Both virtual and in-person classes will continue as scheduled on Election Day, the University of Maryland announced Thursday. However, university instructors were encouraged to make it easier for their students to perform their civic duty in a Thursday email from university President Darryll Pines and Provost Mary Ann Rankin.
Pines and Rankin asked that faculty be flexible with attendance and due dates on Nov. 3 and that they avoid scheduling major assignments for that day, according to the email.
Students have asked the administration to cancel classes in honor of Election Day several times, the email reads. But, despite the requests, the general consensus among administrators was that canceling classes on Nov. 3 would disrupt students’ education, especially for those with capstones, labs and other individual sessions.
“So, we have simply encouraged our students to participate in the voting and census process,” the email read.
On Sept. 28, Pines sent out a campuswide email emphasizing the importance of voting and responding to the census, providing resources about how to fill out the census and volunteer as an election worker.
About 60 percent of students at this university voted in the 2016 presidential election, and some community members are predicting students will turn out in even higher numbers this year.
“We kindly ask that you all make it easier for students to perform their civic duty,” Pines and Rankin wrote.
