. According to the official FSC Academic Calendar there are some federal holidays the college does not recognize. Most, if not all schools, close for federal holidays such as Columbus Day and Veterans Day, however at FSC classes are still in session. The college has designated Lincoln’s Birthday and Election Day as a floating holiday, which are “paid days off from work given as a substitute for a public holiday typically chosen by the employee.” The students of FSC are not in favor of the college’s choice not to observe all federal holidays like schools in the area do.

The college was closed for a week due to the Ryder Cup in September and some students like sophomore Jess Rau felt it unnecessary for the school to close. She stated, “In respect to the Veterans, I feel the Ryder Cup was not that important and I don’t think we should have gotten a whole week off. I understand they needed the space, but I do think that we should have gotten off for Veterans Day.” Her feelings about the school staying open for Veterans Day were personal. She stated, “It is very disrespectful and they totally should be closed for Veterans Day considering that I have family in the service.”

Religious holidays are also an issue with the students at FSC. Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday are days where many people go to church. Students were told by some professors that they would not be penalized if class was missed due to religious observance. However, that was not the case in some instances. When asked if they ever had to miss a class to celebrate a holiday, students like Rau and freshman Riley Ezelius said yes and had to miss class on Ash Wednesday. Ezelius said, “I did miss class for Ash Wednesday because I wasn’t able to get my ashes any other time because I had school all day, so I did miss classes for that.”

Most college students work while enrolled with nearly 70% of undergraduates juggling jobs while in school. According to a report from Best Colleges, 4 out of every 5 working college students spent more than 20 hours per week working for pay. While most college students work in the service industry, extra time off from school for a federal holiday can pay off. Freshman Olivia Marzigliano said “There are people that have to work on those holidays and can’t come to school or even the other way around and they are off from work so why would you want to go to school?”

Some students experience decreased motivation knowing they have classes on holidays when their friends are off on those days. Ezelius said “It does affect my motivation because if my friends who are also local have off, it makes me not want to go to school.” Education reform expert Chris Padilla closely studied the debate surrounding Presidents' Day school closure and found “A break between winter and spring provides a nice mental health respite mid-semester.” Padilla also highlighted some ways to make the most of that day off such as planning a day trip, seeing friends or going shopping. Students can even take the day to catch up on schoolwork.

Some students making the most of Ash Wednesday at school

Official State Holidays

Holiday	Date	Closed/In Session	Notes
Labor Day	Monday, 09/01/25	College Closed
Columbus Day	Monday, 10/13/25	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Election Day	Tuesday, 11/4/25	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Veterans Day	Tuesday, 11/11/25	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday, 11/27/25	College Closed
Day After Thanksgiving	Friday, 11/28/25	College Closed	UUP employees will charge floating holiday from Election Day. Other bargaining units may charge any accrual
Christmas Day	Thursday, 12/25/25	College Closed
Winter Recess/Holiday Break	12/24/25- 01/01/26	College Closed	All employees are encouraged to take off and charge appropriate accruals. Alternate work duty will be available upon request.
New Year's Day	Thursday, 01/01/26	College Closed
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Monday, 01/19/26	College Closed
Lincoln's Birthday	Thursday, 02/12/26	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Presidents' Day	Monday, 02/16/26	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Memorial Day	Monday, 05/25/26	College Closed
Juneteenth	Friday, 06/19/26	Classes in Session	Offices will be staffed at the supervisor's discretion and consistent with the operating needs of the College.
Independence Day	Saturday, 07/04/26	College Closed