56th GCC
56th Grand Council Convention
“A Brighter Future”
Saint Petersburg Beach, Florida
July 30- August 4, 2013
Convention Chairman: Dr. Eric Gupta
Host Hotel: Trade Winds Island Resort
Attendance: Total Attendance: 667
471 Collegians, 150 Graduates, 46 Guest
Introduction
Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity held its 56th Grand Council Convention in St. Petersburg, Florida. The host hotel was the Trade Winds Island Resort. The Convention Chairman was Dr. Eric Gupta. The logo for this GCC was designed by Dr. Robert Mancini. The chance to go back to the beach brought together over 660 brothers to the west coast of Florida, making this the best attended Grand Council Convention's in Kappa Psi history. There were 471 Collegians, 150 Graduates, 35 spouses and 11 children registered for the convention, giving a total of 667.
Convention Committees and Officials
Credentials: Charles Carden, Adam Overberg, Janice Louie, Ryan Warren
Resolutions: Jason Milton, Abe Duncan, Jeff Rabe, Samantha Pelham, Brandon Andereck, Ryan Fillis, Dylan Krawczyk, Gregory Zumach, W. Marshall Crabtree III, Corey Edwards, Aaron Joseph, CJ Duru
Raffle: Mike Starvaggi, Christian Caldaron, Madalyn Mcminn, Carolyn Martz, Anne Durham, Kyle Barron, Jeff Rade, Eliana Kurzman, Jordan Ballou, Stephanie Wong
Continuing Education: John Grossomanides, David Maize
Registration: Korin Kennybrew, Wendy Flores
Slideshow: Jeff Fajardo
Parliamentarian: Christy Askew
Convention Secretary: Johnny Porter
Golf Tournament: Brett Rathi
Convention Summary
Tuesday started with a 2 pm CE program entitled "Pediatric Emergencies " presented by Jenny Donaldson , Pharm.D. The CE was attended by approximately 25 graduate brothers. The convention Chairman was Grand Vice Regent Eric Gupta . Tuesday 's opening General Session started with the introduction of the Executive Committee by Executive Director, Johnny Porter. The convention was presided over by Grand Regent, Kali Weaver . The Golden Bow opening ceremony was conducted by Grand Ritualist Latha Radhakrishnan. The keynote address was given by Mr. Rick Barnes from CampuSpeak . His address "The Evolution of Leadership,” suggested many things you can do to be a better leader, e.g., Get Involved, Ask Why vs What, Develop a Magnetic Personality, Build Character, Think Creatively, Promote Change, Care for Others - it ain't about you, and Avoid Negative People.
Following the Key Note Address, the Grand Regent - Kali Weaver, announced the committee appointments. The candidates for International Office were then introduced by Executive Director, Johnny Porter and each was given three (3) minutes to introduce themselves and present their plans/goals for the Fraternity if elected. Following the opening session, the brothers enjoyed the welcoming reception in the Banyan Breezeway, where there was plenty of good food to enjoy. This reception had been planned for the Garden Courtyard, but the possibility of thundershowers, necessitated the change.
The majority of events were held in the Pavilion, due to the large number of brothers that attended.. Also, to get everyone seated, the hotel set up the seating in what they called "cresent rounds." Round tables with the seats closest to the podium removed, in order for everyone to see the podium without having to turn around.
Wednesday's CE, Current Issues and Prevention of Medication Safety Errors in Sterile Compounding, was presented by Elizabeth Yablonski, Pharm.D. The morning session began on a somber note as the "Grand Agora Ceremony" was conducted, honoring those brothers who are no longer with us. Following the "Grand Agora Ceremony" the first Legislative Session was conducted, led by Grand Counselor, Michael Cournoyer. During this time, several of the proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws were accepted and a few were asked to be discussed later in the week. Brother Mike Starvaggi then gave a report on the raffle that will be held during the convention. The remaining session was devoted to the various Grand Officer and Committee Summary Reports. At 11am, Mitch Crane, JD, from CampuSpeak gave the first of two parts on "A Tort is Not a Cake." At noon, the "Nineth Biennial Scholarship Luncheon" was held, where the various chapter and brother awards were presented.
Following the luncheon, the second part of Mitch Crane's talk, a hazing seminar, was presented entitled "Building Better Brothers and Sisters". Follow this session, the brothers gathered outside for the group picture. The Graduate/Benefactors Reception was held from 5:30 until 7pm later that night. At 7:45, the first of two Chapter Sales and the Roundtable networking discussions started in the Banyan Breezeway.
Thursday's CE, "A Bloody Debate: Pros and Cons of New Oral Anticoagulants and Antiplatelets," was given by Jenny Carillo, Pharm.D. and Janice Louie, Pharm.D. This morning's general session contained special committee reports and the Province reports, where each Province was allowed five (5) minutes for their presentation. Starting at 12:30, the second Chapter Sales/ Roundtable was held, which was attended by a large number of brothers. Also at this time, the Grand Council Deputies met (Sable/Sawgrass) as did the Past Grand Regents (Palm) to discuss various matters concerning the fraternity. At 2 pm, Mindy Sopher also from CampuSpeak presented "Alumni Relations: Reconnecting Brothers and Sisters" in the Pavilion. The brothers had some free time before the 6 pm buses left for Gattitown for pizza and gaming. The Foundation Hold-em Tournament was also held at Gattitown.
Friday's morning's CE was entitled "Fish oils and Heart Health," and was given by Douglas Anderson, Pharm.D. The Fourth General Session, led by Grand Counselor, Mike Cournoyer, focused on legislation that was not voted on during the first legislative session held on Wednesday. The session provided great discussion for the Legislative Committee. Following the session, there were two workshops that were presented, "How to Make Yourself Stand Out: New Approaches to the Residency Application Process" conducted by Nishil Patel, Pharm.D. and Latha Radhakrishnan, Pharm.D., in the Horizons room and "Kappa Psi Leadership and How to Get Involved on a National Level" by Grand Regent, Kali Weaver, Pharm.D., in the Glades/Jasmine Room. Following the workshops, a number of brothers took part in the Kappa Psi Foundation Golf Tournament at the East Bay Golf and Country Club, while other brothers shuffled, jumped, spiked and fell in the sand during the volleyball tournament. Several of the Provinces also held caucuses during this time, while other Provinces waited until later in the afternoon.
On Saturday morning, the last CE was given by Norman Campbell, PhD, FAPHA, entitled "Emerging Controlled Substance Practice Issues ". Each CE session was one hour in length, allowing the graduate brothers to pick up five (5) hours of ACPE approved CE toward their license renewal through the generosity of Dr. David Maize and the University of the Incarnate Word. At the start of this session, the Credentials committee gave their report indicating there were 309 total votes, with 155 votes needed to elect. The morning session opened with legislative issues that were discussed and debated with much vigor, and to the surprise of the brothers only took 19 minutes to complete. Voting on the various resolutions followed, with the majority of them being approved. The Grand Council broke for lunch at 10:30am prior to the start of the Sixth General Session. The Sixth General Session started at noon. Roll Call was given and ballots were distributed to the delegates. The Credential Committee's final report stated there were 313 total votes, with 157 needed to elect. During the voting, several videos were shown and "For the Good of the Order" was offered.
Following the elections, the brothers had approximately 90 minutes before the Alpha Chapter Reception and the 134th Chapter Anniversary Banquet. During the Banquet, award presentations were made, installation of the newly elected officers was conducted and the Closing Golden Bowl Ceremony was performed. Next, the raffle committee drew tickets for the numerous items that were donated for the raffle. At the conclusion of the raffle, a DJ played for the brothers.
Grand Officer and Member-at-Large Elections
Grand Regent: Eric Gupta
Grand Vice Regent: Latha Radhakrishnan
Grand Counselor: Robert Mancini
Grand Historian: Christy Askew
Grand Ritualist: Harry Marcelin
Graduate Member at Large: Jason Milton
Collegiate Member at Large: Grant McGuffey
Biennial Scholarship Lunch Highlights
Frank H. Eby Award: Grant McGuffey
Frank H. Eby Scholarship Tray Award: Beta Chi
Nicholas W. Fenney Industry Scholarship Award: Upsilon
William R. Smith Most Improved Chapter: Epsilon Upsilon
Grand Council Deputy Outstanding Achievement Award: Mike Cournoyer (Mu)
Legislative Highlights:
1. Amendment of Preamble – FAILED
2. Amendments to the Constitution:
o Amendment of Article III (Membership), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendment of Article III (Membership), Section 2 – FAILED
o Amendment of Article V (Discipline), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendment of Article VII (Uniform Province and Chapter By-Laws), Section 2 – PASSED
o Amendment of Article VIII (The Grand Council), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendment of Article XI (Officers of the Grand Council), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendments to the By-Laws:
o Amendment of By-Law III (Discipline), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law V (The Grand Council), Section 4 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law V (The Grand Council), Section 4 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law VII (Officers of the Grand Council Elections and Duties), Section 7 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law VII (Officers of the Grand Council Elections and Duties), Section 7 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law VII (Officers of the Grand Council Elections and Duties), Section 8 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law VII (Officers of the Grand Council Elections and Duties), Section 9 & Insertion of By-Law VII (The Central Office), Section 7 – REFERRED TO LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
o Amendment of By-Law IX (Committees of the Grand Council), Section 7 – FAILED
o Insertion of By-Law IX (Committees of the Grand Council), Section 15 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law X (Provinces), Section 5 – FAILED
o Strike By-Law XII (Publications), Section 2 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law XV (Amendments), Section 2 – PASSED
o Amendments to the Uniform Collegiate Chapter By-Laws
o Amendment of By-Law VI (Duties of Officers), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendment of By-Law VII (Committees and Their Duties), Section 5, Sub-Section F – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law XIV (Quorum), Section 1 – FAILED
o Amendments to the Uniform Province By-Laws:
o Amendment of By-Law V (Composition of the Province), Section 4 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law V (Composition of the Province), Section 5 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law V (Composition of the Province), Section 8 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law VIII (Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Grand Council), Section 2 – PASSED
o Amendment of By-Law VIII (Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Grand Council), Section 2 – PASSED
Resolutions:
1. Whereas, The members of the Executive Committee have dutifully served this Fraternity for the past two years; Be it resolved, That the 56th Grand Council extends its appreciation to the Executive Committee for their diligence and dedication. Pass
2. Whereas, An incredible effort has been made to provide an enjoyable experience at the 56th Grand Council Convention; and,
Whereas, The Convention Chairman and Committee have devoted significant time and energy toward planning this event;
Be it resolved, That the Brotherhood extends their thanks and appreciation to Brother Eric Gupta and his committee for their efforts. Pass
3. Whereas, Voluntary sponsorship of the Grand Council Convention is essential to reducing costs for attendees;
Be it resolved, That we thank all sponsors of GCC including Brothers, Chapters and Provinces. Pass
4. Whereas, Graduate involvement is beneficial in helping collegiate Brothers understand the opportunities available to them;
Be it resolved, That we thank the Graduate Brothers who volunteered during the roundtables and Brother Eric Gupta for organizing the roundtable event. Pass
5. Whereas, The support of spouses, significant others, children, and family members for the Brothers of Kappa Psi is essential;
Be it resolved, That the Brothers of Kappa Psi extend their thanks, love, and appreciation to those who support the Fraternity. Pass
6. Whereas, The hotel accommodations and meeting facilities are key to a successful meeting;
Be it resolved, That the 56th Grand Council acknowledges the hotel staff's efforts, especially Rob Hyypio and Margarita Yepes, at the Tradewinds Island Resort. Pass
7. Whereas, The Central Office devotes extensive time and energy to make the Grand Council Convention run smoothly; and,
Whereas, The Brothers of Kappa Psi all benefit from the devotion of all support staff;
Be it resolved, That the 56th Grand Council extend thanks to Johnny Porter, Wendy Flores, Korin Kenneybrew and all of The Central Office support staff. Pass
8. Whereas, The Kappa Psi Foundation strives for excellence in scholarship for Brothers in the Fraternity; and,
Whereas, It takes many helping hands to support and drive the Foundation;
Be it resolved, That we thank all the Brothers that have organized and participated in the golf tournament, raffle, poker tournament or other activity that helps support the Kappa Psi Foundation. Pass
9. Whereas, One of the hallmarks of Kappa Psi is the record of leadership by Brothers at all levels of professional organizations in pharmacy;
Be it resolved, That the 56th Grand Council Convention extends its congratulations to Past Grand Regent Lawrence Brown on his election as the President-elect of the American Pharmacists Association
Be it further resolved, That 56th Grand Council Convention extends its congratulations to Past Grand Regent Norm Campbell for his recognition as Honorary President of the American Pharmacists Association. Pass
10. Whereas, It is vital for the good of the Fraternity to ensure the integrity of the electoral process;
Be it resolved, That the Proxy Voting Task Force shall continue its work studying the potential impact of eliminating the use of proxy voting at all Kappa Psi Meetings. Pass
11. Whereas, many Chapter officers maintain demanding professional schedules and live in distant geographic locations within their Chapter's territory;
Be it resolved that the Executive Committee modify the form to delegate proxy voting for Province assemblies and Grand Council Conventions to allow for multiple officers to obtain notarization. Pass
12. Whereas, not all collegiate Brothers are students of traditional four-year pharmacy programs that have summer breaks in early August;
Be it resolved, that the Executive Committee and the Grand Council Convention Planning Committee will take all academic calendars of collegiate Chapters into consideration when scheduling and planning the date of the next Grand Council Convention. Pass
13. Whereas, it is vital to have volunteer support for many Grand Council Convention events and duties;
Be it resolved, that the Brotherhood extends thanks to all Collegiate and Graduate Brothers that volunteered during the week of the 56th Grand Council Convention. Pass
14. Whereas, Our Fraternity depends upon the support of all our Brothers and most especially the financial support of our Graduate Brothers.
Be it resolved, that Grand Council Convention registration fees will be increased by $100 for graduates who have not paid their voluntary graduate dues. Failed
15. Whereas, Our Fraternity depends upon the support of all our Brothers and most especially the financial support of our Graduate Brothers;
Be it resolved, that the Grand Council Convention registration form shall provide Brothers the opportunity to submit payment of voluntary graduate dues. Pass
16. Whereas, the past three Grand Council Conventions have been memorialized with a commemorative coin; and,
Whereas, these coins are a permanent keepsake of the Grand Council Convention;
Be it resolved, that this commemorative coin process be continued for the next Grand Council convention. Pass
17. Whereas, Chapters and Provinces have had challenges seeking out the candidates for international office during the Grand Council Convention;
Be it resolved, that the 57th Grand Council Convention set aside time for candidates to gather together so that Brothers may conduct in-depth interviews with the candidates. Pass
18. Whereas, the Kappa Psi Foundation provides many scholarship opportunities for collegiate Brothers; and,
Whereas, the Foundation is supported solely through the generous contributions of our Brothers;
Be it resolved, that all collegiate and graduate chapters are encouraged to make an annual donation to the Kappa Psi Foundation. Pass
19. Whereas, it is important to celebrate our Fraternity’s history;
Be it resolved, that all collegiate and graduate chapters are encouraged to celebrate our Founder’s Day. Not Floored
20. Whereas, there is currently no committee established;
Be it resolved, That the Executive Committee initiate, investigate, and activate a committee to provide all chapters and members a place for guidance on terms of matters concerning the Fraternity. Pass
Convention Favor
Kappa Psi GCC Challenge Coin