ORIENTATIONORIENTATION

It Starts Here

SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY

CLASS OF 2018

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

SCO’s student leaders have put together a great overview of the benefits of getting involved in student organizations. Check out

this flipbook with letters from each club president.

IT STARTS HERE

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!American Optometric Student Association 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63141 (341) 983-4231 FAX: (314) 991-4101 !!!!!Welcome!to!Memphis,!Class!of!2018:!!On!behalf!of!the!entire!student!body!and!the!American)Optometric)Student)Association)(AOSA),!congratulations!on!your!acceptance!to!Southern!College!of!Optometry!!You!are!truly!entering!a!wonderful!profession,!and!while!the!next!four!years!may!present!its!challenges,!your!SCO!community!is!here!to!support!you!every!step!of!the!way.!!As!the!SCO)Trustee!to!the!AOSA)Board)of)Trustees,!my!goal!is!to!promote!the!mission!of!the!AOSA:!“To!improve!the!visual!welfare!and!health!of!the!public,!to!promote!the!profession!of!optometry,!and!to!enhance!the!education!and!welfare!of!optometry!students.”!I!am!your!voice!to!the!national!AOSA!organization,!which!gives!you,!along!with!over!6,000!other!optometry!students!at!all!23!schools!and!colleges!of!optometry,!representation!to!a!multitude!of!allied!optometric!organizations.!You!will!learn!more!about!what!the!AOSA!does!for!students!on!the!national!level!during!orientation.!!Most)importantly,)every)SCO)student)is)automatically)an)AOSA)member!!There!are!many!benefits!to!your!AOSA!membership,!such!as!receiving!complimentary!membership!into!the!American!Optometric!Association!(AOA),!the!Contact!Lens!&!Cornea!Section,!and!the!Sports!Vision!Section.!You!will!receive!free!subscriptions!to!several!optometric!journals!like!Optometry,!the!journal!of!the!American!Optometric!Association,!and!Foresight,!the!official!magazine!of!the!AOSA!written!for!optometry!students!by!optometry!students.!You!receive!access!to!health!insurance!plans,!career!guidance,!and!webUresources.!Additionally,!each!class!has!a!slightly!different!benefits!package;!as!a!firstUyear!student!you!will!receive!a(n):!

o Optometric!clipboard!o Lens!cloth!o USB!flash!drive!o AOSA!TUshirt!o And!many!more!giveaways!throughout!the!year!!!

Though!the!AOSA!holds!many!responsibilities!on!the!national!front,!the!AOSA!at!SCO!also!hosts!several!events!and!receptions!on!campus!to!help!expose!students!to!the!many!facets!of!optometry!from!industry!to!legislation.!Moreover,!there!is!always!free!food!and/or!giveaways!provided!at!these!events,!as!we!want!to!reward!you!for!your!diligence!and!proactive!involvement!as!an!optometric!student.!The!AOSA,!along!with!the!Student!Government!Association,!also!secure!travel!grants!and!scholarships!for!SCO!students!to!attend!the!various!yearly!optometry!conferences!from!Congressional!Advocacy!Conference!in!Washington,!D.C.!to!Vision!Expo!West!in!Las!Vegas,!NV.!!As!a!heads!up,!the!2015)Optometry’s)Meeting™)will!be!held!in!Seattle,)WA.!This!conference!is!the!joint!national!meeting!for!the!AOA!and!the!AOSA,!with!educational!courses,!receptions,!exhibits,!and!social!activities.!The!highlight!for!the!AOSA!program!is!the!annual!Varilux)Optometry)Student)Bowl,!a!

JeopardyUstyle!quiz!bowl!filled!with!optometryUrelated!questions.!Each!school!sends!one!representative!with!the!hopes!of!walking!away!from!the!competition!with!a!crystal!trophy,!$1,000,!and!bragging!rights!for!the!upcoming!academic!year.!At!orientation,!I!will!give!you!much!more!information!for!this!alwaysUexciting!conference.!!In!order!to!decide!who!the!one!representative!will!be!for!SCO!at!the!national!Varilux!Optometry!Student!Bowl,!AOSA!also!holds!our!own!SCO)Student)Bowl!each!spring,!where!volunteered!contestants!from!each!class!compete!with!each!other!to!be!our!school’s!one!representative!at!the!national!Varilux!Optometry!Student!Bowl.!This!is!always!a!highly!anticipated!event!on!our!campus!in!which!the!entire!auditorium!(both!classrooms)!are!packed!with!loud!students!cheering!on!their!classmates.!From!winning!travel!grants!at!the!event!to!making!signs/posters!for!your!classmates!to!even!seeing!fun!faculty!members!dressed!up!in!costumes,!this!is!another!event!you!will!certainly!not!want!to!miss.!!!As!evidenced!in!this!letter,!AOSA!holds!many!highly!participated!events!for!students!on!campus,!but!I!also!want!to!make!sure!you!mark!your!calendars!for!our!annual!student!tradeshow,!Optifest)2014,!on!Thursday,)September)25th)from)5pm)to)8pm!in!the!Activities!Center.!Optifest!will!give!you!the!opportunity!to!network!with!our!industry!partners.!You!will!be!able!to!talk!with!frame!vendors!(and!even!make!discounted!frame!purchases!),!contact!lens!companies,!pharmaceutical!reps,!ophthalmic!equipment!companies,!and!much!more.!!Lastly,!be!on!the!look!out!for!emails!from!the!AOSA!detailing!all!the!student!events!and!benefits!available!to!you!throughout!the!upcoming!year.!If!you!have!a!Facebook!account,!be!sure!to!stay!current!with!AOSA!by!“liking”!our!AOSA1at1SCO!Facebook!page.!!!As!your!AOSA!Trustee,!if!you!have!any!questions!regarding!AOSA,!please!feel!free!to!email!me!at!hchapman@student.sco.edu.!You!may!also!find!more!information!about!the!AOSA!and!your!benefits!at!www.theaosa.org.!

!Looking!forward!to!the!upcoming!academic!year,!!!!Hunter!Chapman!AOSA!Trustee!

CONTACT LENS SOCIETY AT SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY Class of 2018:

On behalf of the Contact Lens Society, congratulations and welcome to SCO! Deciding which organizations to become involved in is one of many important and exciting decisions which lie ahead – fortunately, SCO has a wide assortment of clubs, organizations and programs designed to fit every interest.

The Contact Lens Society is a newly re-established student organization for the 2014-2015 academic year, so we are extremely excited to see what this year has in store for us. Our goal is to provide education, information, and hands on experience to anyone interested learning more about the world of contact lenses. Guest speakers from SCO faculty, researchers, and industry representatives will be invited to share the latest developments in the field, with an emphasis on making meetings interactive.

I invite you to check out what the Contact Lens Society has to offer – feel free to email me at boconnor@student.sco.edu with any questions or suggestions. Again, congratulations and enjoy getting to know Memphis and SCO!

Brett O’Connor Class of 2016

Brett O’Connor President

Andrew Neighbors Vice President

Ryan Wilkerson Treasurer

Greg Stewart Secretary

Dr. Christina Newman

Faculty Advisor

2014-2015

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You   are   about   to   embark   on   a   long   but  rewarding   journey   at   SCO.   By   the   end  of  your   first   semester   here   you   will   be  astonished   at   the   amount   of   new  information   you   will   have   acquired   in  such   a   short   time.   One   of   the   most  important   lessons   you   will   learn   is   that  having   good   vision   is   more   than   being  able  to  see  20/20.  Vision  is  a  complicated  phenomenon  that  requires:    

Two   eyes   to   take   in   information  from  the  world  around  us    

Visual   pathways   connecting   the  eyes  to  the  brain    

The   brain   to   process   visual  information   in   order   to   guide   our  actions,  thoughts,  and  emotions    

When   any   one   of   these   components   is  not   functioning   properly   a   person   may  see   double   images,   have   perceptual  dysfunctions,  or  experience  vision-­‐related  learning   disorders   and   an   inability   to  process  the  world  around  them.  

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The   College   of   Optometrists   in   Vision  Development   (COVD)   exists   to   provide   training   and  education   to   optometrists   who   want   to   treat   these   problems.  These   optometrists   specialize   in   behavioral   and   developmental  vision  care,  vision  therapy,  and  visual  rehabilitation,  fields  that  go  above  and  beyond  prescribing  typical  glasses  and  contact  lenses  to  improve  vision.  These  specialists  often  work  with  children  who  are  struggling   in   school,   athletes   who   want   to   improve   their   game,  patients   who   have   suffered   from   strokes   or   concussions,   and  patients  with  physical  and  mental  disabilities.  In  order  to  train  the  visual   system   to   work   more   effectively   and   efficiently,   vision  therapy  can  be  used  to  teach  patients  to  correctly  focus  their  eyes,  use   both   eyes   simultaneously,   move   their   eyes   accurately,   or   to  help  the  brain  correctly  process  visual  stimuli.  If  you  are  interested  in  making  this  type  of  difference  in  your  patients’  lives,  I  encourage  you  to  join  COVD.    

As   a   student   organization   of   COVD,   our   goal   is   to   share   the  enthusiasm  about  vision  therapy.  We  have  monthly  meetings  with  guest   lecturers,  Skype  meetings  with  doctors  and  residents  across  the   United   States,   and   interactive   opportunities   to   learn   how   to  incorporate   vision   therapy   into   your   practice.   We   also   recognize  the   importance   of   community   involvement   and   participate   in  volunteer   projects   around  Memphis.   And   the   best   part   of   it   all?  Membership   is  FREE!   If   you  have  any  questions,  please  check  out  www.COVD.org   or   feel   free   to   email   me   for   more   information.   I  hope  to  see  you  at  our  first  meeting  this  fall!    

 Sincerely,      Kay  Powell    COVD  President  2014-­‐2015    Class  of  2016  kpowell@student.sco.edu    

Welcome  to  Southern  College  of  Optometry!  

Fellowship of Christian Optometrists  

Welcome to SCO, Class of 2018!

 

We  are  so  excited  to  meet  you  in  the  coming  months!  The  Fellowship  of  Christian  Optometrists  at  SCO  is  a  group  of  people  that  is  about  loving  the  community  of  our  campus,  Memphis,  and  the  world  through  living  the  Gospel  out.  One  of  the  ways  we  do  this  is  by  having  monthly  meetings  in  the  evening  with  dinner,  a  speaker,  and  focused  time  to  build  relationships  with  one  another.  We  also  serve  breakfast  at  local  churches  one  to  two  times  a  month  through  ministries  that  serve  the  homeless  population.  In  May  we  take  a  week  to  do  international  missions  –  last  year  we  sent  a  team  to  Haiti  that  provided  optometric  care  as  well  as  children’s  VBS  programs  in  an  underserved  region.  In  addition  we  will  be  sending  a  group  of  students  to  the  FCO  International  conference  in  October  to  meet  other  students,  doctors,  and  international  missionaries  with  a  common  faith.  

One  of  our  biggest  hopes  is  to  see  each  member  of  FCO  connected  with  a  Gospel  proclaiming  church  in  this  community.  We  would  love  to  help  you  find  a  church  where  you  will  be  a  part  of  a  local  body  that  is  already  tapped  into  how  to  love  and  serve  the  Memphis  community!  We  will  have  church  information  for  you  at  the  club  fair  in  the  first  couple  weeks  of  school  and  at  our  first  meeting  but  please  email  if  you  would  like  more  information  as  you  arrive  in  Memphis.  We  look  forward  to  seeing  your  bright  new  faces  at  SCO  and  hope  you  will  consider  joining  our  group!  

See  you  soon!  

Courtney  Melchione,  C/o  2016  

Email:  fcosouthern@gmail.com  

Class of 2018, On behalf of the members of Gold Key International Honor Society, welcome to the Southern College of Optometry! You are about to embark on one of the most exciting chapters of your life. We congratulate you on coming this far, it is an incredible accomplishment and you should be very proud. It is my sincere wish that your next four years of doctorate training are filled with professional and personal growth. You will be amazed at how quickly these few years will pass by as you become optometric physicians of great knowledge and skill. Nonetheless, never forget how important it is to thrive as an individual enriched with a compassionate character and a helping heart. The mission of Gold Key International Optometry Honor Society is to recognize optometry students who demonstrate outstanding leadership to their college and profession. Membership to Gold Key is limited to only 10% of a graduating class. The American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) recognizes Gold Key membership as “the highest honor for leadership a student of optometry can achieve.” Rising fourth year students are chosen for membership by their peers based on contributions they have made to the profession and the school. Although the distinct honor of Gold Key membership may feel far away into the future, the evaluation for candidacy is happening every day as you interact with other members of your class and within the SCO community. Our school is filled with an incredible number of extracurricular organizations that will undoubtedly benefit from your active involvement and leadership experience. The meetings, projects, and trips will impact your perspective and may even change your life. It’s these experiences outside the classroom that you will vividly remember when, in May of 2018, you walk across the commencement stage and are officially welcomed as a Doctor of Optometry. Best of luck in your academic and extracurricular pursuits! Carpe Diem,

Amy A. Puerto International and Chapter President Gold Key Honor Society Class of 2015 | apuerto@student.sco.edu

Southern College of Optometry

INTRAMURAL SPORTS2014 - 2015

FALLFlag Football

VolleyballSoftball

Tennis Tourney

SPRINGBasketballVolleyball

SoccerGolf Scramble

Check the 4th floor bulletin board for all upcoming or on going intramural events. Contact the IM co-chairs for any questions,

comments, or concerns.

Michael Polo | mfpolo@student.sco.edu Eric Brinkley | ebrinkley@student.sco.edu

Aerobics: Will be offered all year long.Contact Shalon Rothstein for details srothstein@student.sco.edu .

Welcome Class of 2018! 2014-2015 Officers

President Steven Blake (2016)

Vice President Dan Nielson (2017)

Officers Andrew Smith (2017) Mark Curtis (2015)

David MacDonald (2017)

LDS OPTOMETRY ASSOCIATION SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY

Pictured is the Class of 2017 at the Annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony.

Questions you may have that we would be more than happy to

answer:

•Where will I and/or my family live?

•What are good family activities near Memphis or where I live?

•Where are places to shop near me?

•What ward will I attend? •Where is the LDS temple

and what is the fastest way to get there from where I live?

•What are good schools or daycare for my children to attend?

•Who are the other LDS students in my class or other classes?

Congratulations on your acceptance into Southern College of Optometry! What an accomplishment in your life. The LDSOA was organized due to the growing number of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attending SCO. Latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as “Mormons” are in large numbers at SCO. In fact, BYU was the most represented undergraduate institution in the class of 2017! While the association was created primarily to address the needs of LDS members in optometry, we welcome students and doctors of all faiths to join us in accomplishing our goals; which include reaching out to create friendships and forever relationships between the LDS and other students attending SCO. We have been involved in opening our homes and apartments to those who are interviewing so they can get a feel for popular places there are to live, and what home life can be for optometry students who are single, married, and with or without children. Whatever your situation, we know you will fit in and we are here to help not only you, but your spouses and children as well. Current SCO LDS students have found many areas to live in the greater Memphis area including Midtown Memphis, Cordova, Germantown, and Southaven, MS. If you are interested in becoming a club officer as you come here to SCO, please contact me directly, or we will give you further information around orientation. Congratulations and we look forward to meeting you! Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions you may have. Steven Blake President 2013-2015 sblake@student.sco.edu

I invite you to attend our first meeting of the

year, which will be announced after classes

have begun. I look forward to welcoming you

to our club and working with you to pursue our

goals of helping the blind and visually impaired.

Come join one of the best clubs in the world!

Feel free to contact me at

mstanford@student.sco.edu if you have

any questions or would like further information.

Megan R. Stanford

SCO Lions Club President

Southern College of Optometry ‘16

To the Class of 2018,

Welcome to the Southern College of Optometry! On behalf of the Lions Club of Memphis at the Southern College of Optometry, I would like to personally congratulate you on your acceptance and welcome you to Memphis, TN. Upon entering SCO, you will be presented with many opportunities to get involved and help the surrounding community through volunteer work. I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to improve your optometric skills and to provide a much needed service to the community.

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What is Lions Club?

The Lions Club is an international organization primarily dedicated to the preservation of sight and has been actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired since 1917. Since you have chosen a career in service to people with an emphasis on vision, I feel you will be interested in joining SCO Lions Club. Founded at SCO in February of 2004, the SCO Lions Club has participated in various vision screenings and fundraising events throughout the years.

Every year the club is able to help patients in The Eye Center by financially sponsoring their vision care and services from the money we raise as an organization. Not only are we members serving the greater Memphis area, but we are also members of a worldwide organization, one of more than 46,000 clubs serving 193 countries and geographical areas. As Lions, we are continually changing our programs to meet new needs and greater demands, but our mission has never wavered, “WE SERVE!”

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How can I be a part of SCO Lions Club?

• Stop by at our booth at the Student Organization Fair on September 2nd at 6pm!

• Attend our first meeting of the year, which will be announced after classes have begun

 

 

           

Hey  SCO  First  Years!      

You  are  officially  a  part  of  the  Class  of  2018!  Congratulations  on  your  choice  to  join  the  ranks  of  the  Optometric  Profession  at  one  of  the  best  learning  institutions  in  the  country.    If  you  haven’t  already  realized  it,  the  Southern  College  of  Optometry  is  more  then  just  a  school;  it’s  also  a  family.    I  can’t  wait  to  see  the  good  things  your  class  will  bring  to  our  reunion.      

I’d  like  to  extend  an  invitation  to  you  to  join  the  Neuro-­‐Optometric  Rehabilitation  Association.    As  I’m  sure  you  know,  vision  plays  a  crucial  role  of  in  everyday  life.    When  something  goes  wrong  in  the  various  visual  systems,  many  problems  can  occur.    Can  you  imagine  waking  up  one  day  and  constantly  seeing  double  or  neglecting  the  entire  left  side  of  the  world?    NORA  works  with  patients  who  have  been  affected  by  strokes,  seizures,  autism,  brain  injuries,  genetic  diseases,  processing  problems  or  neuro-­‐degenerative  diseases.    NORA  studies  how  to  address  our  patients’  neurologically  related  visual  problems  and  how  to  come  up  with  solutions  to  help  improve  their  quality  of  life.    Seeing  the  difference  optometric  rehabilitation  can  make  in  a  person’s  life  is  one  of  the  most  rewarding  aspects  of  Optometry.      

NORA  takes  a  multidisciplinary  approach  to  serving  neurologically  impaired  patients.    We  collaborate  with  disciplines  like  speech  pathology,  audiology,  and  neurology  to  discover  the  most  effective  and  innovative  treatments  to  help  our  patients.    The  SCO  chapter  of  NORA  has  monthly  meetings  with  a  variety  of  speakers  presenting  their  own  optometric  views  on  treatment.    NORA  members  also  gain  access  to  shadowing  opportunities  to  see  a  live  optometric  “functional  MRI”  with  Dr.  Harris  at  local  hospitals  in  Memphis.      

Neuro-­‐Optometric  rehabilitation  is  one  of  the  up  and  coming  fields  of  Optometry.    A  solid  understanding  of  the  brain  and  visual  system  is  a  key  ingredient  to  helping  patients  maximize  their  visual  capacity.    I  encourage  you  to  join  NORA,  putting  yourself  at  the  forefront  of  this  Optometric  movement.    I’ll  see  you  at  the  Big-­‐Sib  dinner  where  you’ll  get  to  hear  more  about  the  exciting  things  NORA  has  to  offer!      Thanks,  Angela  Haas  J    NORA  President    

     

 

Questions?    Contact  us  at  ahaas@student.sco.edu  or  eshields@student.sco.edu!    

                                           

 

Mark  your  Calendar!  24th  Annual  NORA  Conference  

May  14th-­‐17th,  2015  Denver,  CO  

NORA  Officers:  Angela  Haas  (President),  Evan  Shields  (Vice-­‐President),  Adeline  Chan  (Treasurer),  Kelly  Short  (Secretary)  

NORA  Members  participated  in  SCO  Solutions  in  Sight  family  fun  day.    Some  members  got  to  perform  

retinoscopy  on  an  owl  after  the  animal  presentation.  

NORA  dues  include  food  at  monthly  meetings  

Resident  Dr.  Tina  Esposito  presenting  interesting  cases  at  our  March  meeting  

Faculty  Advisor:  Dr.  

Zarn  

Omega Delta Fraternity Iota Chapter

Southern College of Optometry| 1245 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103

On behalf of Omega Delta, the social fraternity here at SCO, we would like to welcome you to Memphis and the SCO family. All your hard work has paid off, as you begin your

education at one of the top optometry schools in the country! We are positive that you will absolutely love your time here at SCO. The next four years will fly by faster than you could

imagine. We’re here to fill your down time with fun events and help you make some of the sure to be many truly unforgettable memories.

Your Omega Delta officers have been working hard over the last few months to put

together some fun events for you during your orientation week. We would like to extend an invitation to you, your significant others, and your visitors to join our welcome week

activities at no cost to you! By attending some or all of these events, you’ll get a taste of what Omega Delta is like, as well as the opportunity to get to know your classmates and some

upperclassmen. Last year held many memories for your fellow SCOers, with many events hosted by

Omega Delta. This included many themed events such as Outdoor Olympics, Margaritaville, Decades House Crawl, and everyone’s favorite event, our Annual Halloween Party! We work

with local bars and restaurants to extend happy hours on occasion – to ensure you have time to relax among the hard work that is optometry school. We also host several bigger events

each year, including a Dodgeball tournament and an end of Spring Pub Crawl.

We hope your travels to Memphis are all safe and we hope to see you at some of our welcome week events! If you have any questions at all, please get in touch with either of us.

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer; we look forward to meeting you all! Sincerely, Katie Brown & Trent Gaasch katiebrown@student.sco.edu|tgaasch@student.sco.edu

Here are a few highlights from the last year!!!

                                                           

   

National Optometric

Student

Association

Welcome Class of 2018!

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the SCO family on

behalf of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA).

NOSA’s mission is to promote awareness of social and cultural

differences in order to enhance doctor-patient and doctor-doctor

relationships. We are also dedicated to increasing minority repre-

sentation in optometry, but you do not have to be a minority to

join.! With these goals in mind, we host several events throughout

the year including vision screenings with local organizations, out-

reach events for high school and college students, guest speakers,

and social gatherings for NOSA members to learn from and grow

with each other.

It is our responsibility as members of the healthcare community

to be aware and effective in the delivery of vision care to all of our

patients regardless of their background. NOSA gives you the

opportunity to play an active role in fostering diverse relationships

that will help prepare you to be a great clinician.

We support active participation and open communication to help

develop our growing organization and its members. We encourage

ALL students to commit to being active leaders in their communities

and promote openness to diversity.

Congratulations on your acceptance to SCO and we look forward to

meeting you this fall!

Yours in Service,

Kirsten McKnight

Kirsten McKnight

NOSA President

kmcknight@student.sco.edu

2014-2015 Officers

President

Kirsten McKnight

Vice-president

Ryan Tieu

Treasurer

Danyetta Thomas

Secretary

Jenniffer Anderson

Historian

Haley Nyguen

Fundraising Chair

Lindsay Armagon

Visit our booth at the student

organization fair Tuesday,

September 3rd

Also, visit our website at

www.sco.edu/nosa

Optometric Private Practice Club

The missing piece in your education at SCO

Past Speakers and Topics

Dr. Justin Bazan

Worldwide known OD and innovator from Brooklyn, NY on “new-school marketing”

Dr. Pete Kehoe

Former AOA president on how to maximize profit through optical sales

Ms. Shauna Harrington

HR director at VSP Global on interviewing skills and how to select a new staff

Women in Optometry

A panel of female leaders in the optometric arena on the successes of women in our field

Come see what OPP is all about! Our first meeting is Thursday, September 4th at 6:00p and it’s

free to all students! Questions? Email Frank Carusone at fcarusone@student.sco.edu

Congratulations to all of you for entering into the greatest profession in the world! Okay, that may be a little biased. But in reality, optometry was recently named by Monster.com as the #1 High-Paying, Low-Stress Job in America. Over the next few weeks it may not feel very “low stress”, buy I assure you it will get better.

Many of you may have gained interest in optometry by visiting your very own family practice OD. Private practice optometry has deep roots in our profession and has long shown the greatest potential for earnings and satisfaction.

OPP is designed to give you all the tools you need to be successful in private practice optometry! We hold monthly meetings, which include nationally- and internationally-known lecturers and industry partners, the best food of any club on campus (seriously, ask around), and awesome give-away prizes! Most importantly, you will be equipped with information your peers may never get the chance to see.

The knowledge you acquire in the classroom is just the foundation of a complete optometric education. The skills and experiences you gain from the Optometric Private Practice Club will give you the edge you need to set you apart from your colleagues in this field! Again, congratulations and welcome to the SCO family!

Welcome Class of 2018!

SPORTS VISION CLUB CONGRATULATIONS, Class of 2018! Welcome to Memphis and the SCO family! The Sports Vision Society at Southern College of Optometry is an organization dedicated to learning more about sports vision as well as participating in sports vision screenings. Our passion is improving athletic performance by improving visual performance. As you are probably aware, there is more to vision than being 20/20, and likewise there is more to being an athlete than just being “in shape.” Visual performance includes aspects such as eye-hand reaction, depth perception, dynamic visual acuity, peripheral vision, anticipation timing, visual attention, and visualization. If a point guard cannot quickly assess where his teammates are relative to his opponents, especially with every player on the court in constant motion, he will make a turnover. If a baseball player is a power hitter but cannot efficiently track the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, he will strikeout. Sports Vision is a growing branch of optometry and vision therapy, and it has always been of particular interest to researchers to determine whether ocular capabilities correlate with elite athletic performance. The more that the visual skills of athletes versus non-athletes are studied, the more likely that visual skills can not only be used as a predictive measure of athletic performance, but also as a means of athletic training to enhance athletic performance. Athletic programs such as The Ohio State University and the Boston Red Sox have been incorporating visual performance in their athletic training for years. What’s new this year? The SVS officers already have several events lined up for year, such sports vision screenings with athletes at Christian Brothers University and with Baylor University football team in the works. We will have several optometrists who practice sports vision training to come speak with our club, and as well as visit one or two optometry practices to view their sports vision training facility and equipment. We are also interested in potentially having an Ultimate Frisbee tournament as a club fundraiser!

This is a picture of SVS members doing some sports vision activities with kids at a Memphis Grizzlies game!

Sincerely, Kay Powell Stephanie Stanley SVS President 2014-15 SVS Vice-President 2014-15 Class of 2016 Class of 2017

Whether you know anything about sports vision or not, we encourage you to join our club to learn more and experience first-hand what it’s all about! We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

STATE CLUBS 2014-2015

JOIN STATE CLUBS! WHAT ARE STATE CLUBS?

State Clubs are collection of students who are interested in practicing in a

particular state

WHY SHOULD I JOIN?

For speakers and visitors from various states

For placement services when you’re ready to look for a job

To learn what it takes to practice in different states

For possible mentoring opportunities

WHAT STATES HAVE CLUBS?

SCO has a club for all 50 states! Some clubs are more active than others, so feel

free to join several! You do not have to be from that state to join!

HOW MUCH OF MY PRECIOUS STUDY TIME WILL STATE CLUBS TAKE UP?

State Club involvement varies depending on the club. Some clubs have

semester dinners and speakers, while some are simply a way to stay in contact

with state optometric associations. There is no minimum participation, so join as

many as you would like!

HOW DO I JOIN?

Sign up at the Orientation Fair! A few clubs have dues, but most are FREE to join!

Any other questions, contact State Club Co-Liaisons Kevin Davis and Frank

Carusone at kdavis@student.sco.edu and fcarusone@student.sco.edu.

Student Volunteers in Optometric Service to Humanity at Southern College of Optometry

Southern College of Optometry • 1245 Madison Avenue • Memphis, Tennessee 38104

Welcome Class of 2018!

Let me be one of many to tell you CONGRATULATIONS! As you are about to embark on this wonderful journey, you are probably trying to figure out how you want to spend your time when you aren’t studying. SVOSH, Student Volunteers in Optometric Service to Humanity, is one of the largest student organizations at SCO. We provide worldwide optometric services to those less fortunate and improve their quality of life by making their very blurry world clear! In SVOSH you will gain a truly exceptional experience by providing comprehensive eye care to people in countries with limited access to healthcare. This past May, we traveled to Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Colombia, and Haiti. Our eight trips combined helped 7,575 patients! SVOSH gives you the opportunity to use the unique skills that you will acquire during your very first year at SCO to benefit others while gaining valuable experience in patient care. SVOSH is also a great way to get to know fellow students, faculty, and doctors who take part in our trips each year. Throughout the school year, members work together to collect and sort donated glasses and medications that will be used on our trips. We also help finance each member’s trip through fun activities such as bake sales, silent auctions, and the Eye 5K – our annual race. As those of us who have gone on past trips can attest, the rewarding week we spend giving the gift of vision makes every moment of the hard work and preparation worthwhile.

Come visit our SVOSH booth at the Student Organization Fair on Tuesday, September 2nd! If you’re eager to get more details (just as I was as an incoming first year), check out our website at www.svoshsco.org. Please feel free to contact me sooner if you have any questions. We hope that you will join SVOSH and use the skills you gain during your first year to change the lives of those who desperately need our help. The week you spend abroad will certainly be one of your most memorable experiences here at SCO.

Sincerely,

Dahlia Haddad SVOSH President dhaddad@student.sco.edu

Acanceh, Mexico 2013

Tela, Honduras 2014

May Pen, Jamaica 2013