VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

dress or skirt of appropriate length so to not be considered provocative and to be considered professional. Dress slacks are also appropriate with a professional-looking shirt and a white coat. Dress in the clinical setting should never be provocative for male or female students to assure there are no mixed messages to patients or hospital staff. Students should use good judgment here, if there is a question as to the appropriateness of the dress, the student should ask the precepting faculty prior to wearing. Students dressing inappropriately may be sent home with an unexcused absence requiring remediation. Repeated episodes may result in the problem being referred to the Professional and Ethical Standards Board. Tattoos and Piercings Tattoos and multiple piercings are considered by some as an at-risk health behavior due to possible infectious disease exposure during the process. The tolerance for tattoos and multiple piercings is also dictated by the cultural consideration of the patients the teaching physician or clinical sites care for. Many patients remain opposed to tattoos and multiple piercings, especially in pediatric practices are where patients are especially sensitive to tattoo and multiple piercings as parents believe the medical student may serve as a role model for their children. As such, at the request of the preceptor, hospitals and/or clinical sites, clothing must be worn that covers the arms and neck if tattoos are present. In addition, medical students should avoid wearing piercings other than a simple piercing of the ears. Spacers in ear lobes are to be avoided and piercing jewelry should be limited to the ears and must not be considered excessive. Fundraising All fundraising endeavors by students for student organizations or for any other purpose must have prior approval by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. No student may sign any contract or make any commitment on behalf of VCOM or represent himself or herself as a VCOM student while fundraising unless such events have been approved by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Students may not use the VCOM name, logo or likeness in any official capacity or on printed merchandise or documents without approval from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Vice President for Marketing and Development. Information Technology and Copyright Students at VCOM must observe the rights and privileges of copyright holders, obey the United States Copyright Act, and honor the integrity of the internal network systems of Virginia Tech and other affiliated network systems. Any intentional misuse of the information technology system will result in loss of privileges and may result in a behavioral sanction. Student Internet and email access on all campuses is monitored for student downloads of shared files such as music, videos, etc. which is in violation of copyright laws and is done by federal, state and local agencies. If a student is reported to VCOM as having performed an illegal download, the student will be issued a warning and be required to present their computer to the IT Department staff who will verify shared/copyright questionable files are removed. A second violation will result in an honor code reporting plus temporary loss of computer access privileges of up to seven days. Students need to be diligent to not violate digital and non-digital copyright laws. If a student loses their computer access, they may not be able to complete their academic requirements, which could jeopardize their continued progress at VCOM. Click the following link to see the policy on the VCOM Policy on the Use and Misuse of Digital Copyrighted Materials, which are also distributed to all faculty, staff and students annually.

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