Annual Chapter Report Outline

 

Please complete your Annual Chapter Report and submit to the National Office via e-mail (RhoChi@unc.edu) by May 15.

 

 

Date of report submission: May 15, 2008

 

Name of School/College:

 

            Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy

 

Chapter name and region:

 

            Gamma Tau, Region II East Coast

 

Delegate who attended the Rho Chi Annual Meeting:

 

            Kim Burns, faculty member

 

Date Delegate’s name was submitted to Rho Chi: February 2008

 

Past year’s officers and e-mail addresses:

President:  Lauren Scorgie (lauren.scorgie@lecom.edu)

Vice President: Lisa Nocera (lisa.nocera@lecom.edu)

Secretary: Deanna Macri (deanna.macri@lecom.edu)

Treasurer: Amanda Tumsis (amanda.tumsis@lecom.edu)

Historian: Guo Min Li (guomin.li@lecom.edu)

 

 

 

 

 

 

New officers and e-mail addresses for next academic year:

            President: Rebecca Rial (rebecca.rial@lecom.edu)

            Vice President: Michael James (michael.james@lecom.edu)

            Treasurer: Mackenzie Dexter (mackenzie.dexter@lecom.edu)

            Secretary: Allison Markievich (allison.markievich@lecom.edu)
            Historian: Amy Barber (amy.barber@lecom.edu)

 

Chapter advisor’s name and e-mail address:

 

            Janene Rigelsky (jrigelsky@lecom.edu)

            Robert Drobitch (rdrobitch@lecom.edu)

 

 

Introduction:

 

The Class of 2008 represented the fourth group of inductees from the LECOM School of Pharmacy into the Gamma Tau Chapter of the Rho Chi Society.  Dr. Janene Rigelsky and Dr. Robert Drobitch, Chapter Advisors, along with President, Lauren Scorgie, were instrumental in the planning and execution of service activities.  Highlights from the past year include car wash and submarine sandwich sale fundraisers and a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie educational community service event.  New President, Rebecca Rial, was instrumental in planning and execution of the submarine sandwich sale fundraiser.  Nineteen members from the Class of 2009 were inducted during the March 29, 2008 induction ceremony along with 7 members from the Class of 2008.  Dr. Andrew Grimone, Pharm.D, BCPS was the keynote speaker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Meetings: Please provide information on meetings held - including dates of meetings, attendance, agendas and action steps for subsequent meetings.

 

A meeting was held on 5/7/07 of the Gamma Tau chapter of Rho Chi.

Present were: L. Scorgie, L. Nocera, D. Macri, A. Tumsis, G. Li, E. Hageman, S. Ulrich, S. Wood, Dr. Bostwick and Dr. M. Brady.

 

The meeting was opened by Dr. Bostwick.

 

I.          Congratulations to the new officers:

President: Lauren Scorgie

Vice President: Lisa Nocera

Secretary: Deanna Macri

Treasurer: Amanda Tumsis

Historian: Guo Min Li

 

II.         Induction ceremony

 

            Thank you to Dean Tuttle for the induction ceremony.

 

Dr. Bostwick asked for comments on this year’s ceremony.  Consensus was that it worked well holding it on the weekend and during transition of the academic term.  The site of the ceremony also worked well and the only complaints were that most people would have preferred the desserts to have a larger proportion of chocolate.

 

Dr. Bostwick explained that the remaining 5% of the 2008 class yet to be identified will be inducted with the initial 15% of the Class of 2009.

 

III.       Fundraising ideas

 

A general discussion of fund raising ideas was held.  Possibilities include:

·        Bake Sale

·        Max & Erma’s fundraiser (bring in flyer and % of bill is donated)

·        Car wash (probably the easiest with least amount of planning required)

·        PDA raffle (PDA would have to be donated by a potential business affiliated with LECOM or purchased with assumption ticket sales would exceed cost)

 

Action Items:

·        D. Macri – to contact various gas stations in the area to find potential site for car wash on 7/7/07 or 7/14/07.

 

 

 

IV.       Service activities:

 

Discussion of service activities was postponed due to urgency of planning a fundraiser while the class of 2008 was all still in Erie, PA before starting the advanced pharmacy practice experiences in the fall.

 

Dr. Bostwick indicated that she receives emails of possible service projects from Dr. Rigelsky.  She will pass these along to the membership to volunteer, and requests anyone interested let her know so it can be pursued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first meeting for new inductees of the Gamma Tau chapter of Rho Chi was held on 01/14/2008.   All new members were present.

 

 

The meeting was opened by Dr. Janene Rigelsky.

 

I.             Induction ceremony

               Deadline was set for Friday January 19th for RSVPs and money for the induction ceremony.

              

II.            Honor cords for graduation

               Decision was needed whether to order cords and give them to members now or wait until the week before graduation to hand out cords.

               A vote was taken and the cords will be given to members at the induction ceremony.

 

III.          Officers

               Handout explaining duties of officers was distributed.

               It was suggested that initiates volunteer to be officers if some of their advanced pharmacy practice experiences were in or near Erie, PA due to the inconvenience of almost every officer in the Class of 2008 being out of town.  Any members interested in running for office were instructed to email Lauren Scorgie, President, and Arlene Onorato, LECOM School of Pharmacy Administrative Assistant, and a vote would be held if needed.

 

IV.          Fundraising

               Lauren Scorgie stated that a carwash fundraising event was held last summer.

 

Dr. Rigelsky, Chapter Advisor, advised the chapter that fundraisers and service activities need to be done each academic year and she would like them to be completed before they start their advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

 

V.           National Meeting

               Phil Olsen will be attending the APhA San Diego Convention; however, he is unable to represent the Gamma Tau Chapter since the induction ceremony is not until March 29, 2008.   Kim Burns, a faculty member, will be the official delegate.

 

               Action items:

·        Members will submit RSVPs to the Induction Ceremony by January 21st, 2008 at the latest.

·        Members are to brainstorm ideas for fundraisers and be prepared to start planning a fundraiser at the next meeting

 

 

A meeting was held on 02/19/2008 at 3:00pm by the Gamma Tau chapter of Rho Chi.  Present were: L Scorgie, A Markievich, J Henry, D Hofmeyer, M Dexter, H Schuchert, A Ilyes, A Robinson, P Olson, M James, K Fosdick, K Clark, A Barber, R Zimmerman, N Dumm, M Bui, K Weaver, R Rial, A Rizwan, L Scorgie, Dr. Rigelsky, Dr. Drobitch, and A Onorato.

 

The meeting was opened by Dr. Rigelsky.

 

I.                    Final plans for Induction Ceremony

                       

-   March 29th at ambassador reception hall at 5pm           

-   Arrive 30min earlier to start on time (4:30pm)

-   No assigned seats – 8 or 10 to a table

-   Dinner is first, then ceremony

-   Dr. Tuttle will do a welcome, Dr. Drobitch will give a speech

-   Dr. Grimone is guest speaker – 10 minute speech

-   Dr. Rigelsky will speak

-   We will go on the stage and receive items and shake hands

-   Drs. Tuttle and Drobitch will close the ceremony

                                                        

 

II.                 Fundraiser

            -  Multiple ideas discussed including: Survival kits, Lecom Gear, Dress down for a day,

               Pie in the face contest, Board review book in bulk, Subway cards or subway fundraiser,

   Local business discount cards, PDA raffle, Pronto pass cards, Service idea –  

  older students helping new students, PDA sale.

           -  Final decisions on fundraisers:

§         Sub sale – collect money prior – checks preferred

§         Phil looking up palm pilots and Amy looking up pronto pass prices

§         Service – possibly poison prevention for the Erie Children’s Museum event; MS walk; Relay for Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A meeting was held on 03/27/2008 at 2:00pm by the Gamma Tau chapter of Rho Chi.  Present were: A Onorato, Dr. Rigelsky, Dr. Drobitch, A Rizwan, R Rial, K Weaver, M Bui, K Fosdick, A Barber, J Henry, A Markievich, N Voelker, M Dexter, D Hoffmeyer, R Zimmerman, H Schuchert, A Robinson, P Olsen, A Ilyes, M James, K Clark.

 

I.                    Upcoming Rho Chi Ceremony

-         Officers must come at 4pm

-         Dr. Tuttle will be giving opening remarks

-         After the opening remarks we will eat dinner

-         After dinner we will do the ritual

-         We will then have closing remarks and take pictures

-         There will be tables of 8

-         White coats are not necessary

 

II.         Sub Sale

-         The sub sale was a big success

-         The profit for this event was $210

-         May do this again for next finals, members are willing to participate

 

II.         Fundraiser/Service Ideas

-         PDA sales – still in progress

-         Pronto pass sales – still in progress

-         Service activity – some participated in a Poison prevention event for the Erie Children’s Museum

-         We may participate in the Relay for Life on the weekend of June 20-21, which is a Friday and Saturday

 

 

 

Strategic Planning: What goals were set that relate to the Rho Chi mission?

In addition to the ideals set forth by the Rho Chi Society, the Gamma Tau Chapter of LECOM School of pharmacy represents academic excellence and hopes to motivate future students to pursue active membership in the Rho Chi Society. Our Gamma Tau chapter strives to have a positive impact in our community and to be a good neighbor to those in need.   


Activities:  This section is usually the main focus of the report.  The chapter reports should contain detailed descriptions of all activities developed and conducted to further the society’s mission.  It may contain a combination of activities within the college and/or university as well as activities that provide outreach outside the academic community.  School-wide events that provide evidence of intellectual leadership (e.g., a sponsored lecture, symposium, poster session, etc.) may be included.  Service activities for non-members such as tutoring may be included.  It is recommended that students also provide at least one community service activity outside of the academic institution (e.g., volunteering at a long-term care facility, providing health information to patients/citizens in the community, etc.).  The description MUST include whether these activities are on-going (if so, for how long) or are new initiatives.

 

            On October 29th, 2007, Rho Chi hosted an educational activity for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie.  The event opened with pizza and soda provided by LECOM and Dr. Rigelsky gave a brief overview of pharmacy and pharmacy school at LECOM.  Two Rho Chi members also gave descriptions of their experiences and views about pharmacy and the Doctor of Pharmacy program.  After dinner and a short tour of the school on the way to the compounding lab, “Bigs” and their “Littles” worked together to create placebo troches that were colored and flavored to their liking.  Dr. Drobitch led and instructed the compounding activity.  This was a new initiative in the chapter but was an incredible success and has the potential to be an annual event.

Rho Chi students participated in the Erie Children’s Museum Kids Expo event on March 8th and 9th 2008.  At this event they volunteered at a poison prevention display and talked to children and adults about how medicines, candy, household items, and other products can look very similar.        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Financial/ Budgeting: Please provide information on how your budget was determined and approved in order to support your chapter’s activities. Please include any fund-raising that was conducted to meet this budget.

 

            The LECOM Chapter has an assigned treasurer who tracks all financial activities. The budget is determined based on a comparison to the previous year’s fiscal activities and a review of any anticipated new business for the Chapter. The faculty advisors are the coordinators of the budget approval process.

 

            A fundraiser was conducted in the summer of 2007. This fundraiser involved a gas station that allowed us to hold a car wash on their property.  Donations were accepted from any passersby wishing to have their car washed. The fundraiser was successful and the profit made on this event was $134.00

 

            A fundraiser was conducted in March 2008.  This fundraiser involved selling submarine sandwiches for a small profit.  The sandwiches were prepared by a local deli and collection of funds and distribution of sandwiches was organized by Rebecca Rial. The fundraiser was successful and the profit made on this event was $210.00

 

            In addition the LECOM School of Pharmacy Student Government provides financial support ($690) to the chapter every year.  It is anticipated that fundraising and College support will continue to grow in the future.

 

 

Initiation Function: Please describe the initiation function, including when and where the initiation ceremony took place, who attended the function, information on the speaker (if applicable), etc.

 

            The induction ceremony was held on March 29, 2008, at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center, in Erie, Pennsylvania.  The ceremony was attended by the inductees and their families as well as school faculty and current Officers of the Gamma Tau Chapter of Rho Chi.  Andrew Grimone, Pharm.D. BCPS, was our keynote speaker at the induction ceremony. 

 

 

Evaluation/Reflection: Please provide a reflective paragraph that evaluates the effectiveness of your activities and ways to improve.  Information that may be included in this section includes number of members participating, number of others involved in the activity (e.g., recipients of outreach), feedback from members and others who were involved in the activities. 

 

            Events held by Rho Chi were successful in the previous year.  However, it continued to be a challenge getting members’ involvement in the activities because many members were out of town completing their advanced pharmacy practice experiences in their last year of Pharmacy School.  Every Officer, with the exception of the President, was also out of town for their advanced pharmacy practice experiences.  Holding a fundraiser before students started their advanced pharmacy practice experiences was beneficial and sufficient participation contributed to the success of the event. Planning and executing activities after the advanced practice experiences began, without much help from Officers that were out of town, was very difficult.  One way we tried to overcome this is by suggesting that initiates volunteer to be officers if some of their advanced pharmacy practice experiences were in or near Erie, PA so they will be able to participate and fulfill their duties as Officers.

            Beginning fundraising early with the initiates from the class of 2009 has already been more successful regarding participation.  Officers have taken an active role, and it is promising for next year considering most Officers will be in Erie, PA for their advanced pharmacy practice experiences.  We hope enthusiastic participation of all members will continue throughout their advanced pharmacy practice experiences during their last year of pharmacy school.

 

 

 

 

Some chapters have been relatively inactive in past years, but current students/advisors have made great strides to increase the activities/projects of their chapter.  Therefore Rho Chi has instituted a new designation for a chapter award – the “Most Improved Chapter Award.”  If you would like to be considered for a “Most Improved Chapter Award,” please indicate your significant improvement(s) below.

 

 

 

 

Other information:  If you would like to provide other information about your chapter that was not included in the above categories (e.g., development of a new website, organizing a regional meeting etc.), please add it here: