Policy for Interactions Between Auburn CVM Students and External Entities

The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine (Auburn CVM) supports interactions with external entities when they are ethical, transparent, and beneficial to the Auburn CVM mission. External entities may include companies, private businesses, non-profit organizations, government representatives, philanthropic groups, and individual donors. Training in the appropriate interaction between students and external entities is considered a vital professional skill. This policy is intended to ensure transparency and integrity in the Auburn CVM’s academic partnerships with external entities. Students will be protected from bias or inappropriate influence, or the perception thereof, potentially resulting from unregulated external relationships. This policy does not apply to approved elective courses, clinical rotations, or preceptorships hosted by an external entity. 

1. Organized meetings between students and external entities must occur outside of scheduled instructional hours (i.e., before class, during lunch, after class), except for external speakers invited to speak with the curriculum as subject matter experts and who will be required to disclose affiliation with an external entity.
2. Students will have the opportunity to opt IN to these events (which are to be held outside of instructional hours), participation at which is voluntary. Students who choose to participate must be respectful and attentive and are expected to stay for the duration of an event. If an RSVP is requested, students should respond appropriately by the requested deadline.
3. All engagements will require pre-approval by the Campus Event Planning System (CEPS). The requestor (usually a student representative) will register the event to the CEPS portal and will provide the proof of approval to the Auburn CVM Office of Academic Affairs.
4. If the request procedure is bypassed, a single warning will be administered and then the external entity will no longer have access to the students for a specified amount of time.
5. Any employment relationships between students and external entities will remain only between the two parties. These relationships may include (but are not limited to) contracts, documentation of position expectations, salary/payment agreements, and work hour requirements. The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) will place advertisements for such positions in the student newsletter upon request and will verify if students being considered for selection are in good academic standing. OAA maintains the right to refuse requests based on appropriateness of content.
6. External entities must disclose their sponsorship to an audience before related subject matter is presented.
7. No external entity will be given exclusive access to Auburn CVM students or employees. In some cases, the formation of a corporate consortium on a particular topic may be the best approach to ensuring that all entities of similar focus have equal access to the Auburn CVM community.
8. Students representing external entities will meet annually with representatives of the Auburn CVM administration to review and agree to abide by applicable policies.
9. First year students will be introduced to these guidelines during student orientation, which will be further explored during the Veterinary Medical Ethics and Law course (VMED 5010).
10. In accordance with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), release of contact and/or personally identifiable information to external entities by AUCVM personnel is prohibited.

Student Club Event Request With or Without External Entity Form