Southeastern Regional Fall 2012 Letter
Dear Psi Chi members,
Greetings! I am writing to introduce myself to those of you whom I have not had the pleasure to meet yet. I am the new Vice-President of the Southeastern Region and am honored to be in a position to serve and work alongside you this year. I look forward to connecting with you in numerous ways throughout the coming year. I am also writing with excitement to alert you to some of Psi Chi’s upcoming opportunities this academic year.
2012-13 Steering Committee
Each region has a steering committee comprised of Psi Chi faculty advisors and student leaders who help develop programming at the regional conference (SEPA for us), assist with Psi Chi activities, and serve as a sounding board for the region. The steering committee allows faculty advisors an opportunity to expand their involvement in Psi Chi and can serve as a training ground for those who want to take on future leadership positions with the Central Office. (For example, we hold elections for Vice-President in our region every two years.)
This year, I am proud to introduce the following members of our steering committee:
Dr. Tara Collins, Winthrop University, collinstj@winthrop.edu
Dr. Steve Berman, University of Central Florida–Daytona Beach Campus, steven.berman@ucf.edu
Ms. Katharine Lindberg, Winthrop University, lindbergk2@winthrop.edu
Be in touch with any of us if you have suggestions, concerns, or ideas. We welcome the input of all of our members.
Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) Conference/ Travel Grants
The SEPA conference will be held in Atlanta, GA, from March 13 to 16, 2013. The deadline for submission and early registration is October 9, 2012. Additional details can be found at www.sepaonline.com. We hope you are planning to participate in this conference, as there are several activities designed specifically for you.
- Undergraduate researchers are encouraged to submit their projects to the Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO; http://www.sepaonline.com/aboutcepo.html)/Psi Chi poster session. You need to notify the organizers of your intent to submit by October 9, 2012 via US mail; then, you have another month to submit your project abstract online. Submissions with a Psi Chi member as the first author will be considered for Psi Chi Regional Research Awards.
- We are proud to have Dr. Melissa Reeves as our distinguished lecturer this year. Dr. Reeves will share her expertise on community trauma, such as the recent movie theater shooting, and how such events have shaped our sense of psychological safety.
- Dr. Donna Nelson will lead our Psi Chi Leadership Session this year focusing on ways that principles from positive psychology can enhance leadership. This session should be useful for any current or future student leaders, as well as faculty advisors.
- Psi Chi also has organized a Diversity Game Show, hosted by Dr. Darren Ritzer, where any two students can work together as a team in a fun-filled, low-stress quiz competition related to diversity issues in the field of psychology. Winners will receive cash prizes!
- As always, Psi Chi is sponsoring two Graduate School Forums to assist students with both immediate and long-term planning for graduate school application.
- Last but certainly not least, Psi Chi faculty advisors will be invited to an appreciation luncheon at SEPA. This lunch is to thank our hard working advisors and to give all of us a chance to connect with each other. Look for an e-mail with details sometime in early spring.
Please look for these events on the SEPA schedule and plan to join us if you can. Also, stop by our Psi Chi Hospitality Room to take a break, connect with other Psi Chi members, and enjoy some coffee or tea.
Students, if you are concerned about travel costs but want to attend the SEPA conference, consider applying for a Psi Chi Regional Travel Grant. Winning applicants can receive up to $400 in travel reimbursement to help fund their attendance at the conference. The deadline to apply is February 1, and we will start accepting applications a month in advance. Details can be found at http://www.psichi.org/regions/southeast/TravelGrantInfo.aspx.
In addition to the Regional Travel Grants, Psi Chi recently approved Unrestricted Travel Grants to help defray travel costs for graduate and undergraduate students presenting at psychology conferences other than the 6 regional meetings. Details about these will be available soon on the Psi Chi website. The Unrestricted Travel Grants awards up to $1,500 with deadline dates of December 5 (spring semester travel) and May 5 (summer travel). Look for updates in Digest emails to all members and on Psi Chi's Facebook page.
Psi Chi Grants and Awards
In addition to the Regional Travel Grants mentioned above, Psi Chi has many, many opportunities for its members to receive recognition for their work. Awards are given to excellent Psi Chi student leaders, researchers, faculty advisors, and chapters. To view a complete list of Psi Chi grants and awards, check out http://www.psichi.org/Awards/. You can’t win if you don’t apply!
Model Chapter Awards
One award that I hope you will all consider is the Model Chapter Award. All Psi Chi chapters are eligible for this award. To receive it, chapters must have:
- submitted annual and financial reports by June 30, 2013, documenting chapter participation in at least one service project, a regional convention or undergraduate research conference, and the Psi Chi awards/grants program;
- submitted chapter activities for Eye on Psi Chi by June 30 of the current fiscal year;
- voted in Society elections;
- conducted at least one induction during the year, with preference for one per semester; and
- have no outstanding debts to Central Office.
All chapters who meet these criteria receive the award—no application necessary—and a $100 check from the Central Office. Let’s show off the great work that you and our fellow southeastern chapters are accomplishing!
Publication Opportunity
The Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research is now accepting submissions from members at all levels, not just undergraduates. If you are interested, check out http://www.psichi.org/pubs/journal/.
The Reproducibility Project
This year, Psi Chi is partnering with the Open Science Collaboration to give chapter teams an opportunity to contribute to an open, large-scale, collaborative research project estimating the reproducibility of psychological science. Contributing teams conduct replications of published studies following a protocol established by the Open Science Collaboration. Team members earn authorship on the publication of the results aggregated across dozens of replication projects. For more details, please go to www.psichi.org/pdf/PsiChiProjectOSC.pdf.
In closing, let me thank you for being part of Psi Chi. We can only be as strong as our members, and we are blessed with exceptional members. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your chapter. Have a wonderful semester, and I’ll look forward to seeing many of you at SEPA in March!
Take care,
Merry J. Sleigh, PhD
Psi Chi Southeastern Regional Vice-President
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733
sleighm@winthrop.edu
Phone: (803) 323-2633
Fax: (803) 323-2371