Religious accommodations for students

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 by which students are to request accommodation due to a religious or spiritual observance.

Midterms, Tests, Labs and Other Course Work

All accommodation requests for mid-terms, tests, labs or course work are to be directed to and addressed by the course instructor.

Steps:

• Alert instructor within two weeks of the start of term of any scheduling conflicts by submitting the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form.
• If the requested absence occurs within the first two weeks of the term or the dates are not known well in advance, alert 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.

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).

Steps:

• As per existing regulations, within one week of the announcement of the examination schedule, submit the Student Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form. The form will be automatically submitted to the relevant Petitions Committee.

For More Information and Support

For more information, see the Accommodations for Religious Observances page, including frequently asked questions.

For additional support, please reach out to:

• Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at diversity@wlu.ca
• Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management at humanrights@wlu.ca