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STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
SCO’s student leaders have put together a great overview of the benefits of getting involved in student organizations. Check out this flipbook with letters from each club president.
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!American Optometric Student Association ! ! ! ! !
243 N. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63141 (341) 983-4231 FAX: (314) 991-4101
Welcome!to!Memphis,!Class!of!2018:! ! On!behalf!of!the!entire!student!body!and!the!American)Optometric)Student)Association)(AOSA),! congratulations!on!your!acceptance!to!Southern!College!of!Optometry!!You!are!truly!entering!a! wonderful!profession,!and!while!the!next!four!years!may!present!its!challenges,!your!SCO!community!is! here!to!support!you!every!step!of!the!way.! ! As!the!SCO)Trustee!to!the!AOSA)Board)of)Trustees,!my!goal!is!to!promote!the!mission!of!the!AOSA:!“To! improve!the!visual!welfare!and!health!of!the!public,!to!promote!the!profession!of!optometry,!and!to! enhance!the!education!and!welfare!of!optometry!students.”!I!am!your!voice!to!the!national!AOSA! organization,!which!gives!you,!along!with!over!6,000!other!optometry!students!at!all!23!schools!and! colleges!of!optometry,!representation!to!a!multitude!of!allied!optometric!organizations.!You!will!learn! more!about!what!the!AOSA!does!for!students!on!the!national!level!during!orientation.! ! Most)importantly,)every)SCO)student)is)automatically)an)AOSA)member!!There!are!many!benefits!to! your!AOSA!membership,!such!as!receiving!complimentary!membership!into!the!American!Optometric! Association!(AOA),!the!Contact!Lens!&!Cornea!Section,!and!the!Sports!Vision!Section.!You!will!receive! free!subscriptions!to!several!optometric!journals!like!Optometry,!the!journal!of!the!American! Optometric!Association,!and!Foresight,!the!official!magazine!of!the!AOSA!written!for!optometry!students! by!optometry!students.!You!receive!access!to!health!insurance!plans,!career!guidance,!and!webU resources.!Additionally,!each!class!has!a!slightly!different!benefits!package;!as!a!firstUyear!student!you! will!receive!a(n):! o Optometric!clipboard! o Lens!cloth! o USB!flash!drive! o AOSA!TUshirt! o And!many!more!giveaways!throughout!the!year!! ! Though!the!AOSA!holds!many!responsibilities!on!the!national!front,!the!AOSA!at!SCO!also!hosts!several! events!and!receptions!on!campus!to!help!expose!students!to!the!many!facets!of!optometry!from! industry!to!legislation.!Moreover,!there!is!always!free!food!and/or!giveaways!provided!at!these!events,! as!we!want!to!reward!you!for!your!diligence!and!proactive!involvement!as!an!optometric!student.!The! AOSA,!along!with!the!Student!Government!Association,!also!secure!travel!grants!and!scholarships!for! SCO!students!to!attend!the!various!yearly!optometry!conferences!from!Congressional!Advocacy! Conference!in!Washington,!D.C.!to!Vision!Expo!West!in!Las!Vegas,!NV.! ! As!a!heads!up,!the!2015)Optometry’s)Meeting™)will!be!held!in!Seattle,)WA.!This!conference!is!the!joint! national!meeting!for!the!AOA!and!the!AOSA,!with!educational!courses,!receptions,!exhibits,!and!social! activities.!The!highlight!for!the!AOSA!program!is!the!annual!Varilux)Optometry)Student)Bowl,!a!
JeopardyUstyle!quiz!bowl!filled!with!optometryUrelated!questions.!Each!school!sends!one!representative! with!the!hopes!of!walking!away!from!the!competition!with!a!crystal!trophy,!$1,000,!and!bragging!rights! for!the!upcoming!academic!year.!At!orientation,!I!will!give!you!much!more!information!for!this!alwaysU exciting!conference.! ! In!order!to!decide!who!the!one!representative!will!be!for!SCO!at!the!national!Varilux!Optometry!Student! Bowl,!AOSA!also!holds!our!own!SCO)Student)Bowl!each!spring,!where!volunteered!contestants!from! each!class!compete!with!each!other!to!be!our!school’s!one!representative!at!the!national!Varilux! Optometry!Student!Bowl.!This!is!always!a!highly!anticipated!event!on!our!campus!in!which!the!entire! auditorium!(both!classrooms)!are!packed!with!loud!students!cheering!on!their!classmates.!From!winning! travel!grants!at!the!event!to!making!signs/posters!for!your!classmates!to!even!seeing!fun!faculty! members!dressed!up!in!costumes,!this!is!another!event!you!will!certainly!not!want!to!miss.!! ! As!evidenced!in!this!letter,!AOSA!holds!many!highly!participated!events!for!students!on!campus,!but!I! also!want!to!make!sure!you!mark!your!calendars!for!our!annual!student!tradeshow,!Optifest)2014,!on! Thursday,)September)25th)from)5pm)to)8pm!in!the!Activities!Center.!Optifest!will!give!you!the! opportunity!to!network!with!our!industry!partners.!You!will!be!able!to!talk!with!frame!vendors!(and! even!make!discounted!frame!purchases!),!contact!lens!companies,!pharmaceutical!reps,!ophthalmic! equipment!companies,!and!much!more.! ! Lastly,!be!on!the!look!out!for!emails!from!the!AOSA!detailing!all!the!student!events!and!benefits! available!to!you!throughout!the!upcoming!year.!If!you!have!a!Facebook!account,!be!sure!to!stay!current! with!AOSA!by!“liking”!our!AOSA1at1SCO!Facebook!page.!! ! As!your!AOSA!Trustee,!if!you!have!any!questions!regarding!AOSA,!please!feel!free!to!email!me!at! hchapman@student.sco.edu.!You!may!also!find!more!information!about!the!AOSA!and!your!benefits!at! www.theaosa.org.! ! Looking!forward!to!the!upcoming!academic!year,! ! ! ! Hunter!Chapman! AOSA!Trustee!
Brett O’Connor President
Andrew Neighbors Vice President
CONTACT LENS SOCIETY
Ryan Wilkerson Treasurer
AT SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY Class of 2018: On behalf of the Contact Lens Society, congratulations and welcome to SCO! Deciding which organizations to become involved in is one of many important and exciting decisions which lie ahead – fortunately, SCO has a wide assortment of clubs, organizations and programs designed to fit every interest. The Contact Lens Society is a newly re-established student organization for the 2014-2015 academic year, so we are extremely excited to see what this year has in store for us. Our goal is to provide education, information, and hands on experience to anyone interested learning more about the world of contact lenses. Guest speakers from SCO faculty, researchers, and industry representatives will be invited to share the latest developments in the field, with an emphasis on making meetings interactive. I invite you to check out what the Contact Lens Society has to offer – feel free to email me at boconnor@student.sco.edu with any questions or suggestions. Again, congratulations and enjoy getting to know Memphis and SCO!
Brett O’Connor Class of 2016
Greg Stewart Secretary
Dr. Christina Newman Faculty Advisor
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2014-2015
Welcome to Southern College of Optometry! You are about to embark on a long but rewarding journey at SCO. By the end of your first semester here you will be astonished at the amount of new information you will have acquired in such a short time. One of the most important lessons you will learn is that having good vision is more than being able to see 20/20. Vision is a complicated phenomenon that requires: Two eyes to take in information from the world around us Visual pathways connecting the eyes to the brain The brain to process visual information in order to guide our actions, thoughts, and emotions When any one of these components is not functioning properly a person may see double images, have perceptual dysfunctions, or experience vision-‐related learning disorders and an inability to process the world around them.
The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) exists to provide training and education to optometrists who want to treat these problems. These optometrists specialize in behavioral and developmental vision care, vision therapy, and visual rehabilitation, fields that go above and beyond prescribing typical glasses and contact lenses to improve vision. These specialists often work with children who are struggling in school, athletes who want to improve their game, patients who have suffered from strokes or concussions, and patients with physical and mental disabilities. In order to train the visual system to work more effectively and efficiently, vision therapy can b e used to teach patients to correctly focus their eyes, use both eyes simultaneously, move their eyes accurately, or to help the brain correctly process visual stimuli. If you are interested in making this type of difference in your patients’ lives, I encourage you to join COVD. As a student organization of COVD, our goal is to share the enthusiasm about vision therapy. We have monthly meetings with guest lecturers, Skype meetings with doctors and residents across the United States, and interactive opportunities to learn how to incorporate vision therapy into your practice. We also recognize the importance of community involvement and participate in volunteer projects around Memphis. And the best part of it all? Membership is FREE! If you have any questions, please check out www.COVD.org or feel free to email me for more information. I hope to see you at our first meeting this fall! Sincerely, Kay Powell COVD President 2014-‐2015 Class of 2016 kpowell@student.sco.edu
Fellowship of Christian Optometrists Welcome to SCO, Class of 2018!
We are so excited to meet you in the coming months! The Fellowship of Christian Optometrists at SCO is a group of people that is about loving the community of our campus, Memphis, and the world through living the Gospel out. One of the ways we do this is by having monthly meetings in the evening with dinner, a speaker, and focused time to build relationships with one another. We also serve breakfast at local churches one to two times a month through ministries that serve the homeless population. In May we take a week to do international missions – last year we sent a team to Haiti that provided optometric care as well as children’s VBS programs in an underserved region. In addition we will be sending a group of students to the FCO International conference in October to meet other students, doctors, and international missionaries with a common faith. One of our biggest hopes is to see each member of FCO connected with a Gospel proclaiming church in this community. We would love to help you find a church where you will be a part of a local body that is already tapped into how to love and serve the Memphis community! We will have church information for you at the club fair in the first couple weeks of school and at our first meeting but please email if you would like more information as you arrive in Memphis. We look forward to seeing your bright new faces at SCO and hope you will consider joining our group! See you soon! Courtney Melchione, C/o 2016 Email: fcosouthern@gmail.com
Class of 2018, On behalf of the members of Gold Key International Honor Society, welcome to the Southern College of Optometry! You are about to embark on one of the most exciting chapters of your life. We congratulate you on coming this far, it is an incredible accomplishment and you should be very proud. It is my sincere wish that your next four years of doctorate training are filled with professional and personal growth. You will be amazed at how quickly these few years will pass by as you become optometric physicians of great knowledge and skill. Nonetheless, never forget how important it is to thrive as an individual enriched with a compassionate character and a helping heart. The mission of Gold Key International Optometry Honor Society is to recognize optometry students who demonstrate outstanding leadership to their college and profession. Membership to Gold Key is limited to only 10% of a graduating class. The American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) recognizes Gold Key membership as “the highest honor for leadership a student of optometry can achieve.” Rising fourth year students are chosen for membership by their peers based on contributions they have made to the profession and the school. Although the distinct honor of Gold Key membership may feel far away into the future, the evaluation for candidacy is happening every day as you interact with other members of your class and within the SCO community. Our school is filled with an incredible number of extracurricular organizations that will undoubtedly benefit from your active involvement and leadership experience. The meetings, projects, and trips will impact your perspective and may even change your life. It’s these experiences outside the classroom that you will vividly remember when, in May of 2018, you walk across the commencement stage and are officially welcomed as a Doctor of Optometry. Best of luck in your academic and extracurricular pursuits!
Carpe Diem,
Amy A. Puerto International and Chapter President Gold Key Honor Society Class of 2015 | apuerto@student.sco.edu
Southern College of Optometry
INTRAMURAL SPORTS 2014 - 2015 FALL Flag Football Volleyball Softball Tennis Tourney
SPRING Basketball Volleyball Soccer Golf Scramble
Aerobics: Will be offered all year long. Contact Shalon Rothstein for details srothstein@student.sco.edu .
Check the 4th floor bulletin board for all upcoming or on going intramural events. Contact the IM co-chairs for any questions, comments, or concerns. Michael Polo | mfpolo@student.sco.edu Eric Brinkley | ebrinkley@student.sco.edu
LDS OPTOMETRY ASSOCIATION SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
Welcome Class of 2018!
Pictured is the Class of 2017 at the Annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony.
Congratulations on your acceptance into Southern College of Optometry! What an accomplishment in your life. The LDSOA was organized due to the growing number of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attending SCO. Latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as “Mormons” are in large numbers at SCO. In fact, BYU was the most represented undergraduate institution in the class of 2017! While the association was created primarily to address the needs of LDS members in optometry, we welcome students and doctors of all faiths to join us in accomplishing our goals; which include reaching out to create friendships and forever relationships between the LDS and other students attending SCO. We have been involved in opening our homes and apartments to those who are interviewing so they can get a feel for popular places there are to live, and what home life can be for optometry students who are single, married, and with or without children. Whatever your situation, we know you will fit in and we are here to help not only you, but your spouses and children as well. Current SCO LDS students have found many areas to live in the greater Memphis area including Midtown Memphis, Cordova, Germantown, and Southaven, MS. If you are interested in becoming a club officer as you come here to SCO, please contact me directly, or we will give you further information around orientation. Congratulations and we look forward to meeting you! Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions you may have. Steven Blake President 2013-2015 sblake@student.sco.edu
2014-2015 Officers President Steven Blake (2016) Vice President Dan Nielson (2017) Officers Andrew Smith (2017) Mark Curtis (2015) David MacDonald (2017) Questions you may have that we would be more than happy to answer: • Where will I and/or my family live? • What are good family activities near Memphis or where I live? • Where are places to shop near me? • What ward will I attend? • Where is the LDS temple and what is the fastest way to get there from where I live? • What are good schools or daycare for my children to attend? • Who are the other LDS students in my class or other classes?
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What is Lions Club?
To the Class of 2018, Welcome to the Southern College of Optometry! On behalf of the Lions Club of Memphis at the Southern College of Optometry, I would like to personally congratulate you on your acceptance and welcome you to Memphis, TN. Upon entering SCO, you will be presented with many opportunities to get involved and help the surrounding community through volunteer work. I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to improve your optometric skills and to provide a much needed service to the community.
The Lions Club is an international organization primarily dedicated to the preservation of sight and has been actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired since 1917. Since you have chosen a career in service to people with an emphasis on vision, I feel you will be interested in joining SCO Lions Club. Founded at SCO in February of 2004, the SCO Lions Club has participated in various vision screenings and fundraising events throughout the years.
Every year the club is able to help patients in The Eye Center by financially sponsoring their vision care and services from the money we raise as an organization. Not only are we members serving the greater Memphis area, but we are also members of a worldwide organization, one of more than 46,000 clubs serving 193 countries and geographical areas. As Lions, we are continually changing our programs to meet new needs and greater demands, but our mission has never wavered, “WE SERVE!”
I invite you to attend our first meeting of the year, which will be announced after classes have begun. I look forward to welcoming you How can I be a part of SCO Lions Club? •
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Stop by at our booth at the Student Organization Fair on September 2nd at 6pm! Attend our first meeting of the year, which will be announced after classes have begun
to our club and working with you to pursue our goals of helping the blind and visually impaired. Come join one of the best clubs in the world! Feel free to contact me at mstanford@student.sco.edu if you have any questions or would like further information.
Megan R. Stanford SCO Lions Club President Southern College of Optometry ‘16
Hey SCO First Years! You are officially a part of the Class of 2018! Congratulations on your choice to join the ranks of the Optometric Profession at one of the best learning institutions in the country. If you haven’t already realized it, the Southern College of Optometry is more then just a school; it’s also a family. I can’t wait to see the good things your class will bring to our reunion. I’d like to extend an invitation to you to join the Neuro-‐Optometric Rehabilitation Association. As I’m sure you know, vision plays a crucial role of in everyday life. When something goes wrong in the various visual systems, many problems can occur. Can you imagine waking up one day and constantly seeing double or neglecting the entire left side of the world? NORA works with patients who have been affected by strokes, seizures, autism, brain injuries, genetic diseases, processing problems or neuro-‐degenerative diseases. NORA studies how to address our patients’ neurologically related visual problems and how to come up with solutions to help improve their quality of life. Seeing the difference optometric rehabilitation can make in a person’s life is one of the most rewarding aspects of Optometry. NORA takes a multidisciplinary approach to serving neurologically impaired patients. We collaborate with disciplines like speech pathology, audiology, and neurology to discover the most effective and innovative treatments to help our patients. The SCO chapter of NORA has monthly meetings with a variety of speakers presenting their own optometric views on treatment. NORA members also gain access to shadowing opportunities to see a live optometric “functional MRI” with Dr. Harris at local hospitals in Memphis. Neuro-‐Optometric rehabilitation is one of the up and coming fields of Optometry. A solid understanding of the brain and visual system is a key ingredient to helping patients maximize their visual capacity. I encourage you to join NORA, putting yourself at the forefront of this Optometric movement. I’ll see you at the Big-‐Sib dinner where you’ll get to hear more about the exciting things NORA has to offer! Thanks, Angela Haas J NORA President
NORA Officers: Angela Haas (President), Evan Shields (Vice-‐ President), Adeline Chan (Treasurer), Kelly Short (Secretary)
Questions? Contact us at ahaas@student.sco.edu or eshields@student.sco.edu!
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Zarn
Resident Dr. Tina Esposito presenting interesting cases at our March meeting
NORA Members participated in SCO Solutions in Sight family fun day. Some members got to perform retinoscopy on an owl after the animal presentation.
Mark your Calendar! 24th Annual NORA Conference May 14th-‐17th, 2015 Denver, CO
NORA dues include food at monthly meetings
Omega Delta Fraternity Iota Chapter
Southern College of Optometry| 1245 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
On behalf of Omega Delta, the social fraternity here at SCO, we would like to welcome you to Memphis and the SCO family. All your hard work has paid off, as you begin your education at one of the top optometry schools in the country! We are positive that you will absolutely love your time here at SCO. The next four years will fly by faster than you could imagine. We’re here to fill your down time with fun events and help you make some of the sure to be many truly unforgettable memories. Your Omega Delta officers have been working hard over the last few months to put together some fun events for you during your orientation week. We would like to extend an invitation to you, your significant others, and your visitors to join our welcome week activities at no cost to you! By attending some or all of these events, you’ll get a taste of what Omega Delta is like, as well as the opportunity to get to know your classmates and some upperclassmen. Last year held many memories for your fellow SCOers, with many events hosted by Omega Delta. This included many themed events such as Outdoor Olympics, Margaritaville, Decades House Crawl, and everyone’s favorite event, our Annual Halloween Party! We work with local bars and restaurants to extend happy hours on occasion – to ensure you have time to relax among the hard work that is optometry school. We also host several bigger events each year, including a Dodgeball tournament and an end of Spring Pub Crawl. We hope your travels to Memphis are all safe and we hope to see you at some of our welcome week events! If you have any questions at all, please get in touch with either of us. Enjoy your last few weeks of summer; we look forward to meeting you all! Sincerely,
Katie Brown & Trent Gaasch katiebrown@student.sco.edu|tgaasch@student.sco.edu
Here are a few highlights from the last year!!!
National Optometric Student Association Welcome Class of 2018! It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the SCO family on behalf of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA). NOSA’s mission is to promote awareness of social and cultural
2014-2015 Officers President Kirsten McKnight Vice-president
differences in order to enhance doctor-patient and doctor-doctor
Ryan Tieu
relationships. We are also dedicated to increasing minority representation in optometry, but you do not have to be a minority to join.! With these goals in mind, we host several events throughout the year including vision screenings with local organizations, outreach events for high school and college students, guest speakers, and social gatherings for NOSA members to learn from and grow with each other.
Treasurer
It is our responsibility as members of the healthcare community to be aware and effective in the delivery of vision care to all of our patients regardless of their background. NOSA gives you the opportunity to play an active role in fostering diverse relationships that will help prepare you to be a great clinician. We support active participation and open communication to help develop our growing organization and its members. We encourage ALL students to commit to being active leaders in their communities and promote openness to diversity. Congratulations on your acceptance to SCO and we look forward to meeting you this fall!
Yours in Service, Kirsten McKnight Kirsten McKnight NOSA President kmcknight@student.sco.edu
Danyetta Thomas Secretary Jenniffer Anderson Historian Haley Nyguen Fundraising Chair Lindsay Armagon
Visit our booth at the student organization fair Tuesday, September 3rd Also, visit our website at www.sco.edu/nosa
Optometric Private Practice Club The missing piece in your education at SCO Welcome Class of 2018!
Congratulations to all of you for entering into the greatest profession in the world! Okay, that may be a little biased. But in reality, optometry was recently named by Monster.com as the #1 High-Paying, Low-Stress Job in America. Over the next few weeks it may not feel very “low stress”, buy I assure you it will get better. Many of you may have gained interest in optometry by visiting your very own family practice OD. Private practice optometry has deep roots in our profession and has long shown the greatest potential for earnings and satisfaction. OPP is designed to give you all the tools you need to be successful in private practice optometry! We hold monthly meetings, which include nationally- and internationally-known lecturers and industry partners, the best food of any club on campus (seriously, ask around), and awesome give-away prizes! Most importantly, you will be equipped with information your peers may never get the chance to see.
Past Speakers and Topics Dr. Justin Bazan
Worldwide known OD and innovator from Brooklyn, NY on “newschool marketing”
Dr. Pete Kehoe
Former AOA president on how to maximize profit through optical sales
Ms. Shauna HR director at VSP Harrington Global on interviewing skills and how to select a new staff Women in Optometry
The knowledge you acquire in the classroom is just the foundation of a complete optometric education. The skills and experiences you gain from the Optometric Private Practice Club will give you the edge you need to set you apart from your colleagues in this field! Again, congratulations and welcome to the SCO family!
Come see what OPP is all about! Our first meeting is Thursday, September 4th at 6:00p and it’s free to all students! Questions? Email Frank Carusone at fcarusone@student.sco.edu
A panel of female leaders in the optometric arena on the successes of women in our field
SPORTS VISION CLUB CONGRATULATIONS, Class of 2018! Welcome to Memphis and the SCO family! The Sports Vision Society at Southern College of Optometry is an organization dedicated to learning more about sports vision as well as participating in sports vision screenings. Our passion is improving athletic performance by improving visual performance. As you are probably aware, there is more to vision than being 20/20, and likewise there is more to being an athlete than just being “in shape.” Visual performance includes aspects such as eye-hand reaction, depth perception, dynamic visual acuity, peripheral vision, anticipation timing, visual attention, and visualization. If a point guard cannot quickly assess where his teammates are relative to his opponents, especially with every player on the court in constant motion, he will make a turnover. If a baseball player is a power hitter but cannot efficiently track the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, he will strikeout. Sports Vision is a growing branch of optometry and vision therapy, and it has always been of particular interest to researchers to determine whether ocular capabilities correlate with elite athletic performance. The more that the visual skills of athletes versus non-athletes are studied, the more likely that visual skills can not only be used as a predictive measure of athletic performance, but also as a means of athletic training to enhance athletic performance. Athletic programs such as The Ohio State University and the Boston Red Sox have been incorporating visual performance in their athletic training for years. What’s new this year? The SVS officers already have several events lined up for year, such sports vision screenings with athletes at Christian Brothers University and with Baylor University football team in the works. We will have several optometrists who practice sports vision training to come speak with our club, and as well as visit one or two optometry practices to view their sports vision training facility and equipment. We are also interested in potentially having an Ultimate Frisbee tournament as a club fundraiser!
This is a picture of SVS members doing some sports vision activities with kids at a Memphis Grizzlies game!
Sincerely, Kay Powell SVS President 2014-15 Class of 2016
Stephanie Stanley SVS Vice-President 2014-15 Class of 2017
Whether you know anything about sports vision or not, we encourage you to join our club to learn more and experience first-hand what it’s all about! We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
STATE CLUBS 2014-2015
JOIN STATE CLUBS! WHAT ARE STATE CLUBS? State Clubs are collection of students who are interested in practicing in a particular state WHY SHOULD I JOIN? For speakers and visitors from various states For placement services when you’re ready to look for a job To learn what it takes to practice in different states For possible mentoring opportunities WHAT STATES HAVE CLUBS? SCO has a club for all 50 states! Some clubs are more active than others, so feel free to join several! You do not have to be from that state to join! HOW MUCH OF MY PRECIOUS STUDY TIME WILL STATE CLUBS TAKE UP? State Club involvement varies depending on the club. Some clubs have semester dinners and speakers, while some are simply a way to stay in contact with state optometric associations. There is no minimum participation, so join as many as you would like! HOW DO I JOIN? Sign up at the Orientation Fair! A few clubs have dues, but most are FREE to join! Any other questions, contact State Club Co-Liaisons Kevin Davis and Frank Carusone at kdavis@student.sco.edu and fcarusone@student.sco.edu.
Student Volunteers in Optometric Service to Humanity at Southern College of Optometry Welcome Class of 2018! Let me be one of many to tell you CONGRATULATIONS! As you are about to embark on this wonderful journey, you are probably trying to figure out how you want to spend your time when you aren’t studying. SVOSH, Student Volunteers in Optometric Service to Humanity, is one of the largest student organizations at SCO. We provide worldwide optometric services to those less fortunate and improve their quality of life by making their very blurry world clear! In SVOSH you will gain a truly exceptional experience by providing comprehensive eye care to people in countries with limited access to healthcare. This past May, we traveled to Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Colombia, and Haiti. Our eight trips combined helped 7,575 patients! SVOSH gives you the opportunity to use the unique skills that you will acquire during your very first year at SCO to benefit others while gaining valuable experience in patient care. Tela, Honduras 2014 SVOSH is also a great way to get to know fellow students, faculty, and doctors who take part in our trips each year. Throughout the school year, members work together to collect and sort donated glasses and medications that will be used on our trips. We also help finance each member’s trip through fun activities such as bake sales, silent auctions, and the Eye 5K – our annual race. As those of us who have gone on past trips can attest, the rewarding week we spend giving the gift of vision makes every moment of the hard work and preparation worthwhile.
Come visit our SVOSH booth at the Student Organization Fair on Tuesday, September 2nd! If you’re eager to get more details (just as I was as an incoming first year), check out our website at www.svoshsco.org. Please feel free to contact me sooner if you have any questions.
May Pen, Jamaica 2013
We hope that you will join SVOSH and use the skills you gain during your first year to change the lives of those who desperately need our help. The week you spend abroad will certainly be one of your most memorable experiences here at SCO.
Sincerely,
Dahlia Haddad SVOSH President dhaddad@student.sco.edu
Acanceh, Mexico 2013
Southern College of Optometry • 1245 Madison Avenue • Memphis, Tennessee 38104