The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and the Western College of
Veterinary Students’ Association (WCVSA)
Honour Code
(Amended October 2012)
I.
Purpose
1.
The Honour Code provides a model of the principles of self-governance and peer-based problem
solving which underlie veterinary licensing organizations and the veterinary profession.
2.
The Honour Code promotes an environment of honesty, integrity, professional responsibility and
ethical conduct for the WCVM student community.
3.
The Honour Code applies to all registered WCVM students in respect to their WCVM-related
activities.
II.
Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct
1.
The Veterinary Profession requires its members to act in a professionally responsible and ethical
manner.
2.
In the context of the WCVM, professionalism demands that students carry out their academic
studies and evaluation with honesty and integrity. Students are also required to treat each other
and the faculty and staff of the WCVM with civility and respect and to pursue their academic
activities in an ethical manner.
3.
Students must strive to act in a manner that upholds the spirit of the Honour Code and standards
of professionalism required of licensed veterinarians by their governing organizations.
4.
A student falls below these standards of professionalism and ethical conduct when the student
engages in professional misconduct such as:
(a)
any act of academic misconduct as outlined in the University of Saskatchewan Regulations on
Student Academic Misconduct;
(b)
any act of non-academic misconduct as outlined in the University of Saskatchewan Standard of
Student Conduct in Non-Academic Matters and Procedures for Resolution of Complaints and
Appeals;
(c)
abuse of animals;
(d)
disruptive or dangerous behaviour;
(e)
incivility toward fellow student veterinarians, clients, or other members of the WCVM of a
malicious or repetitive nature;
(f)
posting of images of animals, organs, cadavers, animal parts, information pertaining to
WCVM on, but not limited to, social media websites, without the permission of the owner
and WCVM.
The Bylaws and Code of Ethics of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA)
contain further references to conduct that will generally be considered professional misconduct.
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III.
Honour Code Committee (HCC)
1.
The HCC shall be composed of the HCC Chair and up to three elected members from each class.
Elections will be conducted annually by secret ballot. .
2.
The WCVSA President shall act as the HCC Chair and be a non-voting member. If the WCVSA
President is unable to fulfill this role, the WCVSA Academic Vice President will assume the duties
of HCC Chair.
3.
In the case of a vacancy, the WCVSA President may appoint a student to fill the vacancy until the
next Election.
4.
The HCC shall include the Dean (or designate) who will act as a non-voting, advisory member.
5.
The HCC shall be responsible to:
(a)
promote awareness among WCVM students on matters relating to professionalism and
ethical conduct;
(b)
act as a resource for students regarding professional or ethical issues;
(c)
receive and review in accordance with Section III below concerns from students, staff or
faculty about the professional or ethical conduct of WCVM students and assess whether
or not the concerns might be resolved informally or through formal resolution under
University of Saskatchewan academic or non-academic student discipline policies.
IV.
Operation of the HCC and the Honour Code
1.
A copy of the Honour Code shall be provided to each member of the incoming first year class and
new faculty members. The Dean (or designate) and HCC Chair shall review the Honour Code, its
relevance and application with each class of WCVM students during the first quarter. The HCC
will consider what other appropriate educational opportunities should be pursued to promote the
principles of professional integrity and ethical conduct among the WCVM students.
2.
The Dean (or designate) will promote the importance of the Honour Code at a WCVM Faculty
meeting in the fall of each year.
3.
The Honour Code shall be made available on the WCVM Web Page.
4.
The HCC will explore options for providing resources and guidance to WCVM students on matters
relating to professionalism.
5.
Many disagreements or disputes concerning professionalism can be resolved through direct
dialogue with the student(s) involved, and students are encouraged to explore opportunities for
direct dialogue before raising concerns with the HCC regarding student behaviour.
6.
If any student, staff, or faculty member has concerns that a WCVM student has not abided by the
principles of professionalism and ethical conduct, he or she may raise the concerns with the HCC
through any HCC member. The HCC shall review the circumstances and determine if the matter
could reasonably be addressed through informal means or if the complaint should more properly
be addressed formally under the University Regulations on Student Academic Misconduct or the
University Standard of Student Conduct in Non-Academic Matters (the “University Student
Discipline Policies”). If the HCC is uncertain which University Student Discipline Policy may apply
to the circumstances, the HCC may consult with the University Secretary.
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7.
HCC will refer all infractions of an academic nature to the professor of the class in which the
infraction occurred, in accordance with University of Saskatchewan Regulations on Student
Academic Misconduct.
8.
The HCC will facilitate resolution of minor non-academic infractions through an informal process
as described in the University of Saskatchewan Standard of Student Conduct in Non-Academic
Matters and Procedures for Resolution of Complaints and Appeals.
9.
Generally speaking, a complaint of non-academic misconduct will be eligible for informal
resolution when it does not involve allegations of serious misconduct and when the complainant
and respondent both agree to participate in the informal resolution process. Informal outcomes
could include educational remedies, apologies, and other mediated outcomes that are acceptable
to the complainant and the respondent. The complaint and informal resolution cannot be placed
on the student record.
10.
If the HCC determines that a complaint may be eligible for informal resolution, the complainant
and the respondent must be given a full opportunity to explain their respective positions and must
feel free to participate or withdraw from the process to pursue the formal procedures under the
applicable University Student Discipline Policy.
11.
If the HCC receives a complaint of serious misconduct or if the complainant or the respondent are
not interested in pursuing a consensual informal resolution, the HCC should refer the parties to
pursue the matter under the applicable University Student Discipline Policy.
V.
Confidentiality of HCC Records
1.
The provisions of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act apply
when the HCC receives personal information about students or others.
2.
When the HCC receives concerns about the professionalism of WCVM students, the HCC will use
and disclose this information only to the limited extent necessary to carry out its responsibilities
under Section III above or to comply with the requirements of law or other University policies.
VI.
Publicity
1.
An annual report of the activities of the HCC during the academic year will be presented at the last
WCVSA general meeting of the year, and a copy will be forwarded to the Dean for distribution to
the WCVM College Executive Committee. The annual report may contain statistical information
about the complaints handled by the HCC, provided that this information does not identify the
students involved. The report shall comply with the provisions of The Local Authority Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy Act
VII.
Amendments
1.
The Honour Code may be amended by a majority vote of the WCVSA membership, with
subsequent approval by the WCVM Executive Committee.
2.
A review of the Honour Code shall be initiated by the HCC Chair every two years.
VIII.
Retirement
1.
The Honour Code may be retired at any time by a majority vote of the WCVSA membership, with
subsequent approval by the WCVM Executive Committee.
IX.
General
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1.
The Honour Code complements and does not supersede any other applicable University policies
or provisions of The University of Saskatchewan Act,1995.
2.
The Honour Code does not affect any jurisdiction that the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical
Association or any other professional body may have over matters of professional misconduct.