Debate: Sponsorships must not undermine your integrity as health professionals

A healthy and socially active student life is important. It contributes positively to the educational outcomes and helps create a very good study environment. Here, student associations like the Odontological Association play an important role.

As a student in the health sciences at Health – and considering the location and nature of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health – both you as students and we as management have a special responsibility and certain conditions that we must act according to.

Sponsorships must not compromise your integrity

We understand your frustration over the lack of sponsorship revenue, which has left a significant gap in the Odontological Association's finances. The arm's length principle, which is a fundamental and absolutely crucial principle not only at Aarhus University but across the academic world, is indeed the reason why we decline commercial sponsorships.

As dental students, dental hygiene students, and clinical dental technician students, you have direct patient contact for most of your study period. As professionals in the healthcare sector, impartiality, credibility, and integrity must not be compromised. Patients must trust that they are receiving the best treatment without suspicion that the practitioners are influenced by interest organizations or commercial companies. Learning to work with the arm's length principle begins already when you are students.

We have guidelines for sponsorships across Health. We will know more about how they are followed in the fall. Joint guidelines for sponsorships are also being discussed in Aarhus University's cross-disciplinary Education Committee and in the university's newly established Study Environment Committee. It is only fair that all students have the same conditions.

Celebrate within the rules

In recent years, we have unfortunately received complaints from neighbors about parties and Friday bars at the deprtment, which haven taken place often and late into the night. We, of course, need to take this seriously and adjust accordingly so that both neighbors and the department's premises, which are designed for teaching and patient care, can also withstand the festivities.

Therefore, we have agreed with you on the number of parties per semester, and that the duration of the shorter Friday bars is now seven hours. We have also co-financed your Christmas party so that you can rent suitable premises.

We also thought it was a nice tradition to have the student revue 'in house,' but even our largest lecture hall has proven far too small to accommodate the many spectators. The fire authorities have given us strict orders not to allow so many people on our premises. For example, the medical students hold their revue at Hermans in Tivoli Friheden.

Involvement doesn't always fulfill all wishes

We are genuinely sorry that you feel you are not being heard, as you have been involved in all processes and phases in direct dialogue with the Odontological Association and through the Department Forum and Semester Forum, although we have not been able to accommodate all your wishes.

We are happy to continue discussions with you in the relevant forums, as we are indeed partners in this.