The Student Advisory Council (SAC) serves as a vital communication link between students, faculty, and the Office of the Dean. Its membership includes the president (or designee) of each class, the president (or designee) of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA), representatives from the Offices of Professional Education and Student Engagement and Success, a representative from the Veterinary Nursing Program, and the CVM librarian. The council meets monthly from September through April. All student matters brought before the SAC are treated as confidential and addressed with discretion.

Class representatives to Standing College Committees are required. Typically, class representatives to Standing College Committees are four (4) year terms.

College Curriculum Committee

Each class in the DVM program will elect one member to represent their class on the College Curriculum Committee (CCC). Members of the class are eligible for a one academic year term renewable for four years. Meetings are held approximately every two weeks from September through May.

Committee on Diversity and Inclusion

One DVM student diversity representative selected/elected by the CVM Student Advisory Council shall serve on this committee.

College Medical Student Hearing Board (CMSHB)

The College Medical Student Hearing Board (CMSHB) is the college judicial body authorized to adjudicate cases involving medical student rights and responsibilities, including both complaints and grievances. The CMSHB will be constituted before April 1 of each year, and service begins on the first day of the full summer semester. The board will include four faculty and four DVM students selected from a larger pool. The student pool comprises 12 students chosen by the class presidents (four each from the second, third, and fourth-year classes). From the pool of 12 students, three will serve as regular board members, and one will serve as an alternate. The Dean's Office randomly selects individual students on the board, one student per class plus an alternate. Alternates attend all hearing board meetings but do not contribute to deliberations, nor vote unless called to replace a voting member who cannot complete service for a specific hearing. If there is a conflict of interest for a student member, they will be replaced by a member of the original pool.

College Advisory Council
In January of each applicable year, the CVM DVM and graduate students are strongly encouraged to each select/elect one student representative to the College Advisory Council (CAC) who serves with a vote. The governing student body shall determine the process for selecting/electing these student representatives. The governing body determines the duration of a student's appointment to the CAC for a minimum of one (1) year and a maximum of two (2) years. Student CAC terms begin on the first day of the spring semester. If a student cannot complete the appointed term, the SAC will promptly select/elect a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

Each veterinary class has class officers. The class officers are the organizational structure of their peer group. In general, the responsibilities of the class officers are to foster high standards of citizenship among their class and cooperation with other classes, faculty, and college and university administration. To be effective class officers, you must know your constituents. For this reason, class officers should make a conscientious effort to become acquainted with all classmates.

Each class is required to become a Registered Student Organization (RSO) through the MSU Department of Student Life. The organization of the class requires a simple constitution. The constitution is similar to the College of Veterinary Medicine Bylaws. The primary purpose of a class constitution is to establish guidelines or policies regarding class dues, frequency of class meetings, specific duties of officers, coordinators, and representatives, and to establish voting procedures to ensure a democratic process. Changes to the constitution require a majority vote by the class. It is recommended that class meetings are held at least once each semester and at a convenient time to ensure high attendance. In addition, class meetings should have a posted agenda, including the meeting date and time, place, and topics. The agenda should be posted at least one month before the scheduled meeting.

The organizational structure of each DVM class follows a traditional format: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The term of each office is generally one year, with elections held each fall semester. The term is renewable for up to four years. Elections should be held within the first two to three weeks of the fall semester. Election to a class officer position is by majority rule. Elections must be held to fill a vacancy. Each class will also select a faculty advisor.

In addition, for each preclinical semester of the DVM program, course liaisons are required for each course. Additional support positions, such as coordinators for specific purposes, are the class's purview.

Students must be in good academic standing to serve as a Class Officer, Coordinator, Class Representative, or Course Liaison.

The general duties of each position are described below:

Class President:

• Organizes and coordinates the efforts of the class and class officers.
• Acts as a liaison between the class and CVM faculty, staff, and student body.
• Informs the class of pertinent happenings in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
• Serves as a Student Advisory Council (SAC) member and attends monthly meetings between Sept. and April.
• Announces and conducts class and officer meetings.

Class Vice-President:

• Conducts meetings in the absence of the class president.
• Assists class president in identifying a class faculty advisor.
• Attends meetings and serves as the class president’s representative in the president’s absence.
• Fulfills duties as assigned by the class president and, if needed, assists other class officers with their duties.

Class Secretary:

• Creates and distributes minutes of every class meeting.
• Assists the president with correspondence associated with class functions.
• Maintains other modes of communication, including class bulletin board and content information for the class website.
• Maintains contact information for class members.
• Primary contact person for vendors and orders supplies.

Class Treasurer:

• Completes the MSU Registered Student Organization paperwork.
• Establishes an on-campus account in Student Life (Administration Building).
• Establishes an off-campus account at the bank of choice for the class. Typically, the bank chosen is the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union.
• Collects and handles class dues and funds; deposits and withdraws from the bank account(s).
• Informs the Class Officers of the bank account balance(s) regularly.

Class Athletic Coordinator(s):

• Organizes athletic events for interested class members.
• Provides the class with a schedule of upcoming athletic events on campus.
• Assists other athletic chairpersons in organizing schedules within CVM.

Class Social Coordinator(s):

• Coordinates and organizes social functions for interested class members.
• Makes arrangements for purchasing food and/or refreshments.
• Collaborates with class fundraising chairpersons and class treasurer to ensure that adequate funds are available and that budgets have been reviewed (when necessary).

Course Liaisons:

• The role of the course liaison is to serve as a professional conduit between the class and the course moderator. The student liaisons must be identified for each semester within the first week of the beginning of each semester (Semesters 1-6).
• Course liaisons do not need to have prior experience with course material; only a willingness and ability to practice excellent listening and speaking skills and a desire to act professionally and honestly at all times.
• Course liaisons are expected to meet with the moderators to introduce themselves and identify the most efficient means of communicating when there are issues of concern.

The student organization that spans all four veterinary student classes is the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA). It is a non-profit student organization in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and is the link to the parent organization, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Each veterinary college in the United States and Canada has a SAVMA, and the individual SAVMA joins to form the national SAVMA organization.

The purpose of the SAVMA is to acquaint the student with the functions of the AVMA, to broaden the students’ perspective of the veterinary profession and other fields of interest, and to foster the development of professional attitudes. SAVMA provides additional opportunities for students to hold office positions or engage in committee work.

In addition, SAVMA membership provides members with educational and professional opportunities. Each spring, the national SAVMA Educational Symposium is hosted by one of the associated veterinary colleges. Student registration for the annual AVMA conference is free. Upon graduation, a member in good standing is afforded reduced membership rates in AVMA, complimentary registration to an AVMA conference (within five years of graduation), and eligibility for AVMA life and professional liability insurance.

To review the benefits of student membership, please visit the AVMA website here.

There are many student interest clubs in the College and on campus. CVM student clubs parallel recognized board specialties in veterinary medicine or have a parent veterinary medical organization at the national and international levels. For a current list of CVM clubs, a brief description, and contact information, visit the CampusGroups website.

The University’s requirements and guidelines for student organization are found in the Student Organization Handbook.

Requirements

• All CVM classes or student organizations utilizing MSU resources must be registered as an official student organization (RSO) through Student Life in the Administration Building. This registration process must be done every year at the beginning of the fall semester. Registration information is available on the Student Organization/Student Life website here. All registration materials must be submitted in hard copy and electronically by October 1st.
• All student classes and organizations must have a faculty advisor willing to provide support, sign necessary documents, and regularly attend meetings and/or events. Faculty advisors must be identified before the RSO application.
• At the time of RSO submission, a current copy of the constitution and list of officers for each Student Club, Class, or Organization must be submitted to the Office of Student Engagement and Success (SES). CVM classes or student organizations that conduct fundraising activities on campus (and utilize MSU resources) are required to maintain an MSU account. Find more information here. Money generated through fundraising activities on campus should first go through your MSU account before being transferred to an external account off-campus. Accounts established at the MSU Credit Union or other banking institutions off-campus must be created in the name of the class or organization, never in the name of an individual student. It is the responsibility of the class or organization’s treasurer to closely manage account ledgers or records of all revenues/expenditures.

Guidelines for Student Clubs and Organizations

Student Organization Activities Guidelines During COVID-19 must adhere to the additional guidelines located here.

Clubs, Classes, and Organizations' websites should be professional, and all information (including officer names) should be kept up to date. When creating a new website, contact the Office of Student Engagement and Success (cvm.studentsupport@cvm.msu.edu) for assistance.

Announcements for all-college events may be published in the CVM electronic calendar. They may also be distributed via e-mail, mailboxes, flyers, or posters on the College's cork strips. Posters must be dated and removed immediately after the event. E-mail announcements must be limited to the members of the class or organization. The Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Success must review student e-mail announcements to the entire college community. Once approved, the Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Success will request distribution through the appropriate individuals.

Logos and Merchandise are a great way to promote and brand your organization. Be aware that Michigan State University has requirements for using its names and trademarks. The only approved logo that can be used is the MSU/College logo. You cannot create a logo for your event or organization. It also is against branding requirements to comingle any unapproved logo/mark with the College name or the University’s name in any form.

It is also your responsibility to know the limitations and requirements before working with a vendor. If you use the words “MSU,” “Michigan State University,” “Michigan State,” or any other MSU trademarks on any products or apparel or other merchandise, you must fill out a licensing form and receive approval from the University’s Licensing and Trademark Office. The College of Veterinary Medicine also has its logos and information about apparel/merchandise design on the intranet through iCVM. You may always ask the Office of Marketing and Communications if the designs you create meet the University branding standards: communications@cvm.msu.edu

Fundraising for student classes and club activities is an essential financial source. Before beginning a new fundraising event, it is recommended that the student class, club, or organization contact the secretary or social chairs of the other groups to avoid duplication of events or merchandise. The sale of food items as a fundraiser is not recommended. Generally, food or beverage sales are not permitted when Sparty’s Café is open. The specific guidelines regarding the sale of food on campus may be found here.

Guest Speakers: All guest speakers must be approved by the Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Success before scheduling the speaker. The student representative must work with the Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Success if a speaker's services require a contract agreement. Compensation for travel, lodging, meals, and speaker’s fee (honorarium) for non-faculty/staff guest speakers for class or organization meetings may be required. Honoraria may range from $150.00 to $2,000.00 and depend on the speaker’s expertise and the number or length of the presentations.

Room reservation requests for student club and organization meetings must be made through CampusGroups.

Classrooms carry the following reservation restrictions:

• Reservations are not permitted on days when examinations are scheduled immediately before or after the noon hour.
• Presenters/speakers MUST finish by 12:45 PM. Speakers and attendees MUST leave by 12:50 PM.
• It is the responsibility of the individual who has made the room reservation to:
  • STOP the presentation at 12:45 PM.
  • CLEAN the classroom by wiping down (sanitizing) tabletops and chairs and removing all boxes, plates, cups, and trash. The area must be thoroughly cleaned if the food is served in the G-150 lobby.

• FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THE GUIDELINES WILL RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING CONSEQUENCES:
  • Payment of a $100.00 fine.
  • Loss of room reservation privileges for the academic year (Fall/Spring Semesters). The club/group will lose room reservation privileges for exceeding the time limit of 12:45 PM.
  • Loss of room reservation privileges for classrooms at noon may be revoked for ALL clubs and groups if ANY 3 clubs/groups exceed the time limit of 12:45 PM.