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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.
  • The deadline to request a religious accommodation for a test, lab, midterm exam, or other course work that is identified on the syllabus is:
    • one term (i.e. Fall, Winter, Spring) and full-year courses: Must be submitted on or before 14 days after the start of term.
    • 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