Pennies For Puppies at Boca Elementary

Come out and help us kick off our Pennies for Puppies penny drive at Boca Elementary on Friday, May 1st 8-3 PM. We will be addressing the children at three different age levels - kindergartners, 1st through 3rd and 4th through 5th. We will be educating them on the rewards and responsibilities associated with caring for a pet, the importance of proper nutrition and hygiene, and humane treatment. We will be hosting the penny drive at four other elementary schools throughout the month of May was well. If you are interested in helping with this or any of the other penny drives, please contact Liz at ehodge@fau.edu.

April Meeting Minutes

On April 15th, the PVMA had its last meeting for the 2008-2009 academic year. Here are the meeting minutes:



**New Executive Board Elected**
Our new executive board for the 2009-2010 academic year is as follows:

President, Christie Gonzalez
Vice President, Eunike Stenersen
Secretary, Analisa Edell
Treasurer, Rachael Matyisin
Academic Coordinator, Alyssa Espinoza
Public Relations Coordinator, Alexa Majdalawi

Congratulations to all of our new officers!! Their terms will start on May 15th.

**Pennies for Puppies, Friday, May 1st **At Boca Elementary from 8-3 PM. Please be sure to stop by Boca Elementary to fill out a background check at least one week before the event. For more details contact Liz at ehodge@fau.edu ASAP!!

**FHS Adopt-A-Thon May 2nd and 3rd in Coral Springs**
Florida Humane Society will be hosting adoptions at the Coral Springs PetSmart on May 2nd AND 3rd 10:30 - 4 PM. We need at least 4 volunteers. Please contact Alexa to sign up for a shift at amajdala@fau.edu.

**PVMA Awards Banquet, Wednesday, May 13th**
The PVMA will be hosting an awards ceremony in the Majestic Palm Room. Dress code is business casual and members may bring a date. All members are encouraged to attend to show our appreciation to club sponsors. RSVP on the Facebook event page no later than April 30th. E-mail Christie for details at cgonza48@fau.edu.

**Turtle Lecture "Sex on the Beach" Wednesday, May 20th**Dr. Jeanette Wyneken will be hosting a lecture at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, FL 7-8 PM highlighting turtle sex ratios and global warming in South Florida. The lecture will be held in the Johnson Education Center with a reception following. Snacks and cash bar provided. E-mail Christie for more details at cgonza48@fau.edu.

**Big Cat Rescue Field Trip June 5th**
Interested in a summer field trip to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Animal Kingdom in Orlando and the Ocean Conservancy in Naples? We plan to visit all three facilities June 4th thru the 7th. Anyone wishing to attend contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.

**Ft. Lauderdale Bus Loop June 19th**
Ride the bus to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cost to ride the bus is $15 and includes one drink and snack at each of five stops in Ft. Lauderdale. The event runs from 5:30 - 10 PM with an after party at one of the stops. Advance registration is required. You must be 21 to ride. Contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu for more details.

**Turtle Hatchling Release and Turtle Walk, July**
Come to Gumbo Limbo and release rescued turtle hatchlings at the Boca beach. Release is followed by a beach walk to look for nesting turtles. Exact date TBA. Contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu for more details.

**Notes/Test Bank Available Summer Term**
Limited subjects available for Summer term will include Biochem I, Physics I and II, Organic Chem II and lab. If you have a specific subject request for summer term, please notify Dana before April 30th at dmulvan@fau.edu.

**Summer Volunteers**
Any members interested in volunteering over the summer for Horses and the Handicapped, Pennies For Puppies or Florida Humane Society can contact our new Public Relations Coordinator, Alexa, to put themselves on the e-mail list for volunteer updates. Alexa's e-mail is amajdala@fau.edu.

**Start your Pre-Professional File**
Pick up a form at the Pre-Professional office in SE 234. Completed forms should be turned in by the first week of Fall term in order to receive a Committee Review. For more details, contact Alyssa at aespino8@fau.edu.

**The Vet Application Handbook available!!**
Rachael has prepared a comprehensive veterinary college handbook to assist members in preparing for vet school applications this summer. For access to the handbook, contact Rachael at rmatyisi@fau.edu.

**Orangutan Outreach**
Over the summer, we will be assembling teams of members to approach several local fire departments to collect used fire hoses for Orangutan facilities throughout the US. If you would like to become a member of the acquisition team, contact Eunike at esteners@fau.edu.

**Future Fundraisers**
We will be planning a Slip-n-Slide Relay Competition for both the Boca and Jupiter campuses over the summer to raise money for Folke Peterson Wildlife Center. To help plan the event or to work as an event volunteer, please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.

Other fundraisers this summer will include an "Animals in Art" exhibition at the Ritter Art Gallery and an ink/toner recycling program through local businesses. For more information on the art exhibit, contact Stephanie at scanada2@fau.edu. For more information on the ink/toner recycling program, contact Bianca at bmurphy@fau.edu.

**Symposium 2010**
Next year's Symposium will be hosted at Purdue University in Indiana. This year's members enjoyed a variety of wet labs and lectures from veterinary staff throughout the 26 stateside schools. More details will be provided for next year's event asap.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support, service and participation. We hope to see you at one of our many PVMA events next term!

March Meeting Madness

From the sound of it, its been a rough couple of weeks for everyone. Rain, power outages, traffic, wall-to-wall exams and health issues have been just a few of the nasty culprits affecting everyone lately. The term is almost over now with just 28 days to go. We hope everyone has a better time of it in the next few weeks left!! Here are the announcements and minutes from the last meeting on March 31st:


**Walk for Wildlife**
This is a charity event at Quiet Waters Park Saturday, April 18th to benefit the Ft. Lauderdale Wildlife Care Center. Enter to walk from 8 - 10 AM and then browse the vendor booths until 2 PM. Anyone interested in starting a team to walk, contact Christie by April 10th at CGonza48@fau.edu.

**SDA Awards Banquet**
Student Development is hosting a banquet for all on-campus organizations Tuesday, April 21st 7-8 PM in the Majestic Palm Room. Dessert and drinks will be provided. Award nominations will be accepted until Friday, April 10th in UN 203. This your chance to nominate persons or clubs deserving notice for the many great things they do to support the FAU community. Nomination packets are available in UN 203. Awards will be presented for New Club of the Year, Club of the Year, Service Award, Spirit Award, Fundraising Award, Advisor of the Year, President of the Year and several awards for Member of the Year. Don't forget to nominate your favorite member, advisor or president today!! For more information, please contact cgonza48@fau.edu.

**Orangutan Outreach**
This program will be collecting fire hoses for zoos and sanctuaries across the US and for the Orangutan Outreach program in Borneo. For more information on how you can help, contact Eunike at esteners@fau.edu.

**Notes Bank**
The notes/test bank for the PVMA will be up and running starting Summer A. Subjects include Organic Chemistry I and II, Biochemistry I and II, Comparative Vertebrate Morphogenesis and many more. For details on how to gain access to notes and study guides for these courses or to seek peer advising for registration, contact Dana at dmulvan@fau.edu.

** VMCAS Workshop**
The PVMA Veterinary College Guidebook is now available for members planning to apply to veterinary school this summer. Also, we will be scheduling a second presentation of the VMCAS Prep Workshop for those who were unable to attend on Tuesday, March 31st. Please contact Rachael at rmatyisi@fau.edu to notify us of your availability. A new date will be announced for this repeat presentation next week.

** Marine Mammal Necropsy at Harbor Branch**
Thursday, April 16th, 20 members of the PVMA will be attending a Marine Mammal Necropsy at Harbor Branch hosted by Dr. Juli Goldstein and Dr. Gregory Bossart. All spots have been filled for this event, however, if you would like to be placed on a waiting list for any last-minute vacancies, contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.

**Constitution Revisions**
The following revisions to the PVMA Constitution will be made: removal of COSO Rep and Historian offices from the Executive Board; consolidation of the Academic Coordinator and Admissions Officer positions; establishment of a new office titled Public Relations Coordinator to take on the duties of both the Fundraising Chair and Volunteer Chair.

**2009-2010 PVMA Elections**
Elections for next year's officers will be hosted in the Admin Building, Room 246 on Wednesday, April 15th 5-6 PM. Each candidate must have a minimum 2.8 GPA, be in good academic standing at FAU and hold 6 credit hours per term (not including summer term). If you are interested in running for an office, please e-mail a biography no more than 2 pages long explaining why you feel you would make a good candidate to Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu. Bios are due no later than 5 PM April 13th.

**PVMA Shadowing Program**
Dr. Nichols has established a preliminary agreement with the Palm Beach Veterinary Society to start a shadowing program in Fall 2009. Shadowing rotations will last one month each in a variety of different practices. If you are interested in participating in the shadowing program, please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu. You will be required to go through an entrance and exit interview as part of your participation. Assignments will be granted based on seniority and club participation.

**Pennies for Puppies at Boca Elementary**
We still need more volunteers to help us present our Pennies for Puppies program at local elementary schools. You will receive 2 volunteer hours for every hour you devote to this wonderful program. Our first presentation is scheduled at Boca Elementary 8-2 PM Friday, April 10th. For more information on how to participate, contact Liz at ehodge@fau.edu as soon as possible!!

**Ink/Toner Recycling Program**
Recycling ink and toner is an easy, cost-effective way to raise money for our club. Recycling keeps these items out of our landfills and allows businesses to help out local non-profit agencies without having to give a monetary donation which is wonderful news in these economic times. So far, we have arranged to collect ink/toner cartridges from the FAU Copy Center, First Florida Mortgage and several other local businesses. If you know of a business that would like to become a part of our recycling program, please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.

**2010 Health Professions Graduate Fair**
The PVMA has joined forces with the other Pre-Professional clubs on campus to help host the 2010 Health Professions Graduate Fair. Each club will be responsible for hosting a day-long event to promote their career track. President Christie Gonzalez will act as the representative for the PVMA. A meeting will be scheduled for anyone interested in being a part of this wonderful opportunity to show FAU what the Pre-Veterinary track is all about.

**Weeks of Welcome**
Each year, FAU hosts a Weeks of Welcome event for incoming freshmen and returning FAU students to get into the swing of things for the new academic year. Next year, the PVMA would like to host a football tailgate party but this involves some careful planning and lost of fun!! If you are interested in helping plan this event, please contact Christie at CGonza48@fau.edu

**Help Save Folk Peterson Wildlife Center**
Folk Peterson is a non-profit center that rehabilitates orphaned or injured local wildlife. Due to dwindling grants and donations, the center may have to close its door soon, leaving many local wildlife to suffer without the Center's support. The PVMA will be planning several fundraising events to occur in May to help raise money for the center. These events will include an FAU Day at Rapids Waterpark, a bowling competition and a skate night at Atlantic Skateway. If you would like to help plan these events, please contact Christie for more information at cgonza48@fau.edu as soon as possible.

Don't forget to turn in your volunteer hours before April 23rd!! Contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu for a log of your volunteer hours for the Spring term.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support, service and participation. We hope to see you at one of our many PVMA events this term!