Attendance
Accommodations for Religious Observances
IU Indianapolis Policy on Religious Holidays and Class Participation
IU Indianapolis respects the right of all students to observe their religious holidays and will make reasonable accommodation, upon request, for such observances. On occasion conflicts may occur between a student's obligations in a course and the student's obligations in observing major religious holidays.
Any student who is unable to attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on some particular day or days because of his or her religious beliefs must be given the opportunity to make up the work that was missed or to do alternative work that is intrinsically no more difficult than the original exam or assignment. Upon request and timely notice, students shall be provided a reasonable accommodation. It is recommended that dates and times for examinations and other major course obligations be announced at the beginning of the semester or summer session and that students let instructors know of conflicts very early in the semester, so that accommodations can be made.
Students seeking accommodation for religious observances must make a request in writing by the end of the 2nd week of the semester to the course instructor and should use the Request for Course Accommodation Due to Religious Observance Form. In the case of religious holidays for which the date may change, the student should state the approximate date and when the exact date is known, inform the instructor of the exact date. The University will not levy fees or charges of any kind when allowing the student to make up missed work. In addition, no adverse or prejudicial effects should result to students because they have made use of these provisions.
It should be noted that while campus policy requires instructors to make reasonable accommodations when a student must miss an examination, assignment, or other academic exercise because of a required religious observance, it is not campus policy to require accommodations when students wish to travel to share a holiday with their families. Most religions are represented in the Indianapolis area and can provide appropriate observances. However, it is appropriate to grant accommodations for a few hours after the holiday if the observance includes fasting.
