Body
Unit Policy
Title
Offices of Medical Student Education: Policy on Separation of Assessment and Student Advocacy and Role of Students’ Family
Introduction
Purpose
This Policy establishes the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“University”) School of Medicine’s (SOM) requirements to ensure faculty members serving in Student Advocacy Roles do not participate in the assessment, evaluation, academic decisions, or promotion of the Medical Doctorate (MD) degree program students (“Students”) they advise or are related to.
Scope
This Policy applies to all Students, faculty members, course directors, and Deans within the Offices of Medical Student Education who participate in the administration, instruction, and assessment or advising of Students.
Policy
Policy Statement
Faculty members serving in Student Advocacy Roles may not evaluate the academic performance of any advisee Student, nor may they participate in decisions related to the advisee Student’s promotion. To ensure this separation, the MD Program maintains a formal advising structure, the Advisory College, in which each Student is assigned an advisor who is prohibited from providing academic evaluations. Members of the Advisory College are not eligible to serve as members on the Student Progress Committee (SPC).
A Student may receive Academic Counseling from individuals in the Office of Academic Excellence who hold no responsibilities related to the Student’s assessment or promotion decisions. Additionally, the Associate and Assistant Deans of Student Affairs may provide guidance to a Student; however, they will not serve as course directors, submit course grades, or make decisions regarding the Student’s promotion or progression in the curriculum. The Associate and Assistant Deans of Student Affairs serve as Ex Officio Members of the SPC. Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPE) are signed by the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education. A Student may request that their MSPE be signed by the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
A Faculty member serving in a Student Advocacy Role who is Related to a Student must not evaluate the academic performance of the Student or participate in decisions related to the Student’s promotion. Once made aware, faculty members and Students should notify Course Directors of all conflicts due to such familial relationships so that alternative arrangements can be made for the Student or faculty member.
Definitions
Student Advocacy Roles: Roles for which the primary responsibility is to represent, support, or advocate for the needs, interests, and well-being of Students rather than to evaluate or assess them.
Academic Counseling: Individualized support provided to Students experiencing academic challenges to help them develop effective learning strategies, address barriers to their success, and improve their academic performance.
Ex Officio Members: Members who hold a committee membership because of another position they hold (e.g., an individual who is a member of the Student Progress Committee because of their position as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, etc.)
Related: For the purposes of this Policy, the following relationships between a faculty member and a Student are sufficiently immediate for the faculty member to be considered “Related” to the Student:
- Parent or child;
- Sibling;
- Grandparent and grandchild;
- Aunt and/or uncle and niece and/or nephew;
- First cousin;
- Current or former spouse or domestic partner;
- Step-, half, and in-law relationships of the above;
- Guardian and ward;
- Romantic relationships, as defined by UNC Policy Manual 300.4.1 Policy on Interpersonal Relationships among Faculty, Staff, and Students; and
- Any relationship in which an individual is so closely identified with another individual in either an academic or employment setting that the relationship suggests a conflict of interest, such as that of individuals in the same household who share a relationship comparable to family members.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Valerie Glassman, Senior Director for Student Affairs
Email: Valerie_Glassman@med.unc.edu
Publication Details
- Issuing Officer: Alice Chuang, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
- Email: alice_chuang@med.unc.edu
- Effective Date: November 1, 2025
- Review Cycle: The Office of Student Affairs will review this Policy as needed, and the Education Committee will review and approve it.
- Next Review Date: October 31, 2027