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Membership Matters -- Students Participate at VDA Governance Meeting
Posted on October 09, 2009
Resolutions Adopted Promoting Student InvolvementAt least one ASDA member from the VCU School of Dentistry, as selected by the student government Executive Council, shall be placed on certain VDA committees as a voting member. Additional ASDA members from the VCU School of Dentistry may be placed on said committees as advisory non-voting members at the discretion of the VDA President.
Two advisory members shall be added to the VDA Board of Directors - one from the Old Dominion Dental Society and one student from the VCU School of Dentistry.
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you might be on the menu."
In the last year, many at the VCU School of Dentistry and throughout the state have heard Dr. Ron Tankersley, the recently-installed president of the American Dental Association, say these words. This year, thanks in part to the efforts of ASDA student delegates (Audrey Gamulo, Richard Carlile, Barrett Peters, Phillip Worthington, Alex Barton, and Nitika Mittal) a few items were removed from the menu and some seats at the table secured.
During the Virginia Dental Association Governance Meeting, held on the weekend of September 11-13 in Richmond, the VDA House of Delegates approved several resolutions providing more voice and votes for student members.
Dr. Alonzo Bell, VDA president emphasized the importance of student involvement in his speech to the House. He said a student advisory member to the VDA Board of Directors "will be able to give the board insights into the concerns of the dental students, and a better understanding of how they communicate. Student involvement will give them valuable first-hand knowledge of the concerns of the future of their profession." Dr. Bell encouraged the House to support these resolutions.
The meeting also featured remarks from special guests Dr. John Findley, then president of the ADA and Dr. Tankersley, then the association's president-elect. On Sunday the student delegation put technology to use interviewed the two national officers. The interviews are posted below.
Dr. John Findley