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University of Utah student Ossama Elshamy attends prayer at 1:30 p.m. every Friday, so he alerted his professor he would be a bit late for his 2 p.m. class that day.
No problem. His professor made allowances for his Saudi-born student's Muslim faith.
"It works well on an individual basis . . . when [students] talk with their professors," Elshamy said Thursday.
In fact, the 18-year-old communications major said his religion has not been a problem at Utah's flagship university.
Even so, he and other U. students - including leaders of campus religious groups - welcome the U.'s plan to develop a policy to deal with conflicts between a student's religious beliefs and school assignments. They are, however, taking a wait-and-see stand until they see the details.
The U.'s plan stems from an agreement this week settling a lawsuit with former theater student Christina Axson-Flynn, who refused to swear during a classroom monologue. Within the next year, all students and faculty will have guidelines for when and how the school may grant exemptions for religious beliefs.
Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah expects one of those exemptions to include a simple spelling accommodation.
Zippel said some U. professors have required Jewish students to spell out "God" in their papers. That runs counter to the orthodox Jewish practice of writing "G-d."
Jewish students should have their religious rights respected, he said.
Zippel commended the U. for planning a policy in which students can appeal decisions that "violate religious rights."
During the next 12 months, a seven-member committee - three faculty members, three students and one non-university representative - will write the U.'s religious-accommodation policy and draft an appeals process for students who disagree with a faculty member's decision.
The members will be appointed within a month.
U. student body president Alex Lowe said a formal policy will hold students and faculty in check and help guard against religious discrimination or a weakening of academic freedom.
"The good thing coming out of all of this is the U. will now have formal procedures when something like this happens," Lowe said.
Mike Howard, who serves as the adviser to members of the Reform University Fellowship on the U. campus, could not recall a time when any of his students' Christian beliefs clashed with academic activities.
"We encourage our students to be a little more gracious with different world views," Howard said. "We are not combative or insensitive to other religious viewpoints."
Axson-Flynn, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, alleged that U. theater professors were insensitive when she refused to "take the Lord's name in vain and use the F-word" in classroom performances.
She sued in 2000 and left the U. This week's settlement agreement - including a $3,000 tuition reimbursement and $250,000 for her attorneys - ends her lengthy legal battle.
Allan Gunnerson, director of the LDS Institute of Religion near the U. campus, said he knew little about the settlement or the school's plan to adopt a religious-accommodation policy. It would be interesting, he said, to see a "little bit of detail and the kinds of situations" that would arise.
"It's always a good thing to have something heard and discussed." Gunnerson said. "I do applaud the U. for wanting to work with situations that come up in an amenable way for everyone."