'Only Jewish students can have time away from their studies to reflect'

An open letter the UB community:

I take keyboard into hand in order to express extreme outrage over the indignity served upon all of Christianity by SUNY Buffalo. I am not a pious man! I have come to this school to study Newton, Leibniz, Faraday, Ohm et al. It is pure irony that I should rally to this cause. I would never imagine that school would be closed for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah and remain open on Good Friday. Is there such a thing as equal rights for all or does this apply only to vocal minorities. SUNY Albany and Binghamton do not have classes on Good Friday.

I am not an anti-Semite nor am I an anti-dentite. I am an average American doing what we have done throughout history "sticking it to the man." The man seems to think that only Jewish students can have time away from their studies to reflect and atone for their sins. Personally I could use the sum total of Aseret Yemei Teshuva, Ramadan and Lent to atone for my sins. It is time for all faculty members to cancel class, student to boycott class, and staff members to call in sick on April 10. I will not arrive for lecture at the hour of Jesus' death.

I have written Governor Patterson, Speaker Silver, Senator Volker, President Simpson and they have all unequivocally dismissed me without answering. I filed a religious discrimination complaint with Attorney General Cuomo and you can also at this website (http://www.oag.state.ny.us/resource_center/complaints/complaints.html). I have asked three lawyers who are alumnae to represent me and was refused by all. Although this I believe was because I stipulated it be pro bono. The Governor is the only man empowered to close this school and I shall continue to bring this to his attention.

Super Sincerely Yours,

David L. Schwab

Sophomore electrical engineering major

dlschwab@buffalo.edu