Religious Observance Policy

It has always been the policy of the MSU College of Law to permit students and faculty/academic staff to observe those holidays set aside by their chosen religious faith.

The faculty and staff should be sensitive to the observance of these holidays so that students who absent themselves from classes on these days are not seriously disadvantaged. It is the responsibility of those students who wish to be absent to make arrangement in advance with their instructors.

Professors may expect a reasonable limit to the number of requests by any one student. Some professors attempt to cover all reasons for student absences from required academic events such as quizzes or exams with a blanket policy, e.g. allowing the student to drop one grade or two quizzes without penalties. If this is meant to extend to religious observances, the instructor should state this clearly at the beginning of the semester. If professors require make-up exams, they retain the right to determine the content of the exams and the conditions of administration, giving due consideration to equitable treatment.