Rule 6-100B: Student Religious Accommodations

1. Student Religious Accommodations
2. Grievance Process
3. Confidentiality

Purpose and Scope‌

1. Purpose.

   Policy 6-100 says “students absent from class to participate in…religious obligations…shall be permitted to make up both assignments and examinations.” This rule provides further clarification of this policy, as required by Utah Code Section 53B-27-405.

2. Scope

   This rule applies to student Religious Accommodations for scheduling in the context of course instruction. This rule does not apply to accommodations for course content, which are described in Policy 6-100 Section Q. This rule also does not apply to accommodations for employees, including student employees, which are administered by the Division of Human Resources.

‌Definitions‌

The definitions provided in Policy 6-100 apply for this rule. In addition, the terms below apply for the limited purpose of this rule.

1. “Religious Accommodation” means a schedule modification of an examination or academic requirement because of the student’s faith, conscience, or participation in an organized activity under the student’s Religious Tradition or religious organization. A Religious Accommodation may include but is not limited to rescheduling or providing a make-up exam, rescheduling a student’s in-class presentation, allowing a make-up assignment to substitute for missed class work, changing a course assignment’s due date, or excusing an absence from the course.

2. “Religious Tradition” means a religious, non-religious, theistic, or non-theistic moral or ethical tradition.

3. “Sincerely Held Belief” means a religious, non-religious, theistic, or non-theistic moral or ethical tradition.

4. “Undue Hardship” means significant difficulty.

‌Rule‌

1. ‌Student Religious Accommodations‌

   1. The university shall reasonably accommodate a student’s absence from an examination or other academic requirement if the student provides a written notice to the instructor of the course that the date and time the academic examination or academic requirement is scheduled creates an Undue Hardship for the student due to the student’s Sincerely Held Belief based on the student’s faith or conscience or participation in an organized activity conducted under the student’s Religious Tradition or organization.

      1. The Office of the Dean of Students is available to support both instructors and students with Religious Accommodations. A student may contact the Office of the Dean of Students before requesting a Religious Accommodation for help with approaching the instructor about the accommodation. Likewise, an instructor who receives a request for a Religious Accommodation may seek help from the Office of the Dean of Students if they are unsure whether to grant the Religious Accommodation and what an appropriate accommodation would be. In addition, an instructor may seek help from their department chair or Dean’s office.

      2. A student should provide the written notice as soon as reasonably possible.

   2. An instructor who receives a written notice requesting a Religious Accommodation may schedule an alternative examination time before or after the regularly scheduled examination or may make accommodations for other academic requirements related to the accommodation. Students are responsible for their work in a course, and while an instructor determines how a student can make up a missed examination or other requirement, the student who requests a Religious Accommodation should work with the instructor to determine the specific accommodation.

   3. A Religious Accommodation may not adversely impact a student’s academic opportunities.

   4. The university is not required by law or policy to accommodate religious beliefs when such accommodation would violate other laws or interfere with the safety and security of the University.

   5. An instructor may consult the University’s interfaith and cultural calendar (https://events.utah.edu/university-interfaith-holiday-calendar/) when reviewing a student’s request for a Religious Accommodation.

   6. A department or a college may provide additional guidance to instructors on how to address requests for Religious Accommodations in courses offered by the department or college.

2. ‌Grievance Process‌

   1. If a student and an instructor are unable to come to an agreement on a Religious Accommodation, the student or the instructor should contact the Office of the Dean of Students, which shall work with the student and the instructor to resolve the issue.

   2. A student who believes that they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action as described in Policy 1-012 and related rules.

3. ‌Confidentiality‌

   1. University employees shall keep a student’s request for a Religious Accommodation and the Student’s beliefs and practices confidential and only share the information needed to evaluate or grant the request or to process a grievance of a denial of a request.

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      Sections IV- VII are for user information and are not subject to the approval of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. The Institutional Policy Committee, the Policy Owner, or the Policy Officer may update these sections at any time.

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‌Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms, and other Related Resources‌

1. Policies/ Rules.

   1. Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation

2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms. [ reserved ]

3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]

‌References‌

1. Utah Code Section 53B-27-405

‌Contacts‌

The designated contact officials for this regulation are:

1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Dean of Students

2. Policy Officer(s): Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

   See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

‌History‌

Revision History.

1. Current version. Revision 0.

   1. Approved by the Academic Senate on January 6, 2025, with effective date of January 6, 2025.

   2. Legislative History

   3. Editorial Revisions

2. Previous versions.

3. Renumbering

   1. Not applicable.