By Katie LaDue
Staff Writer
This question has been asked many times and this article answers the question on whether or not students at our University should have Martin Luther King Day off. This may also provide an explanation for others.
When it comes to the ethics of this issue it is way too complicated and controversial to cover. Therefore it seems better to just provide the government’s stance on this issue.
As many of you may have noticed January 19th was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and you may also have noticed that Marywood students did not receive this day off from classes.
Most people believe that because this day is considered a national holiday that everyone in the country is entitled to have this day off but this is not the case.
Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) states that this day and others like it including Christmas, New Years Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Washington’s Birthday, Thanksgiving Day, Veteran’s Day, and Columbus Day should be treated as paid vacation or leave days for any and all Federal employees.
This does not apply to students because they are not federal employees and also because our University is a private establishment. This means they don’t have to give the students or any of the staff members these days off.
Private establishments are not regulated by the government so they do not have to follow many of the restrictions most students are used to from attending public schools as young children.
So this may have come as a shock to many but the school is completely within its rights to not give this day off.