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. 

Student Requests

At the beginning of each semester, students must promptly review the course syllabus and class schedule and notify faculty to request an accommodation for sincerely held beliefs or traditions using the Religious Accommodation Request Form.

Requests must:

1. Identify the student’s religious belief or practice;
2. State the specific accommodation(s) requested;
3. Clearly articulate how the course assignment conflicts with the student’s sincerely held religious beliefs or practices;
4. Provide date(s)/frequency of requested accommodation(s) within the current academic semester; and
5. If applicable, identify previously made religious accommodation requests, including when the request was made, the name of the individual who responded to the request, and the outcome of the request.

Employee Requests

Employees seeking religious accommodations should submit their request by emailing People and Culture at EmployeeWellness@uvu.edu.  

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 deccision.

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.

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:

1. In person at Browning Administration Building, Suite 203, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058 (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.);
2. By mail to Utah Valley University, MS 272, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058 (anytime);
3. By telephone at 801-863-7999 (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.);
4. By e-mail at TitleIX@uvu.edu (anytime);
5. Online, anonymously or self-identified at https:www.uvu.edu/equityandtitleix/ (anytime)
6. By any other means that results in the Title IX Coordinator receiving the person's oral or written report.

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 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.

Supervisors who receive religious accommodations requests from their employees must promptly report such requests to the Accommodations Coordinator in People and Culture at EmployeeWellness@uvu.edu, who will manage the accommodations process with the employee.

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.

USHE Religious Holiday List

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. 

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.

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Blind and Low Vision
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Physical Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities
• Psychiatric Disabilities (depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, etc .)
• Chronic Medical Conditions (diabetes, migraines, long COVID, etc.)

Accommodations may also help with temporary conditions that last longer than a few weeks, such as a concussion, broken arm, pregnancy, etc. 

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. 

Employee Requests:

Accommodations Coordinator
People and Culture
HF 105
(801) 863-8207
EmployeeWellness@uvu.edu

Student and Visitor Requests:

Accessibility Services
LC 312
(801) 863-8747
AccessibilityServices@uvu.edu
www.uvu.edu/accessibility-services

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.

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