HOD Student Delegate FAQ's
Being a member of the HOD is one of the best
experiences a PA student can have. To make this role as easy
as possible the Student Board is making available (below) some of the
most common questions about getting ready to make a difference!
If you have any questions or comments, please
e-mail me, Amy McKee, Chief Delegate at saaapacd@yahoo.com
Question:
How can I be ready to take part in the HOD and what are some of the
topics?
Answer: As for your role right now - topics discussed
at the national level are usually things that will be affecting PAs
nationally or are already effecting PAs. In the HOD, we will discuss
AAPA's position on different topics, and how to better the profession,
etc. The HOD is a lot to take in as a student, but it is also a great
learning experience that you are going to be glad you were a part of.
A great way to find the latest news and topics is to view the "Delegate
News" posted on the AAPA Web site.
You also need to make sure that you are reading ALL of my e-mails. Since
there is so much to learn before the national conference, I try to add
little bits of info every e-mail, as not to overwhelm you. I encourage
everyone to save all my e-mails as you may want to look back at them
closer to conference time. I am trying to do my best to get everyone
as much info as possible, and still not make the role as HOD rep take
up any more of your time than necessary - it is quite a balancing act!
Lastly,
ask questions - to me, to your program's HOD rep last year, to your
program director, to your state leaders, etc. You will have a ton of
questions and you need to talk, talk, talk to make sure you understand
all that will be going on. This is not the AOR, and there is some time
required on your part to learn some things about the House of Delegates
before arriving at the national conference.
Question:
What is an HOD alternate? What is the purpose
of some schools having an HOD alternate, other than to attend the conference
in the place of the HOD rep (if unable to attend)? Will both
the HOD representative and HOD alternate be able to participate if both
come? Or if our HOD is placed in a time slot, can we split this time
slot so our alternate can participate? Also concerning volunteers in
the house, do they have to be HOD reps or can they be other student
members attending the conference?
Answer:
Let me try to clear up the confusion for
you. Let's define HOD alternate: 12 schools are chosen each year
to provide an HOD delegate. An HOD alternate is a representative from
a student society that has not been chosen as one of the eleven schools
to serve as HOD delegates. This person plays a very key role in
the HOD. When you arrive at conference you may not know who
is an alternate or who is a delegate because the time on the floor of
the house will be divided up equally by me without preference given
to delegate or alternate status. All student societies that elect
an HOD Representative will have the opportunity to be represented on
the floor of the HOD.
Some
student societies may be electing what they have termed an "HOD
alternate." This is not a position that SAAAPA recommends
that a school elect, but this position may serve a purpose to that individual
student society. Only one student from each student society is
allowed to serve as a delegate/alternate. If we allowed each student
society which elects two HOD representatives (an HOD representative
and an "HOD alternate") to have two students serving in the
HOD, we would have so many students dividing time that students wouldn't
truly experience the HOD. Some schools may choose to elect and
"HOD alternate" so that they have a back up person if their
elected HOD representative cannot attend the conference. If this
is the case in your student society and both students plan to attend
the conference, only one student would be allowed to serve as an HOD
delegate/alternate, but the other student is more than welcome to sit
in the back of the HOD to observe all the action..
Another
opportunity for this "HOD alternate" (elected by their student
society), that cannot actually serve as an alternate or delegate, would
be to serve on a reference committee or to act as a Teller to the HOD.
Ask your Chief Delegate, Amy McKee for more information about these
positions.
Question:
Could you please clarify how the SAAAPA delegates and alternates are
chosen? I know that the delegates are chosen by lottery. My understanding
is that all of the rest of the HOD representatives are "alternates."
How is it decided who will be seated next if someone has to get up and
leave?
Answer: Great Question! I think there is a lot of confusion
over this delegate/alternate situation. Each program may only submit
one student's name to serve in the HOD. Basically there is no difference
between delegates and alternates in the student delegation. Basically,
the House needs to have 13 names of students to put on their list of
HOD delegates. But, delegates and alternates are allowed on the floor
in any of these 13 seats. I take up one seat all the time, and at any
given time 13 other students are with me. So, I give the House 13 names
and then myself as delegates - these 13 names are drawn out of a hat.
However, at the conference, all
students get to sit on the floor as equally as I can make it without preference
given to delegate or alternate status. Everyone rotates on and off the
floor at set times - part of my job is to try to arrange the "changing
of the students" to be as least disruptive as possible. There are
over 100 students serving as their student society's HOD representative
that at some time during the conference are going to get to sit on the
floor of the HOD in one of those 13 seats.
