Officers
President:   Lisa Datta   ldatta02@mmc.edu
President-Elect:   Nia Bigby   qte23cpj@yahoo.com
Vice President:   Lauren Lockhart   laurenlockhart@yahoo.com
Secretary:   Christal J. Hall   Christal_hall@yahoo.com
Treasurer:   Melissa Rudolph   mrudolph03@mmc.edu
Historian:   Alan Savage   kaah5@aol.com
First Delegate:   Latoya Delaughter   ldelaughter01@mmc.edu
Faculty Advisor:   Dr. Roosevelt Smith   rssmith@mmc.edu

Meeting Times
American Student Dental Association meets every first Tuesday of each month in Room 446 at the Dental School

Yearly Events
Local Chapter Monthly Newsletter distributed
Lunch-n-Learns sponsored by different vendors
Billiards Brawl/Spades Tournament
Bake Sales
Community Day
and any other event chosen to be held for that year

Upcoming Events
Spring Golf Tournament TBA
Lunch-n-Learns
Bake Sales
Annual Regional Meeting held in Atlanta
Elections for the upcoming year

How to Join (contact info), Requirements for Membership
Students in the dental School are automatically enrolled their freshman year and receive dental journals, newsletters, and other valuable benefits. Please visit www.asdanet.org for more information. Students not having a password may log on using 0000.

The American Student Dental Association is the student affiliate
organization of the American Dental Association. The central purpose of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is to represent student concerns and viewpoints on professional issues in dentistry. ASDA's efforts include political lobbying, representation of student interests in the dental licensure reform movement, mentorship, resource materials and financial services. Membership benefits also include free life insurance, special loan (Dental Education Assistance Loan) and disability insurance eligibility. Upon graduation, students may apply for a complimentary full membership to the American Dental Association for a period of one (1) year.

Links
Email us at MeharryASDA@yahoogroups.com to be involved with your local chapter and to contribute to "The Mesial Drift", our monthly newsletter.

History
The American Student Dental Association was established in 1971 to represent, serve and support the needs and interests of dental students. As a national professional organization, ASDA provides a forum for expression of dental student concerns. ASDA currently has more than 14,000 predoctoral members at each of the 55 US dental school chapters.

Dental students did not always have the opportunity to express opinions about their education and future careers. Back in 1969, dental schools had the power to expel students without due process and even reserved the right to tell students how long to wear their hair. Dental schools only had a handful of minority or women students enrolled. In that same year, things began to change.

A radical group of dental students organized a group called SADA,. The first national gathering of dental students, unified as SADA, occurred at the University of Illinois on February 14-15, 1971. While the original group SADA dissolved in 1971, many of the organizational objectives set by these leaders are still upheld in the Constitution & Bylaws of ASDA.

ASDA is the largest national organization solely dedicated to dental student concerns. Structured as a network of local chapters based at each of the 56 U.S. dental schools, ASDA is uniquely geared to respond to the concerns of its members at the local, regional and national levels. Two delegates at each dental school chapter serve as voting members in the ASDA House of Delegates. Their role is to voice the concerns of their constituents to the House of Delegates for action in the form of resolutions.

Mission Statement
As a result of resolutions passed by the House of Delegates, ASDA publishes policy statements on dozens of issues, including dental education, the rights and fair treatment of dental students, dental research, dental student representation and education financing, among others. ASDA notifies groups or individuals, such as dental school deans, dental associations, state boards of dentistry and lawmakers, of its position on particular issues.

ASDA has grown into a strong, well-respected and influential organization. Today more than 87 percent of all dental students join the association. ASDA also offers membership to predental students and continues to work to assist students interested in entering dental school by providing them with valuable information and resources. As the exciting future of dentistry continues to unfold, ASDA works to meet the changing needs of dental students and address issues of importance to the dental profession and public. ASDA will continue to provide its members the support and services they need to face the future with confidence.

The American Student Dental Association at Meharry Medical College is a local student- run organization, which protects and advances the rights, interests, and welfare of our students pursuing careers in dentistry. It represents students from Meharry in conjucntion with the other 55 US Dental Schools with a unified voice and provides information, education, advocacy and services. The association introduces lifelong involvement in organized dentistry and promotes change for the betterment of the profession.

National Affiliations
Our local chapter leaders are representatives at national events and hold offices on the National level. Students have contributed to ASDA national publications like "ASDA News" and "The Mouth: Journal of ASDA". "The Mesial Drift", our local chapter newsletter, won the award for The Distinguished Chapter Newsletter, Special Citation at the 2004-2005 ASDA National Annual Session. It competed against other US Dental Schools.