The SOM policy on religious observation allows examinations to be missed for religious reasons, and the completion examination schedule used instead.
A student who wishes to observe a religious holiday on an examination date may take a completion examination on the scheduled date if appropriate protocol is followed for documenting the religious observance.
Specifically, at the beginning of each term, the Office of Student Affairs will invite students via email to register the dates of their religious holidays that conflict with their examination schedule for that term. Students who fail to register these dates within two weeks from the start of each term will not receive an excused absence from examinations.
Students must follow this protocol each term. The protocol does not cover any dates of travel associated with the religious observance beyond the actual religious holiday. All completion examinations are scheduled after the semester ends, as per the official Academic Class Schedule published on the Office of the University Registrar site.
In the case of multi-day examinations (e.g., OSCEs), students who are unsure whether their assigned examination time will overlap with a religious holiday should assume an overlap and submit an application to the Office of Student Affairs. This ensures that the course director is aware that a completion examination may need to be offered.
The religious observation policy applies to examinations only. Participation in other course activities is governed by the 80:20 rule (i.e., a minimum of 80% participation is required, as outlined in Part B of the course syllabus), regardless of the reason for missing an activity.