Temple will not cancel classes on Election Day

The university encourages students to take steps to ensure they’re able to vote on Nov. 8.

The Owls Out For Democracy petition gained more than 4,000 signatures. | EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Temple University will not cancel classes on Election Day after more than 4,000 people signed a petition urging the university to give students, faculty and staff  a day off, wrote Chris Carey, senior associate dean of students, in an email to those who signed the petition.

“After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that it is just not feasible to adjust the academic calendar and all its variables at this point in the semester,” Carey wrote.

In the email, Temple listed steps students could take to ensure they’re able to vote on Nov. 8, including checking that their voter registration is up to date and requesting a mail-in ballot. The university also encouraged students to sign up as poll workers and speak to their professors if they’re likely to miss class to cast a ballot.

Jared Goldberg, a senior political science major, created the Owls Out for Democracy petition in hopes that Temple would cancel classes as a way to foster civic engagement among the student body and North Central community.

The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and La Salle University will all hold classes on Election Day. 

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