In the coming days, the Boston University campus will seem a little quieter, as students take off for home to observe religious holidays with their families. And of course, the inevitable silence will not skip over the BU classrooms.

Students will notice an increase in empty seats in their classes over the next few days — that is, those students who actually attend. And while many teachers will be understanding about the number of absences, no one has told them they have to be.

Boston University policy suggests students simply ask their professors to excuse their absence on religious holidays. This leaves a large amount of power in the hands of the professors, who can decide to penalize the student for missing the class or hold a large test on the day of the absence. Students are entirely at the mercy of their professors, which puts the devout, or even the casually observant, at a serious academic disadvantage.

Given this, some students suggest the University should be closed for religious holidays. This, however, would create an even larger problem. Boston University is a diverse community, with students from around the globe, and it would be unjust to discriminate among different religions. Closing the University for one religion’s holidays would incite discontent from students of other religions, and understandably so. When it comes down to it, the University is non-denominational, and it is in no way inclined to support any one religion over another.

To relieve these challenges, a stricter policy should be enforced by the University as a whole, not by individual professors. There should be an official written statement published in the Student Lifebook allowing students to observe their religious holidays without any conflicts with professors regarding class attendance or assignments. Additionally, professors should keep the calendar in mind when creating their syllabuses and setting test dates.

Nothing should impede a student from observing a holiday, regardless of how many BU students share the day. With a clearer and more rigidly enforced policy, the problems that occur between students and professors over absences would fade away. And that would be something to celebrate.