There are a variety of clubs that you can join at DMU. Club sign-ups occur at an event called CEO Day which is typically scheduled about 2-3 weeks after the start of the school year. Each club has a booth at this event where you can learn more about the club and its plans for the year.
Your school year will start intensely, leaving you wondering if you even have time to get involved in a club (let alone more than one!). My advice to you is to join at least one club. For one thing, being part of a club gives you a stress reliever. There will be built-in opportunities (many meetings take place over the noon lunch hour) to take a break, hang out with some classmates, and do something—whether that something be learn a new skill, listen to an interesting presentation, or serve your community.
Additionally, the experiences offered by these clubs provide you a glimpse of the real world. During your first year it is easy to lose sight of what you’re doing here. You’re surrounded by textbooks, studying all the time, and you still can’t answer your grandmother’s questions about her bunion. You’re getting a good base of knowledge during your first year, but the finish line seems really far away and you might start to forget why you chose podiatry to begin with. The lectures and workshops you attend as a club member will remind you. You will get to see what podiatry is all about (and you get to hang out with 2nd and 3rd year students who show you that you’ll know something other than biochemistry soon enough). Finally, membership in some clubs offers free membership in their national organization, providing member benefits like access to journals or conference invitations. Now, as a bit of disclaimer, I want to warn you not to overload yourself. You are allowed to join clubs after CEO Day so if you want to wait and see how things are going with classes, just join one club that day and join some more later if you want to. You can also join during your 2nd or 3rd year, so this isn’t a one-time offer.
While you can join any of the clubs on campus, CPMS has six podiatry-specific clubs: AAPSM, AAWP, ACFAOM, PPMJC, SCACFAS, and SNPMA. Most of these clubs have a one-time fee that provides a 4 year membership. Some clubs have officer and liaison positions open to 1st year students, so be sure to ask if you are interested in pursuing a leadership role.
IPMSA is our student government association. Dues are part of the tuition fees so every student automatically becomes a member. There is an IPMSA meeting every month to keep students aware of podiatric news and upcoming campus events. All of the clubs mentioned below are also part of the IPMSA. Students may become members of the IPMSA executive committee in elections held at the end of their 1st year.
Pi Delta is the national podiatric honor society. Students who are in the top 20% of their class after completion of their second year are invited to join Pi Delta. All members of Pi Delta must give a research presentation, a requirement satisfied by giving EBM presentations their 3rd year. Each year, the members of Pi Delta produce an academic project which is then made available for use by the entire student body. In past years, Pi Delta has also sponsored a journal club and a case presentation series.
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From the kitchen of Ali D'Andelet
Clubs