Every year it’s the same story: my friends can’t go home to celebrate Easter and Good Friday with their families because they live too far away.

While I’m fortunate to live close enough that I’m able to celebrate holidays like Easter with my parents, I too am unable to celebrate with my extended family because of the commute back to school.

Here’s an idea. How about Chico State gives students Good Friday and/or the Monday after Easter off so they can travel home and be with their families?

Sure, that means we’d get another day off when the school’s just been closed for Cesar Chavez Day, but it’s the least that the administration can do to live up to Chico State’s inclusive and tolerant image.

Last I checked, snubbing a huge section of the student body that celebrates Easter by not allowing them days off to travel constitutes not being inclusive and could almost be seen as a violation of their freedom to practice religion.

What would be even better is if the administration moved spring break from the week of St. Patrick’s Day to the week of Cesar Chavez Day and Easter, like most public K-12 schools do.

Unfortunately, someone somewhere had the brilliant idea to move spring break a couple of years ago because they thought that having it fall during St. Patrick’s Day would curb the outlandish celebrations by some of the student body.

Look, I get it. No one wants students here during “drinking holidays” like St. Patrick’s Day.

But did anyone else see the ridiculous behavior that was on display on Cesar Chavez Day? I’d say it’s 10 times worse than what’s been seen on St. Patrick’s Day in the past.

Doesn’t it make sense to move spring break back to a more sensible and logical time that allows students to celebrate a religious holiday while keeping them out of town for Cesar Chavez Day?

Of course, nobody in Chico State’s administration would ever go for moving spring break to the last week of March/first week of April.

Trust me, when spring break was first moved to the week of St. Patrick’s Day, professors demanded that it be moved back because the shift shortened winter intersession. But no one listened.

No matter what happens, something needs to be done so that students can observe Good Friday and Easter with their families, regardless of whether they live 30 minutes away or 10 hours away.

While not everybody recognizes Good Friday and Easter, that doesn’t mean Chico State should be allowed to ignore those who do.

Megan Mann can be reached at [email protected] or @meganisthemann on Twitter.