Even if I do not check the required box, if I add a calculation that might populate the field with a value, depending on if another field has a value, suddenly that field becomes required to have a value and the user can not submit without entering something into the field.

Why is this? It should only be required if the required checkbox is checked.

Here I am being taken back to the EDMonth field on the first page. Yet you can see the configuration for that field is not required and there is no red star.