Policies
Welcome to Farmingdale State College’s Policy Library. This library is the official repository for all institutional policies and procedures and is intended to be a resource for faculty, staff and students seeking information related to the policies that govern the institution. This library does not contain department-specific policies and procedures. Please contact the department for specific departmental policies and procedures.
Please direct all questions regarding policy content to the Responsible Office listed on the respective policy.
If you wish to propose or amend an institutional policy, please review the Policy for Developing Institutional Policies and complete the Policy Proposal Form.
For assistance with drafting and amending policies, please refer to the Policy Writing Guidance and/or contact the Risk and Compliance Office at 934-420-5365.
Religious Accomodations Policy
Policy Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish campus guidelines regarding the procedure by which reasonable religious accommodations will be provided.
Persons Affected
Faculty, Staff, Students, Third-Parties
Additionally, as indicated in the Farmingdale State College’s Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure, this policy also applies to applicants for employment, interns, whether paid or unpaid, volunteers, contractors and persons conducting business with the College, as well as third-parties who are participating in a College sponsored program or affiliated activity.
Policy Statement
Farmingdale State College (“FSC” or the “College”) is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all, regardless of religious affiliation or belief. As part of this commitment, the College will provide a reasonable religious accommodation when necessary for individuals to participate in employment and educational opportunities, as well as other College programs and activities, unless such an accommodation creates an undue hardship for the College.
Reasonable religious accommodations will be provided on a case‐by‐case basis with consideration to the nature of the accommodation requested; the duration of the request; the timeliness of the request; any reasonable available alternative accommodations; any academic impact; and any other related factors. As outlined in the procedures section below, supervisors and instructors are responsible for reviewing and determining the reasonableness of any requested religious accommodations.
As a public employer and educational institution, FSC does not endorse any specific religious tenet or belief. Rather, the College respects that each member of its community may have their own religious beliefs, or may not ascribe to any religious tenet or belief and will not be subject to harassment on the basis of religious belief. The College adheres to the principles of free speech regarding religious expression, and will not limit religious speech or expression unless such speech or expression creates an undue hardship or is contrary to the College’s Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure.Procedures
All requests for reasonable religious accommodation must be documented and include the following:
- A description of the accommodation being requested.
- The reason an accommodation is needed; and, if necessary,
- How the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between the individual’s religious beliefs or practices and the college’s policy, procedure, or other requirement.
Employee Accommodation
An employee who requires a reasonable religious accommodation should submit the request directly to their supervisor. Supervisors can determine if a request is reasonable and if so, grant and document the accommodation.
If the supervisor determines that the request may pose an undue hardship for the department or interfere with the employee’s essential job functions, or if the supervisor otherwise has concerns about the accommodation request, the supervisor should contact Human Resources. If there are concerns about the requested accommodation, the supervisor or Human Resources may initiate discussions with the employee to determine whether an alternative accommodation would suffice. A supervisor may not unilaterally deny a request for a reasonable religious accommodation without first consulting Human Resources.
Student Accommodation
A student who requires a reasonable religious accommodation for a specific course should submit the request directly to the instructor of record for the course. It is expected that the student will provide sufficient notice of the need for an accommodation to course instructors in order for the accommodation to be provided on a timely basis. Once a request is submitted, the instructor may initiate an interactive process with the student. Reasonable accommodation in course work may be unavailable if a request results in a significant number of absences or substantially impacts class participation. For the purposes of this policy, significant number of absences is viewed as greater than 5% of class time. In the event that a student’s request involves an alternative examination time or date, any make-up examinations given for purposes of test security must be comparable, in terms of format and difficulty, to the examinations given to the other students enrolled in the class.
If there are concerns about the requested accommodation, the instructor must consult their department chair or dean. An instructor may not unilaterally deny a request for a religious accommodation without first consulting their chair, or dean. Prior to issuing a denial of an accommodation, the Provost Office must be notified.
A student who requests a religious accommodation for any other College policy, procedure, or other requirement must request the accommodation in writing to the appropriate campus department. If the department head has concerns about the requested accommodation, he/she should reach out to their area Vice President. A department head may not unilaterally deny a request for a religious accommodation without first consulting their area Vice President.
Individuals who believe that there is a violation of this policy, who disagree with a determination regarding a request for a reasonable religious accommodation, who believe they have been treated in a discriminatory manner, or who are experiencing harassment should contact the Affirmative Action Officer. Complaints will be investigated in accordance with the procedure contained in the College’s Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure. An individual who files a complaint or participates in an investigation will be protected against retaliation. Complaints will be kept confidential to the extent possible.
Definitions
Essential Function: A fundamental job duty of an employment position for staff and faculty, or a fundamental academic element of a course or program of study for a student.
Reasonable Religious Accommodation: Any change in the work environment for staff and faculty, or academic course or program of study for students, or in the way tasks or responsibilities are customarily done that enables an employee or student to participate in their religious practice or belief without undue hardship in the conduct of the College’s business or operation.
Religious Practice or Belief: A sincerely held practice or observance that includes moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong, most commonly in the context of the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. Religion includes not only traditional, organized religions, but also religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal religious institution or sect, or only subscribed to by a small number of people. Social, political, or economic philosophies, as well as mere personal preferences, are not considered to be religious beliefs.
Undue Hardship: A significant cost or other burden that would cause a fundamental disruption to the College. The determination of undue hardship is dependent on the facts of each individual situation. An accommodation will be considered an undue hardship if it will result in the inability of the employee or student to perform an essential function of the position, course or program of study, or result in any safety hazards for students or staff.
Related Documents
Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure
State Education Law S224-a
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Responsible Office
Human Resources
Policy History
Approval Date: 9/13/2022
Policies
Categories
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Amnesty Policy
- Aviation Flight Center Safety Policy
- Campus Policy For Preferred First Name
- Campus Policy for Animals Care and Use for Research
- Campus Policy for Assignment of Credit Hours
- Campus Policy for Credit‐By‐Evaluation
- Campus Policy for Transfer Credit
- Captioned Media Policy
- Faculty Compensation and Load Credit for Credit‐Bearing Internships
- General Education Requirements
- Grade Grievance Procedure
- Guidelines for Academic Standing for Matriculated Undergraduate Students
- Plagiarism Detection and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Planning & Conducting Distance Learning
- Policies for Academic Standing for Non-Matriculated Students
- Policy and Procedure Guide For Faculty Led Study Abroad Programs
- Policy for Recording Classroom Instruction
- Research Integrity Policy
- Specially Designated Course Policy
- Student Attendance Policy
- Syllabus-Guide
- Writing-Intensive Requirement
- Bottled Water Policy
- Child Protection Policy
- Farmingdale State College's Payment Card Policy
- Food and Beverage Policy
- Fraud and Irregularities Policy
- Mandatory Reporting and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
- Payment Collection and Cash Handling Policy
- Policy for Developing Institutional Policies
- Records Retention and Management Policy
- Use of Facilities by Third Parties for Free Speech
- Acceptable Use Policy for Computer Facilities
- Additional Sick Leave Request Guidelines(a.k.a. Presidential Sick Leave)
- Affirmative Action Search Waivers Policy
- Also Receives Policy
- Alternate Work Arrangements Policy
- Alternate Work Location Policy
- Background Investigation Policy
- Chosen Identity Policy
- Civility and Bullying Policy
- Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy & Procedure
- Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure for Title IX Sex Discrimnation and Sex-Based Harassment
- Domestic Violence and the Workplace Policy
- Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy
- Extra Service Processing Procedure
- Farmingdale State College Consensual Relationship Policy
- Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Policy
- Informal Resolution Policy
- Internal Promotion Policy
- Mandatory Reporting and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
- Nepotism Policy
- New Position Justification
- Part Time Recruiting and Hiring Policy
- Reasonable Accomodations for State Employees
- Reimbursement of Moving Expenses Policy
- Religious Accomodations Policy
- Sexual Harassment Response and Prevention Policy Statement
- Telecommuting Policy
- Tobacco Use Policy
- Volunteer Policy
- Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
- Acceptable Use Policy for Computer Facilities
- Banner Security Policy
- College Email Policy
- Copyright Guidelines
- Cyber Security Awareness and Education Policy
- Data Communication Network Security Policy
- Farmingdale Information Security Policy
- Farmingdale State College Privacy Policy
- GDPR Privacy Notice
- Guidelines for the use of Digital Material
- Retiree Email Policy
- Wired or Wireless Network Policy
- Chosen Identity Policy
- Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedure for Title IX Sex Discrimnation and Sex-Based Harassment
- Farmingdale State College Consensual Relationship Policy
- Farmingdale State College Student Alcohol Policy
- Grievance Procedure for Sex-Based Harassment Complaints for Students (including NYS 129B requirements)
- Informal Resolution Policy
- Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy
- Personal Transportation Device Policy
- Policy and Procedures on Students Rights and Assembly
- Refund Policy
- Request and Grievance Policy for Student Disability Related Accommodations
- Sexual Harassment Response and Prevention Policy Statement
- Student Immunization Policy