Phi Delta Chi Student Chapter Places Second Nationally in Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Cup Competition
In early August, eight Brothers of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Chi (PDC) and their faculty advisor, Dr. Peggy Carver, traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia for the 17th Leader-Development Seminar (LDS), with support from the U-M Central Student Government. During the five-day event, Brothers participated in a rigorous series of sessions aimed at developing interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills. Chapters of the pharmacy fraternity, which was founded at the University of Michigan in 1883, have come together biennially at Leader-Development Seminar meetings since 1989. This year, about 270 pharmacy students and pharmacists from across the country attended LDS. The Leader-Development Seminar provided Alpha Brothers with an opportunity to improve as leaders and student pharmacists with peers from across the nation.
The Alpha Chapter took second place overall out of more than 90 other chapters in the Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Cup competition. This award, the most prestigious a chapter can receive, is presented to the chapter that has “promoted the profession of pharmacy and Phi Delta Chi to the fullest extent during the preceding year.” The Alpha Chapter accomplished this by placing high in each of the key scoring components: 2nd for the John D. Grabenstein Leadership Report, 2nd for the Ralph L. Saroyan Brotherhood Report, 3rd for the Albert B. Prescott Scholarship Report, and 3rd for the chapter publication, the Alpha Tattler.
“In support of our fellow students, PDC hosts a CV/Cover letter workshop with Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) for the P1s every year, a financial planning workshop, P1 practice Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), and Top 50/100 Drug trivia events,” explained Julia Fuhst, P3, Chapter Correspondent.
“To help improve the campus community, we host the Safe Medication Disposal events with American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP),” added Julia. “This past year, Brothers logged over 550 service hours with our fraternity, participating in events such as cooking dinners for patients at Ronald McDonald house, and making PB&J sandwiches for the homeless community,” said Jessica Sharkey, P3, Chapter President. “We also educated U-M students about the profession in the Diag during Advocacy Week, taught sixth and ninth graders about healthcare topics through the Wolverine Pathways program, and cleaned up urban gardens in southwest Detroit during Detroit Partnership Day.”
“Encouraged by our success in the Thurston Cup, we look forward to bringing what we have learned back to the College and striving for 1st place in the next Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Cup competition,” noted Jessica. “Regardless of the outcome, the U-M Brothers will continue pursuing Phi Delta Chi’s mission of creating leaders in pharmacy.”
