UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY
SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
STUDENT COUNCIL
One Medical Center Drive  Suite 210  Stratford, NJ 08084
Tel: (856) 566-6981  Fax: (856) 566-6714  email: stuco@umdnj.edu
Student Council Minutes
Meeting Date: October 16th 2008
Location: Top Doc’s Cafe
Next Meeting: 7:00 p.m., Thursday, November 20th 2008
Location: Top Doc’s Cafe
I. Call to Order and Attendees:
(A) The meeting was called to order at
(B) Attendees:
Council
STUCO Board: Matt LaPorta, Betty Chung, Kim Young, Kirin Syed, Erin
Toller, Garrett Tomasino,
Class of 2009: Jennifer Stellke, Ken Minnett, Michael McCollum , Hope
Voto, Kristen Fleming, Julianne Wysocki
Class of 2010: Olamide Oladipo, Melissa Suarez, Danielle Mercurio, Rob
Donlan, Bethany Cottingham, EJ Gettings
Class of 2011: Oliver Chang, Elizabeth Jasolosky, Tom Nappe , Kristen
Spencer, Beth Chisholm, Lauren Moleta
Class of 2012: Michael Z. Caposole, Ingrid Edshteyn, Nidhi Shah, Farhad
Modarai, Sarah Campeas, Aileen Chen, Matthew J. Ingrassia
Guests
Dr. Lambert, Acting Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
(C) Excused: Soumya Bollampally
(D) Unexcused: None
II. Approval of Minutes
(A) The minutes from the September 18th meeting were unanimously approved.
III. Special Business
(A) Change in attendance policy.
1) All members of the Student Council are required to attend each
meeting.
2) One unexcused absence or two excused absences per term shall be
construed as an apathetic attitude toward the Student Council. The
officer accumulating one unexcused or two excused absences will
receive written warning with notification to the members of his/her
class.
3) Two unexcused or three total absences will result in a vacancy of
his/her position. This vacancy will be filled by appointment of the
President with an affirmation vote of two-thirds of the Student
Council. The appointee must meet the class standing requirements as
defined in ARTICLE VIII, Section A, Point 1.
4) An unexcused absence is defined as not having a voting proxy
representative at a given meeting. Notification of an impending
absence and designation of a proxy should be made in writing to the
Student Council President at least twenty-four hours before the
scheduled meeting time. These notices will be presented to the
Secretary as official excused absences for roll taking purposes. In
extenuating circumstances, exceptions to the written notification and
attendance requirement can be made at the discretion of the Student
Council President.
5) STUCO president Matthew LaPorta has sent out a school wide email
stating the following: In the past, these (attendance) rules have not
been enforced. There has been confusion as to who does or does not
have to attend STUCO meetings. Great lengths have been made in
running efficient meetings. STUCO has discussed, and it has been
decided by the E-Board, effective for the November meeting, that rules
of attendance will be enforced. The rules will not be made retroactive,
(i.e, the August, September, and October meetings will not count
against you). ALL Class Council members (President, Vice-President,
Currriculum Representative, Student Affairs Representative, both
honor code representatives, as well as PBL representative members
will be expected to stay during Special Reports, EBoard Reports, Class
Reports, and Committee Reports (these having been running about an
hour), members that are not voting (or will not be needed to serve as a
proxy) during funding requests will then be free to go if they so
choose. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate
to ask.
(B) Addition of the honor code report to the agenda and monthly minutes was
unanimously approved. The report will be documented under committee
reports.
(C) Open Forum with Dr. Lambert- Dr Lambert outlined a few major points and
then took questions from students on specific issues.
1) COCA has approved an increase in the class size to 150 students. The
current plan is to increase the class size gradually and as of yet, no
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
decision has been made on how many students will be admitted to the
class of 2013
Travel paperwork
a) Please submit all necessary paperwork two weeks before the
travel date. Late forms are still trickling in and are not
acceptable. This is a hard and fast deadline.
b) If you qualify and request an advance for travel funds,
completed paperwork must be submitted one month prior to
travel date. Again this is a hard and fast deadline.
c) To receive reimbursements all receipts must be submitted
within 45 days of return. They must be valid receipts and the
amount paid should be clearly visible. Receipts received after
the 45 day deadline will NOT qualify for reimbursement.
d) In the case that a reimbursement is not wanted, please submit
all receipts and clearly state that you want “0”
reimbursement.
Dr Lambert announced that she was working very closely with the
honor code committee to draft a “SOM student honor code” which she
hopes will serve as a platform for a “faculty honor code”.
Dr Lambert addressed the issue of bathroom cleanliness. She implored
us to recognize that this is our school and that we should take pride in
it. She encouraged everyone to take a few minutes and tidy up the
rooms we use and take the extra minute to pick up liter from the atrium
or bathroom.
a) Dr Lambert further stated that efforts were being made to
replace fixtures on school grounds.
b) A suggestion was put forth to consider replacing the trash
receptacles with larger ones because they tend to fill up fast.
Dr Lambert addressed this and stated that efforts were
currently underway to determine if replacing the receptacles
was feasible and if it will be possible to request housekeeping
to empty the receptacles more frequently
c) Dr Lambert encouraged students to bring all comments and
concerns to the attention of class officers and to email Ed
Smalls if any problems should arise.
Dr Lambert addressed the issue of printing paper purchase. The
council and Dr Lambert were notified that the average turnover from
the time of purchase of additional printing paper to the time that it is
reflected on most students account (printing quota) is one week. This
hinders their ability to print out notes for class. Dr Lambert has
promised to look into expediting this process.
The issue of MPR use was then addressed. Student organizations
wishing to use the MPR for various activities have been getting
charged for using the room on days other than Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays. Dr Lambert responded to this concern by stating that
budget cuts have decreased the number and availability of the
housekeeping staff. The staff is available on Mondays, Wednesday and
Fridays. If the MPR is used during those days, the organization will
not be charged. However, if the room is used outside of those days
then administration needs to specially bring in workers and will need
to charge for it because they have to pay the staff per hour. It is best to
contact the appropriate persons before an event and ask about the room
and get a “quote” on the charge. If the event is small enough, then
extra staff may not be needed for clean up and there may be no or
minimal charge.
a) Question: Can the MPR charge can be split between clubs if
the setup was used by multiple clubs.
Dr Lambert promised to ask Michael Wright about that and
have more information at the next meeting
b) Question: When did the charge start?
Dr Lambert answered that the clubs had started to get
charged in August of this year.
c) Question: How far in advance will a club know of a ‘quote”
of price after they put in request for use of MPR?
Dr Lambert responded that she wasn’t sure what the turn
around is for requests. She stated that a “charge list” with a
listing of prices for different setups and equipment was
being discussed but has not been put out because of the fear
that students will be charged more frequently.
d) Question: Should all clubs now be advised of these charges?
Dr Lambert responded that yes all clubs should be made
aware of these charges. Student are encouraged to get a quote
on the price according to the size of the setup. They should
mention how many tables/chairs will be used, equipment that
might be needed and then ask if there will be a charge and if
so, how much.
IV. Executive Committee Reports:
(A) President:
(1) The fall semester is moving quickly. I would like to thank everyone for the
fantastic turnout at the first Interdisciplinary Grand Rounds on October 6th. I
would also like to thank everyone that attended the unveiling of the Osteopath
brick dedication on October 17th. We remembered those members of our
osteopathic and medical community that lost their lives in pursuit of
advancing humanism in medicine as we celebrated the National Day Of
Compassion in Medicine.
(2) October is quickly coming to a close and November will soon be upon us.
STUCO and the Departments of Academic and Student Affairs will be hosting
the first of a series of workshops on Thursday, November 13th from the 5:307:30p titled “Planning your Educational Career”. The workshop will feature
information from Dr. Krueger, Dr. Kimmelman, and Dr. Lambert or Dean
Micciche and will include many topics including: key elements of a
successful residency applicant, important pieces of a medical students
curriculum vitae, summer opportunities to build one’s CV, and many more.
The material discussed will feature a broad range of topics and should be
informative and beneficial for all students.
(3) On November 19th, SOM will welcome AOA President Carlo J. DeMarco
who will be holding a student luncheon at 12p in the MPR. Dr. DeMarco’s
work on his theme, “Leading to Greatness: Initiatives in OGME, Research,
and Advocacy” will beneficial to all students.
(4) I hope the semester is treating everyone well. Please do not hesitate to
contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
(B) First Vice President:
(1) I met with ID club new e-board and advisor to facilitate planning of 1st event
and advise on reactivation process for attendance at the October STUCO
meeting.
(2) I plan to facilitate AMSA initial membership drive and e-board elections
(3) I plan to have meetings with presidents/treasurers of new/reactivated clubs
(4) There will be no Oct club presidents meeting
(5) The recruiting clubs will sit at donor recruitment table for two weeks prior to
the November 24th blood drive by American Red Cross
(6) The AMSA Eboard meeting is next week on October 21st.
(7) The infectious disease and pathology clubs will be evaluated for reactivation
today.
(8) The Muslim student association is in the works
(9) Oct 24th is the blood drive. Volunteer recruitment will begin two weeks prior
to the drive.
(C) Second Vice President:
(1) UMDNJ-SOM will observe the National Day of Compassion on Friday,
October 17th, 2008. There will be a presentation made to the first and second
year classes by their respective class councils emphasizing the history and
important of the day. Student council members will distribute free thank you
notes and candy to be utilized as a random act of kindness.
(2) There will be a memorial service at noon in remembrance of the individuals
that lost their lives four years ago and inspired this day. The memorial
service will take place at noon near the Osteopath where a new brick has been
installed in remembrance of osteopathic physicians that lost their lives on
Flight #5966. The events planned for the day are intended to inspire students
to embrace humanity and compassion in their medical education, and their
medical professions.
(D) Treasurer:
(1) I am no longer accepting anymore students to get on the list to receive money
for traveling to the AOA. There are still people who need to turn in their
travel forms but the list has over 30 people on it.
(2) I met with Dr. Lambert last Monday and I believe we will be meeting each
month before the STUCO meeting. I told her I would be coming up with a
new form for funding requests and written guidelines for the National Eboard funding requests.
(3) I will be adding $3000-$4000 more to the Medicine Ball venue because I did
not look at the correct document when deciding how much to set aside. This
money will come from the travel funding request money. Now, the
STUCO travel funding money will come out of the Student Services account.
(E) Secretary:
(1) Congratulations to the class of 2011 for perfect attendance at the September
STUCO meeting.
(2) The deadline for submission still holds firm at 3pm the Sunday before each
meeting. Almost all reports were submitted on time for this meeting. Thanks
to everyone who sent in their reports on time.
(3) Late reports will be documented.
(4) Attendance is taken at every meeting
V. Class Reports:
(A) 2009
(1) Scores came back for Mock PE in SP lab. The class will be taking the
COMLEX PE in upcoming months. The mock PE was for practice because
the class of 2008 had low humanities score. We did well on humanities.
(2) Applications have been submitted
(3) Interviews are in progress.
(4) Regarding absences- only 3 interview days are allowed per rotation
(5) There is an excel spreadsheet project in progress which will document
interview sites and feedback, programs applied to, match information and
contact information
(6) Halloween Hayride is in the works
(B) 2010
(1) So far no major complains, and rotations are going well. Some students
already started registering for COMLEX II/PE.
(2) There will be a Class of 2010 Thanksgiving dinner sometime in November
(C) 2011
(1) A rather uneventful month that was dominated by studying.
(2) The SOM Class of 2011 went through a tough stretch of 7 exams within a 2
week period, culminating in a rough cardiology module exam on Monday,
October 6. We are looking forward to a more pleasant session with the
pulmonary module (exam Monday, November 3rd), geriatrics, psychiatry part
II, and more.
(3) PBL of 2011 recently completed the hematology/immunology module. PBL
2011 is now in a nine week cardiology/renal/pulmonary module. The next
exam is scheduled for Friday, November 21.
(4) The medical supply sale hosted by 2011, and sponsored by Welch-Allyn and
Steele distribution, has ended. Sales were much lower this year than expected.
2011 thanks everyone for their patronage.
(5) Class representatives from 2011 are looking into bids to select a new
COMLEX/USMLE review vendor. Mindworks Corporation (Boards Boot
Camp), Kaplan Test Preparation, COMLEX Edge, Youe’s Prep Inc., and
Northwestern Medical Review, are among the pre-final considerations. Any
suggestions, feedback, or comments are welcome.
(6) Representatives from Kaplan Medical visited SOM on Tuesday, October 14th.
They gave SOM 2011 a presentation on what they can provide and offer us as
we head into boards preparation. Prizes and resources were handed out.
(7) Preparations and planning for the SOM 2008 Halloween party (hosted by
SOM 2011 & 2012) are underway. Set your calendars for the evening of
Friday, November 7 (location to be announced).
(D) 2012
(1) The Class of 2012 has just completed their first block of exams. Currently,
the class is covering the following topics: histology – GI tract, physiology –
renal & respiratory, biochemistry – carbohydrates, genetics – cardiovascular
and population genetics, and patient care – introduction to history and
physical exam. They have an upcoming OMM practical exam to prepare for,
as well as exams for histology, physiology and biochemistry at the end of the
month. Students are awaiting their preceptorship, which has been planned to
begin toward the end of next week.
(2) The PBL students have just completed their first exam. They have begun the
3 month cardio-renal module with Dr. Stein. They will have the opportunity
to practice their physical diagnosis skills on the heart and kidneys with Dr.
Scott. In addition, they will continue to dissect their cadaver with facilitator
Randy Swanson and further explore the thorax and abdominal cavity.
(3) The class of 2012 class council has been working diligently to prepare for
some upcoming events including the fall festival, a Halloween trip and party
and a pancake breakfast for their classmates.
(4) They also hosted the brown bag luncheon with Dr. Krueger which had a good
turnout.
VI. Committee Reports:
(A) Curriculum:
(1) The committee is currently reviewing and discussing:
a) Methods of implementation of the new curriculum, assuming approval by
COCA in December, for the class of 2013.
b) Trying to link basic sciences and clinical knowledge
c) Merging of step 1 and 2 in the next 5 years
(2) Technology improvements including vote/in class question/answer submission
are under consideration
(3) The new software Angel will be implemented in June and July. The 3rd and
4th years will pilot the software.
(4) COMLEX I results for the class of 2009:
a) Average was 22 points above the mean
b) 2% lower pass rate
c) 3rd highest score in nation but 13 in 23 for passing.
(5) Reviewing the changes to the 4th year schedule/requirements which will go
into effect with the class of 2010.
a) Family practice hospital rotation is not required any longer. It is now
offered as an elective
b) General electives extended from 4 to 5.
c) Students can do 3 rotations in the same specialty.
(6) Reviewing changes in the exam administration and proctoring policy
(7) COMLEX II registration was discussed in respect to when the class of 2010 is
able to register as the boards review month will now be in June instead of
September.
(B) Student Affairs:
(1) Our last meeting was held on Friday, September 19th. Some of the issues
raised were:
a) How many times can students fail COMLEX. Answer = 3 times.
b) Enforcement of SA committee decisions
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
c) Should Dr. Marilyn Kimmelman become a voting member of the
Student Affairs Committee? A Memo from Dr. Kimmelman regarding
her current position was sent to us. If the vote is in the affirmative, a
change to the By-Laws of SOM would be required.
No final decisions were reached at this meeting
Due to the AOA conference during the same week, the regularly
scheduled October monthly meeting of the Student Affairs Committee on
10/28/08 is being cancelled and rescheduled to Tuesday, November 4,
2008, 7:15 a.m., 201 Academic Center.
The Pre-meeting for Student Representatives will remain as scheduled on
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. in 212 Academic Center.
Finally, our SA Rep, Kristin Renee Spencer reported to me that the
Student Councils for 2011 & 2012 are planning the Halloween party.
(C) Honor Code:
(1) At our meeting on September 19th, the honor code reps from all four years
gathered together with Dr. Lambert to discuss the role of the honor code rep
and to increase communication between students and administration regarding
professionalism issues. These meetings between honor code representatives
and Dr. Lambert will be scheduled on a monthly basis. During the meeting,
we discussed concerns about proctoring and examination policies.
(2) Concerns with test proctors effectiveness: we discussed issues as to how the
proctors do not walk around and often may be distracted by taking phone calls
or reading, sometimes reading behind the podium. We proposed that at least
two proctors should be in attendance for every examination. In addition, we
proposed that every proctor should have some specific training in how to be
an effective proctor.
(3) Examination Policy: we requested a stricter policy involving exam
administration to “set a better tone” and to further discourage the possibility of
cheating. We recommended a new policy that every student would be
required to place all bags, notes, handbags, cell phones, personal items in their
lockers prior to entering the examination room. They related anecdotal
reports of students looking at notes after the test had been distributed or just as
the test was being distributed and may have been momentarily in their
possession.
a) We also requested that exams be provided in different forms, e.g. A, B and
C, each of which contained a different order of the same questions. This
way, students and their neighbors would not have the same order of
questions while the exam was being taken at the same time.
b) Bathroom break policies were also discussed among the group. We
proposed that no student should be allowed to leave for a bathroom break
with only 20-30 minutes left in the exam, as other students are frequently
discussing exam and test questions in the hallway and in the bathrooms
during this period.
(4) The issues that were discussed at the meeting were not an official change of
policy. But, a discussion point for changes that may be instituted by
administration to address issues of preventing honor code violations and to
create an environment of professionalism.
(5) The next meeting is scheduled for November 20, 2008, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
(D) Alumni Affairs:
(1) No new developments to report.
(E) Public Relations:
(1) I have added the class of 2012 pictures to the hallway display. We'll be taking
a STUCO group photo at this meeting
(2) I've updated most of the forms that are available on the website. Please supply
me with any additional new versions of forms that are being used if you want
them available online."
(3) The September STUCO newsletter was too big so it will be re-done
(4) Updated forms will be on the STUCO website
VII. Club Affairs:
(A) None.
VIII. Old Business:
(A) None
IX. New Business
Note: reminder that discussion can occur with members that may receive funding
but a proxy must vote and must step out for vote. Point of information: There is a two
minute limit for funding requests and five minute limit on question and answer.
(A)
Funding request from Bethany Cottingham for Global Health Leadership
Institute.
Bethany Cottingham submitted a request for one student to attend the
Global Health Leadership Institute in Restan VA on from November 7th10th. This event is held annually and only twelve students nationwide are
accepted to attend. The Institute is designed to bring together students who
are committed to reducing health disparities, interested in promoting
human rights, and have strong potential for leadership in global health.
The program requires that the school/chapter of each students provides the
cost of transportation as well as a $25 program fee. In lieu of this,
Bethany requested $25 for the registration fee and $200 for transportation
for a total of $225. She stated that she is currently working on fund raising
and has not looked into micro grants from AMSA. Ultimately Bethany
was awarded the full amount of $225 with the stipulation that the amount
raised by fundraising will be subtracted from the total $225 awarded. The
decision was approved by a vote of 10 with three abstentions.
(C)
Funding request from Brittney Zafonte and Mena Mirhom
Brittney and Mena submitted individual requests for one student to attend
the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY from
November 13th-15th. The conference hosts more than 2,500 people from
Ethiopia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, India, Korea, China and 19 states in
the U.S attend annually. In attendance are dentists, doctors, nurses, heads
of organizations and relief workers. More than 500 are students attend to
learn more about medical missions, network and discover how they can
help change the world. Brittney and Mena plan to attend the conference to
learn more about the state of global health. They plan to represent the
UMDNJ-SOM study body and learn as much as they can about medical
missions in the US and abroad. They aim bring that information back to
the students of SOM so that they can also benefit from the experience..
Brittney submitted a total cost of attendance of $260 and requested $130
from STUCO.
Mena submitted a total cost of attendance of $309 and requested $150
from STUCO.
Ultimately both were awarded $130 each. The decision was approved
unanimously.
(C)
Funding request from Medical Students for Choice
Karina Umanskaya and Kay Yoon-Flannery submitted a request to fund
four students to the annual Medical Students for Choice meeting in St
Louis, MO from November 15th -16th. They stated that the MSFC Annual
meeting is an excellent opportunity for students to attend lectures and
workshops on reproductive healthcare topics that are missing from the
UMDNJ-SOM curriculum. In addition to supplementing their medical
education, the Annual Meeting provides information sessions about
residency and fellowship programs for students who would like to pursue
their post-graduate training in pro-choice environments. This meeting also
facilitates networking with other medical students and brainstorming
sessions to help MSFC chapters come up with new and exciting ideas that
they can bring back to our schools to educate their members about
providing complete reproductive healthcare for our patients. They have
had fundraisers to raise money, requested funds from SOMAFF and have
a scholarship from the national MSFC chapter.
They requested $110 per student for a total of $440 from STUCO to pay
for half of the airfare for each student.
Ultimately they were awarded $110 per student for a maximum of $440.
The decision was approved unanimously.
(D)
Alumni grant request from SOSA
Kay Yoon-Flannery submitted an alumni grant request to continue the
SOSA run Osborn Tutoring program in Camden, NJ. She stated that the
program will continue to tutor children and parents who are patients of the
Our Lady of Lourdes Pediatric units, who have so far ranged from 1st to
6th graders. SOSA hopes to expand this program to include high school
students from the Brimm Medical Arts school in Camden, NJ this year.
SOM volunteers will help students with their homework, projects and
provide general academic guidance. The program also provides the
children of Camden a valuable service that helps them not only with
academic assistance but with mentorship. During each session nutritious
snacks are also provided to the children.
SOSA requested a total of $250 from STUCO. The breakdown of
expenses is as follows:
$125 towards backpacks, notebooks, books, pens, pencils and small dry
erase boards
$45 towards open house at the Brimm Medical Arts High School
$80 towards nutritious snacks and drinks for students during each session
Ultimately SOSA was awarded the full amount of $250. The decision was
approved unanimously
(E)
Infectious Disease club re-activation request.
Hetal Patel, Hope Voto and Tricia Hall submitted a request for reactivation of the ID club. They stated that the club will be a great avenue
for those interested in specializing in infectious diseases and a great
opportunity for students to review for boards and classes. Some of the
issues they plan to focus on include: what the infectious disease specialty
is and how to become involved; infectious diseases in relation to boards;
the clinical relevance of ID and how it affects all of medicine; working on
presentation skills and writing SOAP notes; and current, cutting edge
treatments. Their first talk would be on Oct 21 with their advisor, Dr.
Levin. They plan on generating a complete member list after their first
general meeting. Some of their fundraiser ideas include selling stuffed
animal microbes and selling microbe ties and scarves. One of their
community service ideas is to go to high schools and talk about student
health issues such as STDS, HPV vaccines, travel medicine. They also
plan to look into becoming part of the national Infectious Disease society.
Ultimately, the ID club was approved for reactivation pending
membership amounting to a minimum of 5% of the SOM student body as
per the constitution. The club was approved for a trail period of 3 months
in which time they must hold one club even and one fundraiser to be
activated. The decision was approved unanimously
(F)
Pathology club re-activation request
Jeanine Chiaffarano, Yein Lee and Betty Chung submitted a request for
reactivation of the Pathology club. They stated that the club would be
advised by Dr. Alan Schienbaum and hopes to provide the following to
our students: 1) pathology reviews, 2) on-call list to observe autopsies
with local coroner, 3) talks on various topics of interest for those
interested in learning more about a career in pathology, and 4) exposure
and/or “hands on” experiences in various pathology settings. Furthermore
the club will provide information on opportunities available within this
field and opportunities to gain exposure to the various aspects of a career
in pathology. They plan to provide information and assistance to students
to set up clinical electives and rotations in order to be competitive with
their allopathic counterparts who will be applying to the same pool of
allopathic pathology residencies.
Ultimately, the pathology club was approved for reactivation pending
membership amounting to a minimum of 5% of the SOM student body as
per the constitution. The club was approved for a trail period of 3 months
in which time they must hold one club even and one fundraiser to be
activated. If all requirements are fulfilled, the club is eligible to come off
of the “probationary” status at the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic
year. The decision was approved unanimously
X. Motion to adjourn
(A)
The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kirin Syed
STUCO Secretary