10 Ways to Embrace Change

At a recent SAA meeting, some of us were talking about the stress in not knowing what our student plans to specialize. We agreed that, while we'll support our student in whatever decision they make, we need some time to "prepare" for such a change. Maybe it's moving away from family or simply away from Tulsa, or starting with a new schedule that isn't the comfortable routine we've fallen into.

With that said, I came across this article from Real Simple and it seems to address some of these issues of "change" nicely. Enjoy!

10 Ways to Embrace Change

-Amy (Scott, MSII)

November Meeting

Hi Everyone,


Our November meeting will be held tomorrow, November 5th, at 5:30 in Room D007 (same as last month). Hope to see you all there!


We will be finalizing the plans for our biggest student support event of the year, the Thanksgiving Dinner, along with discussing the Christmas Tea, Shoe Drive, the next fundraiser, December meeting, Social Nights Out and more. 


Hope to see you all there!


Children are welcome and snacks provided. 

Fall Events

SAA is excited to announce the following upcoming events:

Shoe Drive - October / November. SAA is collecting shoes (old, new, any style except jellies) to raise money for veterans. Drop boxes are located on campus.

Annual Spook-o-ween Carnival - Thursday, October 29th from 6 - 8:30 p.m in Founder's Hall.
            Food, games, Jupiter Jump, children and adult costume contest!

All school Thanksgiving Dinner - Thursday, November 19th at 6 p.m. in Founder's Hall.
           Students, children, and family welcome. This dinner is sponsored by SAA, AOOA, and Student
           Senate.

Social Night Out this Friday!

Reminder: Our first Social Night Out is this Friday! (September 25th)


Location: Dave and Buster's (169 and 71st)


Time: 7:00 pm


Who: Any member and their family, plus anyone you think might like to come!


RSVP: Yes please, I need to know how big of a table to get. Let me know by Thursday if you think you will be able to make it. RSVP to jammi_bailey@hotmail.com.

See you then.


Jammi

Dining Out Deals

There's a great deal going on this week in Tulsa and it's really nice if you want an expensive meal but don't want to pay the price--since we're all on budgets, right? It's called Restaurant Week and 10% of the sales go the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

The prices include a three course meal and are $13 per person for lunch and $30 for dinner. No, it still isn't priced like McDonald's Value Menu, but it's a great opportunity to try some of Tulsa's great restaurants and spend a special night with your student.

Bon Appetite!

Meeting Reminder

Hi Everyone,


We have a meeting tonight at 6 in the OMM Lab. Dr. Thai will be giving a demonstration on OMM and then we will have a 30 minute meeting. I have cookies for a snack! Some students and/or members will be taking care of childcare.

See you then,

Jammi

620.330.2710 if you have any questions.

Social Night Out

*Note ~ D&B's is very family friendly - part restaurant, part arcade - children welcome!

Birthdays this month

Letter From the President

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone has settled down and gotten into the swing of things now that school is well underway. The Meet and Greet turned out great; we have had five first years sign-up so far, bringing our total to eighteen. Be sure to let your med school friends know that it isn’t too late to sign-up.

SAA is going to be busy in the next coming months so hopefully you can find plenty of activities to be involved with. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, September 8^th at 6:00 pm in the OMM Lab. We have a special guest speaker, Dr. Mark Thai, who will be demonstrating OMM techniques and discussing the differences between a DO and a MD. This is a great way to get more acquainted with the other members and the first years will undoubtedly go home with more OMM skills than their students. Childcare will be provided.

This month we also have a Vice President’s Welcome Luncheon, a zoo play day, and a social night out at Dave and Buster’s. Be sure to sign-up with the Google Calendar so you can keep track of all the great things we are doing. Next month we will have two big events--the Oktoberfest parking fundraiser and Spookoween.

I need a volunteer to help Ginny and Beverly Harjo with the All School Thanksgiving Dinner and I need someone to help with the Spookoween night.  Remember, involvement will allow us to get to know each other better, show the school and community how dedicated we are to the Osteopathic profession and it makes the time go by faster! Hope to see you soon.

Keep Active,

Jammi Bailey

SAA President

jammi_bailey@hotmail.com

Playdate this Tuesday!

Hey Everyone,

Don't forget we have a playdate this Tuesday (September 8th) at 10 am at Briana's house. We can play indoors or outdoors depending on the weather.

Briana will provide sandwiches and we can all bring a side dish... Please RSVP if you plan to come -  Holly will be sending an Evite, but even if you don't receive it, feel free to join us!

Zoo Night, Anyone?

Tulsa Zoo Member's Night is September 10th! If you're a member, it's free, but if not, it's a great time to join!

Here is official info from the zoo website: 


Sep 10, 2009 05:30 PM - 08:00 PM

Tulsa Zoo invites all our rockin’ Tulsa Zoo Friends to an evening especially for you!  Member Appreciation Night will take place September 10, from 5:30 – 8 p.m.  This annual event provides a special evening for all Tulsa Zoo Friends members, with behind-the-scenes tours, zookeeper chats, live entertainment and more!  Also enjoy FREE train and carousel rides, and FREE wagon and stroller rental all night long, even a special discount at the gift shop.  This event is FREE for Zoo Friend Members, so anyone who signs up for a membership before or during the event, gains FREE admission.


If anyone plans to go, let me know and we can meet up there! I plan to go at 5:30...

We're Here... Now What?

Playing at fountain park (Riverside & 41st)

So the semester is in full swing, and you have time on your hands without your student... Maybe you're even new in Tulsa... what to do while your student is in the library all day (and all night, and all weekend?) Over the past year, Alex (now 17 months) and I explored (and fell in love with) Tulsa! Here are our recommendations:


 1) Invest in a zoo pass ($60) and an aquarium pass ($85).

 In addition to many day trips by ourselves or with friends, one of the great benefits of having a pass was being able to rescue my husband from the library after a big exam - even if only for an hour or two - and go to either the zoo or aquarium (which stays open late on Tuesdays).

  2) Library story time.

 Tulsa has an excellent library network and we often went to story time. Just pick your nearest library and search for "storytime". Our home library was Hardesty, which has an amazing children’s center.

 3) Sanity Saver?

 I found that the YMCA Childwatch program offered the most reasonable childcare (FREE with family membership) and allowed me to work out in peace! They offer assistance for families who qualify (if you’re living on med school loans, you probably do!)

 4) Cultural Excursions

 We took advantage of last-minute free tickets to the Tulsa Ballet (keep an eye on your student’s email!) The Philbrook Museum is free the 2nd Saturday of every month – the museum is wonderful, but the outdoor gardens are even more impressive. The Gilcrease Museum offers free admission on the 1st Tuesday of each month, but I haven’t been yet – want to join me?

 5) Riverside Park(s).

  I know warm weather is fading fast, but I can’t help mentioning the amazing parks on Riverside. There are playgrounds at 19th, 41st, and 96th street on the east banks and 21st street on the west bank. Our favorite by far is at Riverside and 41st. In addition to its awesome family friendly playground and unique fountain / water displays that are kid friendly even for the littlest ones, the location is not far from the medical school, which again, makes for a great place to pull off a short kidnapping of your medical student. If you have more time, check out one of the pink bicycles you can “rent for free” by swiping your credit card. We also love Hunter Park, west of Sheridan on 91st (playground, splash park, and dog park), La Fortune Park, north of 61st on Yale (playgrounds and walking trails), and Woodward Park, 21st & Peoria (picnicking and rose gardens).

 I know this only skims the surface of what there is to do in Tulsa, but these are awesome opportunities for outings with the kiddos OR just some one on one couple time (well, except for maybe story time…it’s up to you!)

What are some of your top places to go in and around Tulsa?

Happy Long Weekend!

We want to wish everyone a great weekend as we all enjoy summer's last hurrah. The past few weeks have been quite crazy and we hope you get to spend some unhindered time with your student--no pressure to return to studying, at least for a couple hours :)

If you're staying around town and looking for things to do, Urban Tulsa has a great columnist that does an awesome job summarizing each weekend's events. Or, if you're going away, let us know where you went and if you would recommend it to fellow SAA members (especially weekend escapes).

Have a great Labor Day everyone!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Beverly Harjo with the AOOA is going to help us plan the All School Thanksgiving Dinner. The AOOA is giving us $1000 for the dinner. Beverly has asked me to get a couple of members together to be on the dinner committee so she can start planning. If you would like to help plan the dinner, I would be very greatful. Let me know soon so I can give her your information.

I think this would be a fun committee to be on. You get to plan a big dinner and spend someone else's money in the process. I plan on helping as much as I can, also!

Thanks,

Jammi
SAA President

VP Luncheon

Just wanted to invite everyone to the Vice President's Luncheon on the 12th. Please find the invitation attached and let me know if you will be attending. The AOOA is hosting and will be having door prizes for those who have signed-up and paid their dues. For directions, please click here.

Also, we will have a meeting on Tuesday the 8th at 6:00 pm upstairs in the OMM lab (in hallway by Dunlap). At this meeting we will discuss our first fundraiser, the social night out, etc. and have a guest speaker who will demonstrate and teach some OMM.

Even if you haven't signed-up you are still welcome to come to both of these events. It's never too late to join.

See you there!

Jammi
SAA President

Student Schedules

I have posted the MSI and MSII exam schedules on our calendar. Hopefully, this will help us plan our events so they are (or aren't) when our students are super busy.

If any of the MSIIIs or MSIVs can add anything for their years, please post them in the comments section.

If anyone would like to see the original exam schedule, along with the course or final exam schedule, you can find them listed here.

Meet & Greet TONIGHT!

Don't forget SAA's annual Meet & Greet, TONIGHT at 6:30 PM in OSUCOM's main hall.

We will be providing pizza and treats while everyone gets to know each other and learns more about SAA. Plus, your student will be busy studying anyway, right?

Current members (attendance for prospective members is optional but definitely welcomed), please arrive at 6 PM for a short meeting. We will vote on the design for our new shirts and will discuss upcoming events. Plus, because we're feeling a bit generous, we'll hold a raffle for a free gift card!

Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!

Congratulations!

After this summer, there are definitely some congratulations in order--both Darrica Reeves and Faith Cotterell had little girls!




Katelyn Grace was born to Darrica and Brent (MSIV) Reeves on August 7th at 5 lbs. 14 oz. and 18 inches.














Lila Cotterell was born to Faith and Spencer (MSII) Cotterell on June 15 at 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 in.

Dessert Social

From Tulsa to Korea

Desiree Jang shares memories from her summer vacation in South Korea

A big dilemma on [James’ (MSII) and my] minds was how to spend the summer between MSI and MSII - the first summer of medical school and the last real summer break for the rest of our lives. We ended up spending a month in Seoul, South Korea.

It was a return journey for me – James is Korean, and five summers ago we traveled there together before our wedding so I could “meet the parents”. This trip included our 16-month-old son, Alex.

Seoul, a city of 20 million, is like another world. I love the public transportation – they have one of the best and most extensive subway systems in the world. I adore the food – it is absolutely delicious, and not everything is spicy or made with kimchi as people usually imagine. Smoked duck with honey mustard sauce was my favorite meal there, and sweet potato pizza was a close second. Finally, I love the scenery – Korean terrain is 70% mountains, so you can imagine the breathtaking beauty. It is also a peninsula, so it is nearly surrounded by beaches and coastline.

My favorite part of our trip was visiting Jeju Do, an island off the southern coast. It was a magical place of natural beauty. We ate the local cuisine, climbed mountains, waterfalls, and spent time at the beach.

We also spent plenty of time visiting relatives and friends – Koreans are known for hospitality and we were extremely fortunate to know and meet so many great people there. It was a fun and relaxing way to end the summer, and now we are back to reality in Tulsa.

A month of traveling may not be realistic for everyone, and is unlikely in our future also, but taking breaks – even short ones - from the constant grind of med school was a great way for us to spend time together.

-Desiree Jang

Letter from the President

The summer has come and gone. I hope that everyone has had a great time with their family and students. I want to welcome everyone back as we get ready to start the school year! The officers and I have been active this summer trying to prepare for the new year ─ we had a planning meeting for ideas to keep us all busy, we contacted the new first years and their families about SAA, we had an Ice Cream Social where the newbies were invited to get a jump start on the year, and planned events with our mother organization, the AOOA.

I encourage everyone to get involved and have fun this year. I am excited for the opportunities that SAA can present to you and your family and hope to have a fantastic year.

Our kick-off meeting will be before the Meet and Greet on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 6:00 in Founder’s Hall. Please come so we can discuss our future plans and goals for SAA and the medical school this year. I hope to see everyone there so we can welcome the new MSI’s to the OSU-CHS family together!

It is my privilege to serve you as your SAA President and I want to thank Ginny King for being a great leader last year. I am looking forward to working with all of you to make this a spectacular year in our journey.

Be successful,
Jammi Bailey
SAA President
jammi_bailey@hotmail.com