SJC Book Project

The Van Wormer Student Judiciary Committee (SJC) is a student organization consisting of a body of selected students who mediate student judiciary cases as well as host workshops in ethics and academic honesty. Usually when there is a conflict between students or if the honor code has been breached by a student, the student(s) first appear in front of SJC to see if the issue can be resolved. The great thing about the SJC is whatever case can get resolved through the SJC will not go into the student’s permanent record. However, if the case is severe enough, the case will then go to the administration, after which it will be documented in the permanent record. So the SJC has been a great organization for students at AUC.

In previous semesters, there had been problems with some students being unprofessional or disrespectful towards the cadavers in first semester Anatomy Lab. Many of this probably comes from the lack of mental preparedness for such encounters from many students coming into medical school. Because of this, the Anatomy Department decided to change this around with future semesters. Recently the Van Wormer Student Judiciary Committee (SJC) have teamed up with the Anatomy Department in creating a book reading program for incoming students to read before coming to school.

The reading program is designed to get students in the mood for medicine, give students something to do before coming to school, and most of all, to engage students in thinking about professionalism, ethics, and respect while entering the world of medicine. A different book about medicine will be chosen each semester for the program, and the books are usually a good, leisurely, insightful read.

In the beginning of the semester, there will be a group discussion over the book as well as a short quiz over the book that will count 1% of the lab grade for anatomy. Any med student would agree that this is probably one of the easiest and more enjoyable assignments anyone can get during med school (unless one thinks memorizing the branches of the brachial plexus is more fun). The book chosen this semester is called “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.” From the reviews I’ve read, it sounds like a really funny, fascinating, and morbidly entertaining book.. makes me want to read it myself.

If you’re interested in reading some medical-related literature for fun, check out some of the books chosen by the SJC over the semesters: