Thanks to everyone who attended our last meeting on February 18th. For those who didn't get a chance to attend, here's what we covered:
Announcements: Green Day Environmental Expo, Saturday, February 28th 9-4 PM in Deerfield Beach. This is a wonderful event that will highlight the "living green" mission. Sea Turtle Day at Gumbo Limbo is scheduled for Saturday, March 7th 9-4 PM featuring a variety of hands-on and educational tours and programs highlighting our endangered sea turtles in South Florida.
Treasurer's Report: Student Government has put a freeze on all school funds for travel outside a 50-mile radius of the FAU campus. They have ALSO placed these same restrictions on our own fundraised dollars that are deposited into our club account. We are researching other alternatives to be able to continue to control our own club funds.
Orangutan Outreach Project: This project stalled due to lack of a storage facility for the fire hoses we wished to collect for the Orangutan's in Borneo. UPDATE - Jungle Island in Miami, FL has agreed to provide storage for the fire hoses we collect from local fire departments. Until we can arrange for shipments to Borneo, we will start a project to distribute the hoses to zoos and sanctuaries across the U.S. that could use them immediately for their orangutan exhibits. For more information on how you can become involved in this project, contact Eunike Stenersen at esteners@fau.edu
2009-2010 COSO Budget: The PVMA was awarded $3000 for the 2009-2010 academic year for on-going projects and events. They postponed decisions on monies for "Bark in the Park" (a large pet expo) and the "Just Cause Ball" until we can provide more details on locations and participation from other clubs and local businesses.
Dr. Nichol's Report: He will be meeting with IACUC on March 1st to see if we can change regulations to allow large events such as adoption fairs or expos involving multiple animals on school property. He will also be meeting with the Palm Beach Veterinary Society Committee on February 28th to discuss what they have developed for a pre-vet scholarship, sponsorship of a student to attend Symposium each year, course offerings in animal medicine and a shadowing program for pre-vet students.
Achievements: The PVMA is slowly closing in on the volunteer hours award through Student Development and Affairs. All members are encouraged to continue to volunteer to help us earn hours toward our goal to win that award in our first year on campus!! Recognition for service, leadership, academic improvement and MVP will occur at our own PVMA Awards Dinner in April so get out there and study, work hard, volunteer or support your fellow PVMA members!
Field Trip: The April lecture in our educational series will be hosted by Dr. Juli Goldstein at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, FL. This field trip will occur on Thursday, April 16th from 9 AM to 4 PM and will feature a tour of the HBOI facility and a marine mammal necropsy hosted by Dr. Greg Bossart, Dr. Juli Goldstein and Stephen McCulloch. Class waivers will be provided if you need an excused absence from a class in order to participate. Please contact Christie Gonzalez at cgonza48@fau.edu for more information.
Look below for a list of upcoming events:
***SDA Training "How to Motivate Student Members"***
Student Development will host a seminar on how to motivate club members. The event will be hosted in the Queen Palm Room, Student Union Thursday, February 19th 12-1 PM. Anyone considering a leadership position for next year's PVMA Executive Board is encouraged to attend. Contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu for more info.
***AKC Dog Show***
The Boca Dog Club is hosting an AKC dog show with proceeds to benefit South Florida Guide Dogs, Inc. The show will be hosted at Canine Cove South Regional Park in Boca Raton 8-4 PM on Saturday, February 21st. Volunteers will help with admissions, running messages for judges or supervising loading docks. Please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu to volunteer.
***Horses and the Handicapped Orientation***
Come out and learn how to become involved in Tradewinds Stables Horses and the Handicapped program Wednesday, February 25th 5-6:30 PM. Service hours are flexible and duties include a variety of tasks geared to meet your experience level. This is a great way to give back to the community, earn service hours and learn how to handle a horse. Involvement in the program costs $25 for a t-shirt, name tag and hands-on training. For more information, contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.
***Florida Humane Society Dog Wash***
Come out and help FHS earn money to support their shelter animals! The dog wash is scheduled for Sunday, March 1st 11-3 PM in Lighthouse Point. Contact Bianca Murphy for details at bmurph14@fau.edu.
***PVMA Dog Wash at Snyder Park***
Come out and help the Pre-Vet Medical Association raise funds for club educational programs such as GRE Prep, field trips and hands-on workshops. This event is scheduled 11-4 PM in Snyder Park (lake and Dog Park in Ft. Lauderdale). We need help handing out flyers for the event, setting up cleaning stations and washing dogs. Please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu or Tracy Moran at tmoran@fau.edu if you would like to help plan or volunteer for this event.
***St. Patty's Day Bake Sale***
Help us sell baked goods and raffle off prizes in the Breezeway 11-3 PM to raise money for Relay for Life!! For more information on how to help, please contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu or Bianca at bmurph14@fau.edu.
***APVMA Symposium***
Symposium is scheduled to occur March 20th through March 22nd in Urbana, IL at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Participate in a variety of labs and lectures addressing a variety of current issues in veterinary medicine. An exhibition will also be hosted on-site with representatives from a majority of AVMA-accredited colleges to answer questions about programs and admissions requirements. The cost for the whole weekend is $417 including airfare, meals and transportation. For more information, contact Christie no later than March 1st at cgonza48@fau.edu
***Relay for Life**
Come join our Pre Veterinary team to help raise money for The American Cancer Society. This is an overnight event at FAU Henderson Field beginning at 5 PM Friday, March 27th and ending at 10 AM Saturday, March 28th. For more information on how you can participate or donate to the cause, contact Bianca at bmurph14@fau.edu.
***VMCAS Workshop***
Come to our informational workshop Tuesday, March 31st 5-7 PM and learn how to apply for veterinary school this summer. Applying can be a difficult process so let our veterans help you figure out when to apply, how to get letters of recommendation, and how to meet important deadlines. For more information, contact Rachael Matyisin at rmatyisi@fau.edu or Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu.
***Next General Meeting***
Our next general meeting will be on Tuesday, March 31st in the Administration Building, Room 246 4-5 PM. We will be discussing progress on the scholarships and shadowing programs developed by the Palm Beach Veterinary Society and new partnerships with local businesses to support upcoming PVMA projects.
Thanks to everyone for their continued support, service and participation. We hope to see you at one of our many PVMA events this term!
