AAAOM-SO Progress Report

The AAAOM_SO has been hard at work, and we thought you might be interested in what we have been doing for you, our valued members!

All members of the SOC (Student Organization Council) have been getting ready for the Half Price Student Membership Drive that will take place the month of March: AAAOM-SO Announcement

Special thanks go to Margo Schaeffer and Niall Sheehan who co-chair the Membership Committee.

Margo is the AAAOM-SO regional director coordinator and a senior flight attendant for Midwest Airlines. As such she spends a lot of time in many cities, taking the time to visit with schools and students of acupuncture and Oriental medicine to let them know about our great student organization. Niall Sheehan, AAAOM-SO vice-president, is a valuable addition to the SOC.

Co-president, Amanda Troelsen, and Jolene Habeck, co-president elect, have been busy leading the Election Task Force and sorting our election process- no small task. Last year was the first big election for the SOC. The main goals of the Election Task Force include notifying all student members about available election opportunities well in advance of the conference and to create a system for receiving nominations to ensure receipt of all nominations. We will allot plenty of time for elections during this year’s national student caucus at the Chicago, 2008, conference.

Co-president, Patty Fullin, attended the AAAOM February board meeting. It was a great honor for the parent board to include the SO co-presidents at their annual event. The AAAOM-SO will have its own spring board meeting during the Great River Symposium at the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in March.

Jolene Habeck, co-president elect, also serves on the SOC Media Committee with Melissa Monroe, SW Pacific regional director. They have been busy recruiting and providing content for the student section of the Qi Unity Report as well as The American Acupuncturist. This year, the AAAOM has graciously given the student organization its own section in both publications, and we couldn’t be more pleased or grateful. We are seeking out students willing to submit articles. This is a fantastic opportunity to build your reputation as a practitioner and/or researcher before you are even out of school! If interested please contact Jolene or Melissa at jhabeck@nwhealth.edu or mmmonroe2000@yahoo.com.

Jolene has recently created a postcard to send to all AAAOM-SO members when they join or re-new their membership. Check for these in the mail and kindly take the opportunity to update your contact information with us. Your membership in the AAAOM-SO includes receiving the on-line Qi-Unity Report and other alerts from the AAAOM. We realize that some students have not been receiving the Qi-Unity Report, so, again, please contact us to update your contact information.

As she scours the recent press on acupuncture, Melissa Monroe has been reporting to AAAOM on all “bad press” and inaccuracies she finds regarding acupuncture and Oriental medicine. This enables AAAOM to clarify or correct this misinformation. She will also be making a site visit to Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin, Texas, in mid-March.

Also, look for the brand new AAAOM-SO brochures that have been shipped to all schools in mid-February. We are very proud and excited to use these brochures which provide a brief description of what we do, who we represent, and how to get involved. They can be used to recruit members to your local chapter. Thanks to Jolene for her ability to write things at the speed of light and to the AAAOM graphic designer, Melinda Lang, who took our copy and made it look outstanding!

We have exciting news for Koala Moore, our president emeritus and AAAOM-SO liaison to the AAAOM-BOD. In January he became a first-time father to a boy. Congratulations to Koala and his wife Nadia!

Thank you all for your continued support, and we look forward to hearing from each and every one of you. AAAOM Forums

For the love of Oriental medicine,

The AAAOM-SOC