The Daily Bulletin Archive

POLICY SUMMARY
The college does not discriminate against employees, applicants for employment, or students based on religion or national origin.

POLICY
Policy Statement
No person shall be expelled from or refused admission as a student to an institution of higher learning for the reason that he or she is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to register for or attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days.

Applicability
Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend or participate in classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.

Definitions
The term "religious belief" shall mean beliefs associated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, which is not disqualified for tax exemption under Section 501 of the United States Code.

Responsibility
It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school because of his or her religious beliefs an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements that he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to said student such equivalent opportunity.

Procedure

• If registration, classes, examinations, or study or work requirements are held on Friday after 4:00 p.m. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, or study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practical to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, or study or work requirements held on other days.
• In effectuating the provisions of the Education Law, it is expected that faculty and the administrative officials will exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student for availing himself or herself of the provisions of this section.
• Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative official to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institutions of higher education is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this section.
• At Buffalo State College, we sharpen the mandate of the state and endorse the policy that the administering of evaluative examinations on Rosh Hashanah (sundown Wednesday, September 20, 2017, to sundown Friday, September 22, 2017), Yom Kippur (sunset Friday, September 29, 2017, to sunset Saturday, September 30, 2017), and Good Friday (March 30, 2018) will not be permitted.
• In addition, faculty and staff should be aware that Ramadan may be observed by people practicing Islam. During Ramadan, there are special obligations for fasting, prayer, and other religious observances for people practicing Islam.
• Ramadan in 2018 will start on Wednesday, May 16, and will continue for 30 days until Thursday, June 14. Note that in the Muslim calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan on the sunset of Tuesday, May 15.

RELATED INFORMATION
Documents and Forms
SUNY Buffalo State Policy on Discrimination Based on Religion (PDF, 111 KB)

CONTACT INFORMATION
Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Cleveland Hall 415
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222

REVISION HISTORY
Date of change: 05/11/2017
Brief description of edit: Updated 2017_18
Phone: (716) 878-6210
Fax: (716) 878-6234
Website: http://equity.buffalostate.edu
E-mail: eeoequity@buffalostate.edu
Date of change: 06/27/2017
Brief description of edit: Reformatted to standard template

APPROVAL
State University of New York Office of General Counsel