Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, LUCOM provides state-of-the-art facilities for our osteopathic medical students to receive advanced medical education in a positive learning environment.¹

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4.1 Facilities

Building Access by Guests and Visitors

LUCOM upholds the integrity of building access¹, the protection of those that utilize it, and the limitation of disruptions to the education of enrolled students.

The following includes, but is not limited to, who can classify as a guest:

• an individual who is not a LUCOM or School of Health Sciences currently enrolled student, faculty, or staff member
• students on a voluntary or administrative leave of absence, no longer registered in current courses, or who have been suspended or dismissed
• alumni

Once a student is considered non-enrolled, the student's badge access will be deactivated immediately by LUCOM. Deactivation will remove access to the building, printing, and other Liberty University auxiliaries.

Visitation to LUCOM by a non-enrolled person will require specific approval by the administration. Should the non-enrolled person want to attend any class, event, or meeting, then the non-enrolled person must submit a written request at least two weeks in advance of the intended visit and will need to receive written consent from The Office of Admissions and Student Services. The consent may require additional approval by faculty, the Director of Facilities, and/or the Dean.

Alumni (student doctors who have graduated) do not need prior approval by the administration to visit LUCOM facilities, but access may be limited or denied if alumni do not have a scheduled meeting or event to attend at LUCOM.

Once consent is granted to the non-enrolled person to visit as a guest, the non-enrolled person will be required to check-in at the front desk of the Center for Medical and Health Sciences Building. The guest will sign in, receive the guest pass, and, if deemed necessary by LUCOM administration, the guest will meet an escort who will guide them throughout the building. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action.

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4.2 Security and Public Safety

Building Hours and Utilization

Regular operating hours for the Center for Medical and Health Sciences (CMHS) are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. CMHS is accessible only by using LU ID. Guests or visitors must check in at the front desk. Building hours for students may vary. The Office of the Dean will communicate expectations annually or as needed. LUPD will clear the building and anyone found utilizing the building outside of regular hours will be subject to disciplinary action.

The auditoriums will be locked each night at 9 p.m. so they can be cleaned. Auditoriums will not be open or available on weekends or Holidays without special administrative permission. Instructions on requesting academic spaces is below. For the safety and security of the building and the individuals within it, doors are not to be propped open and emergency exits are not to be used except in cases of emergency; doing so may result in dismissal from the COM.

To foster an environment which supports and allows for professional development and appropriate academic experience and rigor, students are not encouraged to bring children into the learning environment. As a commitment to offer an unimpeded learning environment for student doctors, children are not allowed in the labs, classrooms, or privacy rooms. To foster an environment which supports and allows for professional development and appropriate academic experience and rigor, property use during business hours is restricted to LUCOM and School of Health Sciences students, faculty, and staff. Undergraduate students will be permitted on the property after business hours, as long as it is not disruptive to normal operations. Use of the grounds will be monitored by LUPD.

Regulations for All Rooms

Students are to adhere to the following regulations regarding all room types in the Center for Medical and Health Sciences:

• The College of Medicine’s Code of Conduct must be followed.
• Rooms are to be used for academic and university related purposes only. Using the rooms for non-academic purposes or repeated forfeits may result in loss of privileges.
• Windows should never be drawn on nor covered.
• Doors must never be locked.
• Furniture should never be rearranged nor should it be moved from one room into another.
• Writable walls should be cleaned before leaving the room.
• All trash from food must be placed in a trash can outside of the room.
• If a group leaves one of the rooms in an unexpected state of disarray (tables not put up, food stains, trash, etc. as defined by the dean or his administrative team solely at their discretion), they will be billed a $150 cleaning fee.
• Rooms cannot be reserved or held by placing personal belongings in them. Unattended items will be removed and sent to the Library front desk or the Lost and Found.

Privacy Rooms

Several small privacy rooms are located in the back of each auditorium. These rooms are equipped with a door and a two-way mirror. These rooms are to be used by those students, faculty, and staff who may need privacy during lectures. Use of the privacy room must not create a distraction for others attending lectures or events in the auditorium. Examples of situations that might necessitate the use of privacy rooms include but are not limited to: illness/injury, lactating mothers, educational accommodations to assist student learning, or other extenuating circumstance whereby use of the privacy room would allow a student doctor to attend lecture, Convocation, or other events which they might otherwise miss. It is not permissible to loiter in this space between lectures, therefore the privacy room must be cleared unless the Dean or the Office of Medical Education has granted an exception. Children may not be present in the privacy room(s). Questions about these spaces should be directed to the Office of the Dean.

Room Reservations

The purpose of Group Study Rooms, Small Group Classrooms, and Auditoriums located through the Center for Medical and Health Sciences are to provide spaces for students to learn, work, study, and collaborate for academic and professional purposes. Technical and research assistance is available from the IT Helpdesk and librarians. The Group Study Rooms are equipped with writable walls, and the instructions and supplies for these rooms are available at the circulation desk. The Small Group Classrooms and Auditoriums are equipped with a television monitor, and the instructions for the television are available from the IT Helpdesk.

Group Study Room Reservations

Students have access to 25Live to reserve these rooms for academic purposes: CMHS 3077A, 3077B, 3076A, 3076B, 4042A, 4042B, 4050A, 4050B, 4050C, 4048A, 4048B, 4003A, 4003B. The Office of Admissions and Student Services is available to assist students who wish to request use of other spaces within the building.

The Medical Library Staff secures and monitors all small group study reservations for spaces within the Medical Library, including: 4033, 4032, 4031, 4030, 4029, 4028, 4027, 4026, 4025, 4024, and 4023.

• Curricular/Administrative needs will supersede student reservations. For example, PCM/OMM small group splits will override a student’s reservation, as will COMPASS.
• Reserving student groups must consist of two or more people and must not exceed the maximum posted capacity of the room (list all names on the 25Live reservation)
• Group Study Rooms can be reserved for up to 3 hours at a time
  • Student groups may re-reserve the space at the close of the 3-hour block if no one else has reserved the space.
• Reserved rooms that are not occupied by members of the reserving group within 10 minutes after the beginning of the reservation period will be forfeited and open for use by others – the others at that time must submit a reservation through 25Live to secure the space.
• Rooms not previously reserved will be available for reservation on a first-come, first-served basis and the individual must secure the reservation in 25Live.

If a student encounters any challenges with this process or wishes to submit a suggestion or feedback, the student should contact their Student Government Association representative. The SGA representative will follow-up accordingly with the appropriate Administrative Staff member.

25Live Room Reservations Instructions

https://25live.collegenet.com/liberty (log in with LU credentials)

1. Click “Create an Event”
2. Follow the instructions listing all group members in the event name;
   1. For Students: Primary Organization is “LUCOM Student Services & Admin”
   2. To search for locations, you may type the location if you know it by name: “CMHS ####” or search by typing “CMHS” into the search field and click ‘enter’ for a drop-down menu.
   3. Skip Event Resources, Custom Attributes, Event Categories, Publish to Calendar, Set Up Instructions, and Event Confirmation Notes
   4. Click “Confirmed” as the Event State
   5. Save
3. Your reservation has been secured, unless you receive notice that there is a scheduling conflict. In that case, you can search for other available spaces during the requested timeframe by using the “Event Locations” drop-down.

Medical Library¹

The medical library is an essential focal point of the academic goals and educational programs of the medical school as the librarians work closely with professors to support faculty research, scholarship, and teaching, develop a competent collection, and provide library services and instruction to medical students. As the College matures and the student body and faculty grow, the medical library must support increased faculty and student research and scholarly activity, an expanding and evolving curriculum, along with faculty and student professional development.

The Medical Collection and Access to Information¹

The medical library can most effectively execute its collection development plan when the faculty provides coordinated, collaborative, effective, and efficient requests for additional resources. The library collection must support the required and basic curriculum as well as scholarly opportunities for expansive research into topics of interests on the part of faculty and students. The College recognizes, promotes, and strives to further develop the professional status of the medical librarians and staff. The medical library maintains a mutually supportive relationship with the University’s Jerry Falwell Library.

Food and Beverage²

Food and drinks without lids are not permitted in auditoriums, laboratories, simulation, standardized patient rooms, or in the Medical Library. Exceptions to the food and beverage policy for the auditoriums can be made with prior approval from the Dean or his designee. Abiding by the food policy is considered appropriate professional behavior. Therefore, failure to adhere to the policy will be documented in the student’s file. Students who fail to adhere to the policy on more than one occasion may be required to appear before Student Progress Committee (SPC) regarding a violation of the code of conduct and a breach in professional behavior.

Inclement Weather

When inclement weather occurs, LUCOM works collaboratively with the Liberty University Police Department to make decisions based on road and facility conditions. LUCOM also considers weather forecasts and precipitation outlook when making decisions due to the occurrence, or anticipation, of inclement weather. LUCOM provides closure and/or delay notifications separately from that of Liberty University and notifications will be sent to official “@Liberty.edu” e-mail addresses.

Members of the LUCOM community are encouraged to confirm closures and delays with the above options, which may vary from the Inclement Weather notification sent by Liberty University. All LUCOM students, faculty, staff and guests are encouraged to exercise caution when traveling in potentially hazardous conditions.

Clinical Rotations

The inclement weather policy for clinical rotations follows the same protocol as the absentee and holiday policy of the clinical site. If the preceptor a student is assigned to is working in the hospital or clinic, then the student is expected to be on duty. If the student is unable to access the hospital or clinic due to hazardous travel, the student must notify the preceptor, site coordinator and the LUCOM Office of Clinical Education as soon as possible on the day of inclement weather.

General Security, Public Safety, and Emergency Preparedness

LUCOM is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment, including while students are rotating at COM-affiliated teaching education sites.

All students, faculty, and staff benefit from the security systems in place for the Center for Medical and Health Sciences (CMHS) and must follow all policies and procedures for security, safety, and emergency and disaster preparedness as outlined in official communication (written or verbal), handbook(s), and/or manual(s).

Emergency preparedness training is provided annually to faculty, staff, and students. Students have a responsibility to obtain information published in policy document(s) and are required to sign and agree to reading policy documents (LUCOM Catalog) when completing financial check-in each semester. Additionally, the LUCOM Emergency Preparedness plan describes LUCOM's emergency procedures and is subject to change as determined by the LUCOM Safety, Health, and Wellness Committee. A summary of the plan is available for reference to all employees and students throughout the building. For additional information, contact the Director of Operations at the Center for Medical Health Sciences.

Furthermore, students in the clinical years (OMS III and OMS IV) must also follow the policies and procedures for security, safety, wellness, and emergency and disaster preparedness as outlined by the distributed sites. Core rotation sites, through the use of site coordinators and/or designated representatives, communicate security, safety, well-being, and emergency and disaster preparedness policies and procedures to OMS III students during their orientation. All core rotation sites will attest to the Office of Clinical Education that they have provided students with all necessary security, safety, and emergency and disaster preparedness policies and procedures. Students will attest to the Office of Clinical Education that they have been informed of these policies and procedures. In addition, each core site will be expected to provide a LUCOM representative access to these policies and procedures, either electronically or through on-site visits. OMS IV students will be responsible for acquiring the safety and well-being policies and procedures of their respective rotation sites and will be required to submit an attestation of understanding of this responsibility in their fourth year. In the event of a known, natural disaster or emergency, LUCOM will identify what students are at the impacted location and contact both the student and the site to check on their wellness and offer support to help meet the immediate needs of the student(s). 

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4.4 Learning Resources

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5.1 Professionalism