Accommodations for Religious Observances
Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the university community and has a duty to provide accommodation based on creed (religion) under the Ontario Human Rights Code. This obligation requires the university to work with students to provide reasonable accommodation when a student’s religious observances or spiritual beliefs creates a conflict with their academic schedule and subsequent ability to meet the academic requirements of the course as presented in the course outline.
Developing accommodations is a shared responsibility. Students need to work with their instructors and university staff to address accommodation requirements. The following outlines the process effective September 2024 by which students are to request accommodation due to a religious or spiritual observance.
Tests, Labs and Other Course Work
All accommodation requests for tests, labs, or other course work are to be directed to and addressed by the course instructor, through the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form.
Mid-terms
All accommodation requests for mid-terms are to be directed to and addressed by the course instructor, with the exception of Lazaridis School of Business and Economics mid-terms, which are directed and addressed by the Lazaridis Petitions Coordinator. All mid-term accomodation requests are submitted through the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form.
Student Obligations & Deadlines
- Submit the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form.
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The deadline to request a religious accommodation for a test, lab, midterm exam, or other course work that is identified on the syllabus is:
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6-week courses: Must be submitted on or before 7 days after the start of term.
If the requested absence occurs within the first two weeks of the start of term a one term (i.e. Fall, Winter, Spring) or full-year courses, or within the first week of the start of the term for 6-week courses, or if the dates are not known well in advance, students need to alert the instructor as soon as scheduling conflicts arise by completing the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form, which should be submitted within one week of identification of such conflict.
Requests received by the deadline will be granted a deferred in-term test or midterm (or equivalent), to be scheduled and administered by the instructor or as per faculty procedures (if applicable). Re-allocating the weight of the in-term test or midterm to the final exam or an assessment(s) listed in the course syllabus is not an acceptable accommodation for requests received by the deadline.
For requests submitted after a deadline, the course instructor can choose to accommodate the request and re-allocating the weight to another course assessment is acceptable.
Final Exams
All accommodation requests for final exams are directed to and addressed by the Faculty Petitions Committee for the Faculty of the course (i.e. not the student’s “home” Faculty), through the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form. Deferral requests on religious grounds do not count towards the maximum of 5 exam deferrals that are permitted.
Student Obligations & Deadlines
- Submit the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form. The form will be automatically submitted to the relevant Petitions Committee.
- The deadline to request a final examination deferral is 7 calendar days before the final day of classes of the term.
- Deferral requests received by the deadline will not be charged a deferred examination fee, and the exam will be scheduled by the Faculty that owns the course on a designated slip day.
- For deferral requests submitted after the deadline, if approved by the Petitions Committee, the exam will be scheduled during the deferred exam period and a non-refundable deferred examination fee will be applied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each university and college will have its own process for addressing religious accommodation. The Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form is the Laurier process. For courses you are taking at another university or college toward your Laurier degree, follow up with the faculty member for the course and check to see if there is information available online.
Supports and advice are available through the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Indigenous Student Centre and the Office of Dispute Resolution and Sexual Violence Support, which provides facilitation of the resolution of discrimination and harassment complaints. Under the process set out in the academic calendar, a student may appeal to the appropriate faculty petitions committee any decision taken by an individual or body acting in the name of the university, which affects the academic standing of the student, and which the student believes was taken unfairly. Petitions should be to the faculty petitions committee for the course (i.e. may not be your home faculty).
You should follow up with the instructor. If after two weeks you still do not get a response from the instructor, please contact with the dean’s office in the faculty of the course you are requesting accommodation for (i.e. may not be your home faculty).
Laurier will make every effort to accommodate the date of religious observance and reasonable travel time. This does not include travel time for your convenience (e.g. carpooling) and typically only extends to the evening before and morning after the religious observance.
You should coordinate absences for any reason with your placement location. If accommodation is required, you may submit the form listing your placement coordinator as the instructor. For co-op placements, you should notify your employer of the need for accommodation.