Section 3: Classrooms, Facilities, and Personnel
3.1 Classrooms
Classroom and laboratory spaces, including the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH), are professional areas and shared learning spaces among DVM, graduate, and undergraduate students. These spaces are also frequently used for meetings, formal and informal continuing education (CE) programs, and extension purposes. Therefore, it is imperative that all users of learning spaces maintain a professional appearance.
For this reason, all personal items must be removed at the end of the student’s last lecture of the day unless otherwise requested. For example, lunchtime activities may require earlier removal of such items. In such instances, students will be notified by Academic Affairs and compliance is expected.
Appropriate storage is provided for white and lab coats, so lab coats must not be left elsewhere in the classroom. Items owned by student clubs/organizations must be stored in designated areas and must not be left in the classroom. If items are left in the classroom or are not properly stored, they may be collected and discarded.
Appliances such as coffee makers, microwaves, etc. are not allowed in the classrooms, nor are ottomans, large pieces of furniture, or other large storage devices.
3.2 Laboratories
3.2.1 Safety Considerations within Laboratories
Laboratory spaces within the CVM are supervised by the multidisciplinary lab (MDL) staff. The requirements for specific labs within the CVM may differ, but as a general rule whenever students are in a lab, they are required to wear clean, appropriate lab attire – lab coat, close-toed shoes, and nametag. Open-toed shoes are never permitted in any lab space. Eating, drinking, and use of tobacco products of any kind are prohibited at all times.
Lab spaces should be kept clean. Trash must be placed in the appropriate receptacles, spills immediately cleaned, and tables should be cleaned and sanitized at the end of each lab. For most scheduled labs, MDL staff will assign students to assist with additional required cleanup duties. Failure to execute assigned cleanup duties may result in consequences that could include: verbal feedback/counseling, written feedback/counseling, lab grade penalties, and/or referral to the Professional Code of Conduct Committee.
Personal belongings must be placed in lockers or cubicles outside of the lab area. Belongings should not be placed in hallways or on lab floors.
Be sure to note locations of first aid boxes and safety equipment in each lab space. Accidents and injuries must be reported immediately to faculty or staff so that the appropriate form(s) may be completed. MDL staff will provide the form(s).
3.2.2 Student Responsibilities within Laboratories
Specific lab requirements are outlined for each course in its syllabus and must be adhered to for each lab space within the College.
No eating, drinking, or use of tobacco products of any kind are permitted in any of the lab spaces.
Students are responsible for maintaining any equipment issued to them, including bone sets, slides, other equipment, and keys. All issued items must be returned upon request and the cost of replacing items that are damaged or lost after issue is the responsibility of the student.
After hours use of the lab spaces is encouraged. All items used must be appropriately secured upon leaving and the space must be left clean. Any damages should be immediately reported to an MDL staff member.
3.3 Class Listservs
Students do not have access to class listservs and may not be granted access for any reason. If students need to send an email to a class or all DVM students related to academic or student affairs, the email may be sent to Academic Affairs with a request for dissemination. The request should provide justification and state to whom the email should be sent. Emails of this nature will be considered on a case-by-case basis and not all emails will be disseminated.
If students wish to create a class listserv, it is up to the individual classes to develop communications workflow through by-laws and/or class policies to guide appropriate communication and use of social media. If students need to communicate other classes, they should talk to or email the class leader(s) of the class(es) they wish to contact to obtain access to their listserv(s).
3.4 Class leadership
There are a variety of class officer and leadership positions available to students throughout the DVM program. These extracurricular roles are opportunities for students desiring to engage in organized veterinary medicine to learn more about this aspect of the profession while also serving their classmates and gaining valuable leadership experience.
Class officer and leadership elections are held at the end of the fall semester of the program for first year students, with occasional additional opportunities arising throughout the year. Students enrolled in levels 1 and 2 of the PSIP program are not eligible to run; this does not preclude such students from participating as members.
3.5 Administrative Requests
Students will regularly be asked to respond to administrative deadlines to ensure their continued good standing within the DVM program and receipt of any scholarships and/or awards a student has been selected to receive. These deadlines are firm and necessary for the College and University to function effectively. Please respond in a timely manner to such requests; this prevents valuable resources being spent on following up with delinquent students, which takes away from our ability to assist students with other requests. Additionally, delinquent students will receive an email informing them that they have an enrollment hold placed upon their account. This means that they will not be able to add or drop a course, grades will be withheld, and they will not be able to progress through the program until the hold is resolved.
3.6 Study Spaces
Study spaces and rooms are available throughout the College and University that students may make use of after-hours or when not in class during the regular business day (8:00a to 5:00pm). Such spaces include open areas where seating is provided, meeting rooms, and classrooms. Students are welcome to use these spaces for independent or group study when they are not in use by others, or if they have previously reserved the space for such use.
3.6.1 Process for using study spaces
Make a room reservation through the 2nd Classroom Experience Support Specialist for those rooms that can be reserved ahead of time (see points X-Y below).
A space that is not reserved may only be used if it is not occupied by staff or faculty conducting meetings, teaching, and/or research activities.
With some exceptions (see below), eating and drinking is allowed in most spaces.
All spaces must be left clean and tidy after use. This includes disposing of any garbage appropriately and returning the room to its previous order if furniture is rearranged/moved. On rainy days, please clean shoes before entering the rooms and clean mud from the floors after use. Spaces not kept in good order will be pulled from student use.
If there is a white board in the study space, MDL will supply dry erase markers and erasers for use. Individuals using the white boards must erase the white board at the end of their session. Contact the MDL supervisor if there are no/not enough markers and/or erasers in the study space.
3.6.2 Spaces available for student study: CVM and University
Classroom 125 and its lounge area
Classrooms 100
Classroom 102
VMIA classroom
Conference room 343
Conference rooms B and C
Conference rooms 121A and B
IDRF 131
IDRF 135
VTH Seminar rooms 1 and 2
Graduate Conference Room 291
- May only be used if a reservation is made by the student(s) prior to the study session
- Contact the 2nd Classroom Experience Support Specialist to make the reservation
- Student use may be cancelled in the event of the room is needed for a faculty meeting or seminar. Student will be notified via email when this occurs.
- No food or drink is allowed in this space.
Rooms 231 and 232
- May be used when there is a green light on the room monitor
- Only available for quiet, individual study due to noise impacting adjacent rooms where study is also occurring
Commons and Commons Extension (Waterfall room)
- The Waterfall room will have designated times for group work and other designated times for individual, quiet study
- Class Presidents and SCAVMA Chairs will collaborate to create this schedule, which will be posted on the doors to the room
Hallway in Phase III
VT Newman Library, which includes graduate study spaces for individual and group study
VT Torgesen Hall and Bridge, which includes and atrium with electronic hookups and serves as an electronic study court
Students may not use the following spaces within the CVM to study:
- Deans’ Board Room
- VMIA Board Room
- VTH, including all seminar rooms except as indicated in b above
- Faculty and Staff Offices
- Research Labs
- Animal housing/holding facilities
3.7 Pet Animals
Animals are not permitted in College buildings except for the VTH, in which case all policies and procedures pertaining to client-owned animals apply. Students choosing to use the services of the VTH will be treated as any other client and, as such, any inappropriate behavior will be managed in accordance with the policies and procedures applied to clients, regardless of student status within the College.
Occasionally student-owned animals may be used in specific courses or for student club/organization purposes with approval from the academic Associate Dean. In these cases, animals are restricted to the places and activities as outlined in the course syllabus or the request for usage of College facilities. Animals used for these purposes must be appropriately managed (leashed, kenneled, etc.) at all times during transport to and from the location and handled appropriately for the duration of their time in the activity.
Animals must not be tied in the vicinity of entrances or walkways to College buildings. Owners of animals found in any of these areas will be asked to remove the animal.
Service animals are permitted with appropriate documentation. Students bringing service animals into the College buildings are required to follow all policies and procedures regarding these animals (see section 3.8).
3.8 Service Animals
The College adheres to the policies and procedures for service animals developed by Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs, SSD.
Requests for services animals are processed by SSD, who works with the academic Associate Dean and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Admission to define the accommodations in the pre-clinical and clinical curricula on a case-by-case basis.
3.9 Motor Vehicles and Parking
Students must comply with all University rules and regulations pertaining to registration and operation of motor vehicles. Thus, to park on campus, students must pay the appropriate parking fee as established by the University.
All motor vehicles must be registered with the University Security Division each academic year. For the first registration, applicants must present a current, valid driver’s license, state vehicle registration, license plate number, and vehicle description.
Students may only park in areas designated as student parking. A map showing these locations is provided by the Security Division. Students who park in areas outside areas designated as student parking will be ticketed and towed, and may be subject to other administrative actions.
3.10 Electronic and Printed Materials Distributed in Courses
Students should be familiar with the VT policy on copyright. Additionally, most materials generated by faculty for courses, including lecture notes/handouts, PowerPoint slides, images, videos, Mp3 recordings, etc.) are solely for the use of DVM students for their education. All such materials are considered copyrighted by the College and the University and cannot be reproduced or distributed without the express written permission of the author and/or faculty member who posted/produced them.
Students are also encouraged to read the Colleges Information Technology Policies and Procedures, available on the College intranet.
3.11 Consensual Relationships
Consensual relationships are governed by Section 2.7, “Professional Responsibility and Conduct,” of the Faculty Handbook and by VT policy 13010, Conflict of Interest.