Utah Valley University will provide reasonable accommodations for students and employees who are unable to attend an examination, fulfill other academic requirements, or meet workplace responsibilities due to conflicts arising from their sincerely held beliefs or traditions. This includes situations where a student’s or employee’s faith, conscience, or participation in organized activities under their moral or ethical tradition or belief – whether religious, non-religious, theistic, or non-theistic in nature – leads to undue hardship by coinciding with the scheduled timing of an examination, academic requirement, or work-related obligation.
How can I request a Religious Accommodation?
Student Requests
A student seeking to be relieved from a course requirement, such as a due date or
an aspect of an assignment, because of a conflict with their religious belief or conscience
shall, as soon as practicable (i.e., as soon as the assignment is posted or the schedule
is made available), submit an accommodation request to the student’s instructor and
the Director of Accessibility Services at [email protected].
Accommodation requests that are not course-related, must be delivered to the Director
of Accessibility Services, who will coordinate with the relevant program
personnel.
All requests must be in writing and must explain how the course requirement or other
University activity or program (as applicable) would conflict with the student’s religious
belief or conscience, such as by specifying the dates and times of scheduling conflicts.
Employee Requests
An employee seeking to be relieved from performing a certain task, expression, action,
or inaction because of a conflict with their religious belief or conscience shall,
as soon as practicable, submit an accommodation request to the employee's supervisor
and
the Employee Accommodations Coordinator at [email protected].
The request must be delivered in writing no more than two days after receiving the objectionable assignment (unless the employee has less than two days’ notice to perform the assignment, in which case the accommodation request may be oral, but must be delivered immediately). The request must explain how the task, expression, action, or inaction would conflict with the employee’s religious belief or conscience.
What do I do if my request is denied?
Students
Students can submit a written appeal, along with their original Religious Accommodation Request Form, if their request is denied. This appeal should be sent to the department chair within a reasonable time frame, typically within three working days.
If the appeal is denied by the Department Chair (or designee), the student may appeal in writing to the Dean of the school or college within a reasonable timeframe. Upon receiving the appeal, the Dean (or designee) will issue a written decision to the student within three working days. This decision is final.
Lack of response on the part of the Chair or Dean within the time allotted, barring extenuating circumstances, shall constitute confirmation of the faculty member’s decision.
Employees
Reasonable efforts will be made to resolve disputes before entering into the grievance process. Within 30 days of receiving notice of a denied request, the requesting employee may request further review by the Accommodation Review Committee.
In consultation with the Office of General Counsel, the Committee will review the written decision and all documentation provided to, or relied upon by, the ADA Coordinator in making that decision. At this time, the employee may submit any new documentation and/or written explanation regarding information that became available only after the written decision.
Within 30 days of receiving the request for review, the Committee shall provide its decision in writing to the employee and the relevant ADA Coordinator. This decision shall be final, with no additional internal grievance or appeals available.
What do I do if I feel that I am being discriminated against?
Any person may report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of religion to UVU's Title IX Coordinator using any of the following methods:
All reports will be reviewed by the Equity and Title IX Office. After you submit a report, if you have included your contact details, an office representative will reach out to you to discuss your options, including the availability of supportive resources.
Please note that Equity and Title IX Office may be obligated to take action on certain reports, so complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in instances where it conflicts with UVU's duty to conduct a thorough investigation or to take appropriate corrective measures. However, in all cases, personal information is disclosed only on a need-to-know basis in accordance with university policy. Additionally, any form of retaliation against someone for filing a report is strictly prohibited.
Faculty Guidance
Faculty are expected to reasonably accommodate individual religious practices. Such
reasonable accommodations may include but are not limited to a course assignment modification,
an excused absence, rescheduling, flexibility in scheduling, or voluntary substitutions.
Faculty shall accommodate the obligations of their students who may be participating in the observance of religious holidays that require absence from class
Denial of an accommodation request for a sincerely held religious belief or practice is justified only when undue hardship to the University’s legitimate academic purposes would result from each available alternative of reasonable accommodation (i.e., requires more than ordinary administrative costs, infringes on other students’ academic experience, impairs campus safety, or changes the essential academic requirements of the class).
Before denying a student’s request for religious accommodation, faculty shall also consult with the Equity and Title IX Office.
Supervisor Guidance
Supervisors who receive religious accommodations requests from their employees must promptly report such requests to the Accommodations Coordinator in People and Culture at [email protected], who will manage the accommodations process with the employee.
USHE Religious Holiday List
A non-exhaustive list of religious holidays for which there may be a need for a religious accommodation has been provided by the Utah Board of Higher Education. Students and employees may seek, and UVU may grant, a religious accommodation for a holiday that is not on the list.
Relevant Policy
UVU Policy 153 Religious Accommodations (Temporary)
UVU Policy 165 Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action
Contact Information
Employee Requests:
Accommodations Coordinator
People and Culture
HF 105
(801) 863-8207
[email protected]
Student Requests:
Accessibility Services
BA 110
(801) 863-8747
[email protected]
www.uvu.edu/accessibility-services
Introduction
Utah Valley University is committed to adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with qualifying disabilities. This commitment includes ensuring equal access to employment opportunities, educational accommodations, and accessibility across all university facilities and events to qualifying individuals, ensuring they can participate fully and equally in the educational and work environment.
What are Qualifying Disabilities?
ADA accommodations may help when a disability creates obstacles that make it difficult to access an education or resources on campus. This list is not inclusive; please contact our office with questions about any other disabling conditions or limitations.
Accommodations may also help with temporary conditions that last longer than a few weeks, such as a concussion, broken arm, pregnancy, etc.
When should I submit my request?
Students
Those seeking accommodations should submit their requests no later than eight weeks before the semester.
Employees
Employees should submit their request within two weeks of employment, or return to employment following a leave.
Visitors
Visitors should submit their request within two weeks of their visit to campus.
Requests submitted later than these timeframes will be evaluated as quickly as possible.
Late requests may result in delayed services.
How can I request a Disability Accommodation?
Employee Requests:
Accommodations Coordinator
People and Culture
HF 105
(801) 863-8207
[email protected]
Student and Visitor Requests:
Accessibility Services
BA 110
(801) 863-8747
[email protected]
www.uvu.edu/accessibility-services
What do I do if my request is denied?
Within 30 days of receiving notice of a denied request, the requesting student,
employee, or visitor may request further review by the Accommodation Review Committee
("Committee").
In consultation with the Office of General Counsel, the Committee shall review the written decision and all documentation provided to, or relied upon by, the ADA Coordinator in making that decision. At this time, the student, employee, or visitor may submit any new documentation and/or written explanation regarding information that became available only after the ADA Coordinator’s written decision.
Within 30 days of receiving the request for review, the Committee shall provide its decision in writing to the student, employee, or visitor, and the relevant ADA Coordinator. This decision shall be final, with no additional internal grievances or appeals available under UVU policy.
What do I do if I feel I am being discriminated against?
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Any person may report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of disability to UVU's Title IX Coordinator using any of the following methods:
All reports will be reviewed by the Equity and Title IX Office. After you submit a report, if you have included your contact details, an office representative will reach out to you to discuss your options, including the availability of supportive resources. Please note that Equity and Title IX Office may be obligated to take action on certain reports, so complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in instances where it conflicts with UVU's duty to conduct a thorough investigation or to take appropriate corrective measures. However, in all cases, personal information is disclosed only on a need-to-know basis in accordance with university policy. Additionally, any form of retaliation against someone for filing a report is strictly prohibited. |
Relevant Policy
UVU Policy 152 Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities
UVU Policy 160 Animals on Campus
UVU Policy 162 Title IX Sexual Harassment
UVU Policy 165 Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action
UVU Policy 601 Classroom Instruction and Management
