The New School is a university that takes pride in its sensitivity towards cultural and racial differences, and makes every effort to include students from all sorts of backgrounds on a daily basis. We can see this through the school's plethora of events and student organizations that help foster this sense of inclusiveness.

The Spring Festival, held during the Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday on the calendar for many Asians, and it is a day where families get together and honor the household through a feast (in China, usually of dumplings, fish, and long noodles). During the festival, elders give younger children red packets, offerings are made to ancestors, and firecrackers are lit to ward off evil spirits. For us, it is a celebration parallel in significance to Christmas or Rosh Hashanah.

In recent years, The New School has seen an increase in Asian students attending the university, and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association believes that it is just as important to recognize and respect the traditions of the Asian population as it is to observe those already being celebrated in the school calendar. In addition, it is a good opportunity for us to teach other students about our traditions, and broaden an awareness for Asian cultures. The Spring Festival is a period of time many would love to spend with their families, and we hope The New School can acknowledge our wishes to do so. 

The Spring Festival lasts a total of 15 days, but the CSSA is asking only for a day off on the first, most symbolic day, and the afternoon of the day prior (the 24th and 25th of January this year). We are aware that the 25th is a Saturday, but as the date changes every year (last year it was the 4th and 5th of February), we humbly ask the school to adjust as the lunar calendar changes for years to come. We are not looking to severely disrupt the school's calendar and teaching plans, but simply to be allowed time to celebrate with our friends and families.

We hope that students from all cultural and racial backgrounds will support our endeavor to do so by signing this petition. 

Many thanks, 

The New School CSSA