17 January 2008

Deans, Directors, Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff

Patrick Farrell, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs;
David Musolf, Secretary of the Faculty;
Lori Berquam, Interim Dean of Students

When Classwork and Religious Observances Conflict

We would like to remind you of the faculty policy that mandatory academic requirements should not be scheduled on days when religious observances may cause substantial numbers of students to be absent from the university. It is important to note that some religions mark observances over multiple days, which may begin at sunset on the day preceding the posted date(s) of the holiday. This is the case during the spring semester for the Jewish holiday Passover, the observance of which begins at sunset on Saturday, 19 April and continues for several days thereafter.

Due to our university's multi-cultural community, there are bound to be conflicts between mandatory academic requirements and religious observances other than those listed. Major religious observances celebrated by Buddhist and Muslim students also occur during the semester, and many of these observances begin at sunset of the day prior. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is available on-line at www.interfaithcalendar.org. You also may obtain a copy of the listing from the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, 262-3958, 130 Bascom Hall.

A student's claim of a religious conflict should be accepted at face value, which may include travel time. A great variety of valid claims exist for religious groups, and there is no practical, dignified, and legal means to assess the validity of individual claims. State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance must be given an alternative means of meeting the academic requirement. The law also stipulates that students be given means by which they can conveniently and confidentially notify an instructor of the conflict.

Please adhere to the following three guidelines that have been developed to provide clarity for both students and instructors: (1) Announce early in the semester that students must notify the instructor within the first two weeks of class of the specific days or dates on which he or she requests relief. Including this information on your course syllabus is another appropriate method to make sure your students are informed of the policy; (2) Make-ups may be scheduled before or after the regularly scheduled requirements; and (3) It is understood that instructors may set reasonable limits on the total number of days claimed by any one student. Occasionally, students may not fully understand the necessity for prior notice, and under these circumstances we urge you to be as flexible as possible. Our policy seeks to be sensitive to the needs of individual students.

Please advise your teaching assistants of this policy.

Finally, on a different but somewhat parallel topic, we urge fairness, compassion and sensitivity when you or your TAs are approached by a student requesting class time off due to a family emergency. Demonstration of your understanding in such a circumstance may be important to the student in getting through the crisis.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Patrick Farrell, Office of the Provost - (608) 262-1304
David Musolf, Office of the Secretary of the Faculty - (608) 262-3956
Lori Berquam, Office of the Dean of Students - (608) 263-5700

Academic Calendar
Faculty Document 488a - Religious Observances Policy