The University’s faculty, staff and students may have to adjust their holiday calendars with the recent proposal of Faculty Senate Resolution 08-16 — “Establishment of Memorial Day as a Holiday for LSU Faculty, Staff, and Students.” The resolution is sponsored by Senator Edward Laws of the School of the Coast and Environment. Laws is proposing the University honor Memorial Day by closing the University and giving the faculty, staff and students the day off. The military tradition of our University runs deep — the University was originally founded as a military academy. And we believe making Memorial Day an official University holiday would help to honor that historic tradition.If the resolution is approved and officials adopt the proposal, the University would be following in the footsteps of several of its peers. The universities of Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arkansas are just a few of the schools in the South where Memorial Day is an official holiday.And the holiday falls during a time when the campus is all but barren, so why not take one day to honor those who served in the military?For this to happen, the University must sacrifice one of its 14 official holidays, but why not just have 15?Laws proposed giving up a day during winter break. But having the seven-day break during Christmas and New Year’s gives the staff and faculty a break between ending the previous semester and beginning the new one. And as insignificant as one day may sound, during a busy travel time like Christmas, one day is a lot.The significance of Memorial Day and its meaning is sometimes underestimated, but it certainly shouldn’t be a time faculty and staff should have to work.- – – -Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]