By: Parker Lemke
When neuroscience junior Zakir Waliany found out his grandmother died in early February, he quickly reached out to his professors and asked to be excused for the funeral.
Most agreed to accommodate the funeral in Atlanta and allowed him extended time to complete his classwork. But one instructor told Waliany that he’d have to find time to study for an exam set for the following week while he was away.
“I feel he infringed on my cultural rights,” said Waliany, whose family comes from Pakistan and adheres to a 10-day mourning period.