January 2013

Aloha Behavioral Health Students,

     Here at the Behavioral Health Student Organization have been working on some of the ways you can benefit from the student organization.  We have worked on and submitted our budget for the upcoming academic year 2013-2014 and submitted an interim budget for this academic year.  Also, we have a number of events in the works and at least one that has been solidified at the time of this writing.
     I would like to remind you that you pay a fee every semester called the Tampa  A&S Flat Fee.  The A&S refers to the activities and services branch of the University of South Florida.  This flat fee is used to provide support for student organizations and for student activities.  This helps the BHSO support the Behavioral Health Students (though our membership is not limited to only Behavioral Health students) and we hope to help provide the best educational experience possible.
     We will be happy to get any amount of money for this academic year from A&S but as time is winding down for this academic year we may not have time to spend money if our monetary request is approved.  We are rapidly growing and we would not only like to thank our registered members but we would also like to make our name more visible to USF and the surrounding community.  For the next academic year we would like to provide pens, pads of paper, and t-shirts.  We feel that pens, pads of paper, and t-shirts as well as monthly events will serve to foster stronger connections among behavioral health students.  For this we are waiting for the approval of our 2013-2014 budget.  We have also included in the budget for 2013-2014 a request for money to purchase food for monthly events and additional money to help increase the quality of our activities and services.
     Our student organization works with the Service Corp Advisory Committee who helps to provide service activities to student organizations at USF HEALTH.  The service activity we have committed to this semester is the Valentines Day at The Spring a domestic violence shelter.  We participated in Halloween at The Spring last semester and this semester at The Spring will be much the same.  Students are invited to help children and teens who are residing at The Spring to create Valentine's Day arts and crafts projects.  Will will also offer a fun food safety/handwashing lesson, and we will help the kids decorate cookies!  Up to 20 student volunteers can sign up.  You can sign up for this event by emailing Raymond at rhess1@mail.usf.edu. The day and time for this is Thursday, February 07, 2013 5:30-8p.
     In the spirit of the mind body revolution we have in the works an event to educate on mind-body healthy living.  Once we schedule a day and time Tony our president will discuss healthy eating and I will help you to relax with Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation.  Keep an eye on the Blackboard and Facebook page for more information on where and when.
     I hope your semester is going well and you are adapting to your new schedule with success.  Enjoy your teachers and the course material.  Soak up the positivity of the classroom setting.  Enjoy the University of South Florida's youthful and energized environment.

Awareness, Compassion, Solidarity