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!

February 18th Meeting Minutes

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!

Meeting Update

If you missed our last general meeting, here's your chance to catch up on what we're up to next!

Our Academic Officer, Dana Mulvaney, needs help getting the notes/test bank up and running. We currently have notes from members on Organic Chemistry I and II, Genetics and Microbiology. For those of you with a scanner, we could really use your help scanning in notes. For those of you who would like to add to the notes bank, please scan them onto a CD and contact Dana at dmulvane@fau.edu to drop it off. We appreciate your patience. The following subjects will also be available soon: Comparative Animal Behavior, Comparative Vertebrate Morphogenesis, and Biochemistry I.

Our Vice President, Trevor Detrick, announced hands-on veterinary experiences being offered by AquaVet, Envirovet, MarVet and Tufts University. Here are the links to these websites if you would like more information:

http://www.marvet.org/
http://www.envirovet.org/
http://www.aquavet.org/index.htm
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/avm/adult.html

We also received reports from committee chairs regarding upcoming projects.

FixIt Committee:
President Christie Gonzalez will meet with Dr. Owen at the Davie campus to find out how we can implement a spay/neuter program for the feral cats on campus under the GS building and other buildings.

We are trying to arrange for Health Services to order rabies vaccinations for those students interested in joining a field trip up to UF to participate in Operation Catnip (Gainesville's spay/neuter program). More information forthcoming.

Fundraising Committee:
We are still trying to confirm if Pet Supermarket or PetSmart will allow us to host dog wash or car wash fundraisers on their premises. We will need donations of shampoos, treats and twoels in order to make this event happen. Anyone who can help supply these items, please contact Chair Tracy Moran at tmoran5@fau.edu.

We will also be hosting a club car wash in late February on Spanish River Blvd and US 1 to raise money for Symposium. We will provide more details asap!!

Relay for Life Committee:
Our previous chair, Luisa Velez, had to resign due to severe time constraints. Bianca Murphy was elected as the new chair for this committee.

It was decided that we will raffle off several dog and cat goodie baskets at the event with supplies donated by Pet Supermarket and PetSmart. Dr. Goby will donate a free vaccination package that will also be raffled off. We will order a banner that veterinarians and other pet indsutry companies can advertise on in exchange for a donation. We would like everyone to try and get family members, businesses and other associates to donate money to our cause so we can reach our goal of $1000 to The American Cancer Society. For more info on how you can help, please contact Bianca at bmurphy@fau.edu.

Symposium Committee:
Chair Kayli Spencer asked everyone to confirm FOR SURE if they were going to attend so we can reserve enough rooms for everyone. It was decided that we would reserve a total of 4 rooms (1 boy's room and 3 girl's rooms) for a total of 12 attendees. To make sure you are on the list to attend, please contact Kayli at kspenc14@fau.edu asap. Registration is $100 per person for which we will try to fundraise but travel expenses will be each individual's responsibility. Hotel charges are $119 per room which can be split by however many people share a room. Most food is provided in your registration fees but you will need to bring approx. $75.00 for additional meals. Airfare prices have dropped in the last two weeks down to $220 round trip on Priceline OR $140 roundtrip on Spirit. Each person will have to make their own flight plans, however, please let us know your flight times so we can try to arrange transportation to Urbana.

Volunteer Committee:
Chair Bianca Murphy brought along the director of Florida Humane Scoiety to speak regarding our volunteer program. We were also greeted by Happy, a three-legged pug/bagle mix who is looking for a good home! Paula passed out brochures and volunteer forms for everyone and explained the progress on their new shelter being built. Please see our events calendar for volunteer opportunties!!

All in all ,the meeting went extremely well and we were able to finish in an hour!! Thanks to everyone who attended for helping us make progress on all our projects!! See you at the next meeting, date and time TBA.

Last Meeting's Happenings

Announcements: The club has logged 153 volunteer hours!!"Star Volunteer" for Fall 2008 was Liz Hodge. Congratulations, Liz! You get to choose a gift certificate at a store of your choice in the amount of $25. Thanks for helping out! For Heartwalk 2008, we raised $85 for The American Cancer Society. Thanks to all who donated money. Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive was a success this year. We collected over 60 lbs of food and supplies for Boca Helping Hands and Florida Humane Society. We also got 25 more signatures for potential members in the breezeway.

Reports: Dr. Nichols (advisor) met with Dr. Perry, Dean for Biological Sciences to establish pre-veterinary classes. Updates will be posted. COSO approved money for club account in the amount of $2,506. With that money, we plan to fundraise for Florida Humane Society, promote adoption and spay/neuter programs for homeless animals and develop our educational lecture series. The first PVMA newsletter will be posted in late December. All members are encouraged to post articles for the first edition. Pieces must be submitted to CGonza48@fau.edu no later than Dec 5th. Anyone who would like to donate notes/tests from old classes, please contact Dana Mulvaney at dmulvane@fau.edu. We ask that you scan your notes onto a CD if possible before submitting. Dana will post a list in Dec showing subjects available for those who need them for Spring 2009. We will be ordering club t-shirts in January. If you have paid your membership dues, please forward your information and shirt size to CGonza48@fau.edu.

Here is a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and events:

Pet Pictures with Santa Paws: Happening Dec 14th 12-6 pm, professional photographer on site, Florida Humane Society will be there promoting animal adoptions. This event is scheduled at Fur Crazy Pet Salon in Boca Raton, west of the turnpike on Glades Rd. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Decoration Prep: Help us make the props for Pet Pics with Santa Paws Sunday, Nov 30th in the school library 2-5 pm. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Canine Christmas Caroling: Bring your pooch Christmas Caroling at local shops and restaurants in Mizner Park on Dec 20th 6-8 PM. Sheet music will be provided. We will be asking for tips to help fundraise for upcoming club events. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu


Presents for the Animals: This event is hosted by the Palm Beach Zoo Dec 21st 9-5 pm. Come visit the animal exhibits and donate money for enrichment gifts for the animals. Fun for all ages.

Florida Humane Society Volunteers needed: Go to the Florida Humane Society link on this page and fill out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every second and fourth Sunday of the month 11-3 pm. Volunteers will help socialize dogs and cats, teach basic commands to dogs and help us to develop off-site adoption events in the future at local community events and dog parks.

Tradewinds Stables: Go to the Tradewinds Stables website and fill-out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every third Saturday of the month 12-4 pm. Volunteers will help clean-out horse stalls, schedule horse therapy sessions for disabled individuals, learn to groom horses and observe farriers and equine veterinarians assist in the care of the Tradewinds therapy horses.

Jan Events:
First Day of School Jan 5th
Lecture Series, Student, Massey University Jan 14th 4-5pm
General PVMA Meeting Jan 21 4-5 PM

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Meeting Minutes

Congratulations to our newest Executive Board members:

Treasurer: Eunike Stenersen
Admissions Officer: Rachael Matyisin
Academic Coordinator: Dana Mulvaney
COSO Representative: Janah Purland

Now that we have filled our Executive Board positions, we will focus our attention on the many committees and club projects for this academic year listed below:

Fundraising Committee: No chair as yet, this committee will focus on projects to make money for our educational goals. Ideas for fundraising include car washes, dog washes, gift wrapping at the mall, pet-sitting, and pet pictures with Santa. We are open to new ideas and all will be considered.

Pennies for Puppies Committee: Chaired by Liz Hodge, this committee will focus on a fundraiser to donate money to the Florida Humane Society while educating our youth on the importance of vaccinations and how to be a good pet parent

Relay for Life Committee: Chaired by Luisa Velez, this committee will focus on ensuring the club is prepared for Relay for Life on March 27th-28th. Go to the club webpage to join the team and be sure to e-mail your friends and family to donate to a most worthy cause! http://main.acsevents.org/goto/prevetclub

Symposium Committee: No chair as yet, this committee will focus on gathering information on hotels, travel expenses, registration and seminars for Symposium this year. This event is hosted by the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association. This year's location is at University of Illinois Urbana.

Fix-It Committee: No chair as yet, this committee will focus on the welfare of the feral cat population at the Boca campus, helping establish a healthy population, ensure vaccinations and assist with capture for spay/neuter programs. Eventually, we would like this project to include the welfare of all the wildlife on-campus (iguanas, racoons, squirrels, etc.).

If you wish to become involved in any of the committees above, please contact Trevor Detrick at 561-414-1831. We also have plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer at FAU-sponsored events. Here are a few upcoming events available:

** Shriek Week is Here**The FAU Dept. for Civic Engagement is hosting the annual Shriek Week Halloween Festival for Kids. They need people to volunteer as part of the Boo Crew (audition required), Tech Crew, Trigger Crew and Round-Up Crew. If interested in helping make this event a success for FAU and for the local kids, contact Christie Gonzalez at 772-812-1252.

**Become a Mentor**The FAU Dept. for Civic Engagement is looking for 20 participants to become tutors for elementary and middle school children October-June from 3 to 5 PM once a week. Mentors will be required to work with one child for at least two hours per week at the Delray Full Service Center. Please contact Christie Gonzalez at 772-812-1252 if interested.