There can be conflict within one’s daily life due to one’s religious beliefs. However, at Iowa State, there are accommodations that can be made.

In January 2008, Student Government Senate presented a resolution to the Faculty Senate, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Dean of Students Office, which resulted in the absence and religious observances procedure and policy being modified to include specific language regarding the impact of this policy on students and faculty.

These religious accommodations are any adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee or applicant to practice his or her religion, according to www.dol.gov.

The need for religious accommodation may arise when an individual’s religious beliefs, observances or practices conflict with a specific task or requirement of the position or an application process. Accommodation requests often relate to work and class schedules or religious expression in the workplace. If it would not pose an undue hardship, the class instructor or faculty supervisor must grant the accommodation.

Margo Foreman, assistant vice president of the Office of Equal Opportunity, said there is no certain standard religious accommodation. She said religious accommodations are based on religious holidays and holy days; however, each student or employee is a different case.

“Each religious accommodation request is examined on a case-by-case basis,” Foreman said. “Each one of them is different based on what each individual needs. Whether it’s a student who needs accommodation regarding class content or class structure or an employee who needs accommodation regarding the workplace and environment.”

As for how to receive these accommodations, Foreman recommended that students or employees reach out to their professor or supervisor first to try and find a compromise within that environment. However, whether it is a success or failure in reaching out to a professor or supervisor, a student or an employee can reach out to the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Foreman said students can reach out to the Office of Equal Opportunity to get assistance on what is the best accommodation and compromise for the situation. Foreman also said a request for an accommodation is not an automatic accommodation, and the Office of Equal Opportunity will do its best to fulfill the accommodation.

“We may have students who are going through Ramadan, and they have restrictions of when they can and cannot eat,” Foreman said. “And these students may have to work in labs where they have to be standing the whole time, and these students may not have the physical strength to do that due to the fasting schedule. So an accommodation that could be made is giving the student a chair so that they can still participate in the lab.”

Foreman also said other accommodations could be religious holidays, and students will have to work with their professors or supervisors well in advance to work around possible exam and class work scheduling so that students can participate in their religious holidays but keep up on their class work.

Foreman suggests that students in need of religious accommodations reach out well in advance so the accommodations can be worked out to the best of its ability. In order to send a religious accommodation request, talk to the professor and supervisor first, then reach out to the Office of Equal Opportunity via email at [email protected] or call the office at 515-294-7612.