Counseling
Prospective and enrolled optometry students can find help
and advisement within the college. Prospective students are
encouraged to seek assistance as soon as possible. Students
enrolled at other universities are encouraged to contact
the Office of Student Affairs (614.292.2647) for assistance
in planning programs which meet admission requirements. Ohio
State pre-optometry
students should also meet with advisers in their degree units
for information on completing undergraduate course work.
Orientation
An Autumn Quarter orientation program introduces new students
to the rules, regulations and procedures of the college.
Students are required to attend the program.
Career counseling and placement service
The College maintains the "Practice Opportunities Network," a
complete listing of opportunities in private and other optometric
practices. The Ohio Optometric Association offers counseling
and placement.
Student rights and responsibilities
Students are subject to the provisions of the Code of Student
Conduct, a compilation of rules of conduct and major policies
and procedures affecting students. The Code is published
by the Office of Student Life and is published annually in
the Student Handbook. Each quarter, a brief synopsis of the
code appears in the Master Schedule of Classes.
Organizations, Professional and Honor
Societies
Optometry students participate in many campus-wide student
organizations, including the Inter-professional Council and
the Black Graduate and Professional Student Caucus, which
include students from each professional college.
Through professional and honor societies, optometry students
have many opportunities to participate in social activities
and public services to promote academic achievement and to
foster professional attitudes and behavior.
American Optometric Association (AOA)
This organization
extends free memberships to students enrolled in the College
of Optometry. Students receive the Journal of the American Optometric Association
and the AOA News, and are eligible to participate in the AOA health insurance
program. They also may attend AOA meetings without paying registration fees
but may not vote.
American Optometric Student Association (AOSA)
The American Optometric Student Association is open to all
students enrolled in the college. Members participate in
several social events each quarter, including an Eye Ball
and a picnic, and also organize teams to participate in intramural
sports.
Beta Sigma Kappa
This is an international honor society in optometry whose
members have achieved academic distinction in their professional
studies. Students who attain cumulative point-hour ratios
of at least 3.00 on all work completed in the college through
the quarter preceding graduation are recommended for membership.
This organization is a professional fraternity for both
men and women optometry students. During the school year,
members organize social and professional activities. The
fraternity house accommodates about 17 student residents.
Fellowship of Christian Optometrists (FCO)
This organization is a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian
Optometrists International. FCO fosters the employment of
optometric professional skills in a meaningful manner consistent
with the Christian faith. The organization conducts weekly
meetings during academic quarters, sponsors periodic social
and fellowship events, joins with Christian optometrists
from throughout the U.S. at an annual national retreat, and
sends members on short term mission trips to an FCO optometric
clinic in Haiti.
Lions Club of the College of Optometry
The Lions Club of the College of Optometry is the local
affiliate of the Lions Club International, a worldwide service
organization known for their service projects supporting
vision care for those in need (including the collection of
used eyeglasses for distribution to those who cannot afford
them). The club performs fund raisers for organizations such
as Pilot Dogs, offers free community vision screenings, and
participates in many of the areas Lions Club projects such
as Special Olympics.
This organization promotes recruitment and retention of
minority students. It is open to all interested optometry
and pre-optometry students. Activities sponsored by NOSA
include vision screenings, guest lectures, visits to area
O.D. practices and mentoring programs involving prospective
students.
Optometry Student Council
This group coordinates many student activities, represents
optometry students at University functions, and serves as
a liaison between the students and the faculty. With the
financial support of the Optometry Alumni Association, it
organizes many of the welcoming and orientation activities
for new students in the college. Members are selected from
each class and from principal student organizations within
the college.
Sports Vision Club
The Sports Vision Club is an organization designed primarily
to provide vision screenings for student-athletes in the
Columbus area. This screening targets the specific needs
of the athlete and helps determine those individuals who
require visual enhancement and/or vision therapy in order
to develop their overall athletic skill.
Student Volunteers for Optometric Service to Humanity helps
provide eye care and eyewear to developing nations. SVOSH
holds weekly meetings at which volunteers sort and package
used eyeglasses donated by the Lions Club and other organizations.
Donations also fund airfare and living expenses for students
going on trips to underprivileged countries to conduct free
eye exams. SVOSH students have made trips to Belize, Brazil,
Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kenya,
Mexico, Tanzania and Venezuela.
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