9-18-25: CUNY Policy on Religious Accommodations

TO:        The John Jay College Community
FROM:   Allison Pease, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
              Daniel Matos, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs
              Dominic Stellini, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students
              Myrna Forney, Chief Legal Counsel 
              Oswald E. Fraser, Assistant Vice President for Administration        
DATE:    September 18, 2025
RE:         CUNY Policy on Religious Accommodations

Dear John Jay Community,

Diversity enriches our campus community, our working and learning environment. We acknowledge the diverse cultural and religious observances that occur throughout the year, and ask you to do the same. John Jay  provides reasonable accommodations for religious observances for all members of our community, consistent with the CUNY Policy on Religious Accommodations and CUNY’s Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy.

While this is not an exhaustive list, we encourage everyone to review CUNY’s “All Religions & Ethnic Holiday Calendar”. Students are encouraged to provide advance notice of any conflicts, and faculty and staff to consult the calendar when scheduling events, meetings, and/or exams. However, because observances can vary and notices may sometimes be last-minute, all members of the community are asked to make reasonable efforts to avoid scheduling conflicts. Reasonable accommodations should be granted in accordance with College policy. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. These efforts help foster mutual respect and understanding. We recognize that reasonable accommodations may not be feasible in every circumstance. 

Students requesting religious accommodations should contact the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@jjay.cuny.edu. Employees requesting religious accommodations should contact their supervisor or AVP for Administration Oswald Fraser at ofraser@jjay.cuny.edu. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, flexible arrival and/or departure times, permission to make up a test or lecture, leave or assignment changes, time and/or space to pray, or an accommodation relating to appearance or dress. You may find more information on religious accommodations here. 

For general questions or to report a concern regarding CUNY’s non-discrimination policies please contact the Office of Compliance & diversity at cdo@jjay.cuny.edu 0r  212.621.3712.

We thank you for your continued support of our community’s spiritual, religious, and cultural diversity. We are proud to stand together as members of the John Jay family!