IEEE Region 3 RSAC Report Fall 2005 Bruce L. Walcott, RSAC Patricia Davis, RSR This report is an update to the RSAC report submitted in Summer of 2005. It outlines the progress made in the following areas: - Membership and Graduate Student Member update - 2nd Annual Fall Leadership Retreat - First-Ever Region 3 Ethics Competition - SPAC/SPAVes - Southeastcon 2006 - Student Activities Update Membership and Graduate Student Member Update ====================================== Recall that student membership numbers are measured at the end of the year to determine the rebates entitled to by the branches. However, we can take a reading from this time last year and now. Last year at this time (August 2004), Region 3 had 4171 students in 91 student branches. As of August 2005. Region 3 has 4099 student members in 93 student branches. While the number of student branches has increased over the year, the membership numbers have declined during the same time by 1.7%. Long term, student membership in Region 3 is still up by nearly 12% since August of 2001. One possible cause for the small decline in student membership over the year is the 16.7% increase in the cost of student dues ($30 to $35). A very exciting development in student membership is the new classification of Graduate Student Member. Simply put, graduate students who would qualify for regular member will be able to vote and hold office the same as any a regular member would. As SAC looks for ways to tailor services for these new memberships, Region 3 will be holding a Research Poster Exhibit as part of SoutheastCON 2006 in Memphis open only to IEEE Graduate Student Members. The details of this exhibit are being worked out by the planning committee consisting of John Ventura and myself. Second Annual Fall Leadership Retreat ============================= At the student branch chair workshop back at Southeastcon 2004 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the students were asked if one single, centrally-located SLTW would be preferable to the 4-5 SLTWs currently conducted in the Fall. The overwhelming response was for a single, SLTW Last year, the first ever Region 3 Student Leadership Retreat was held in Atlanta with Georgia Tech as the host school. Ten schools and 40 participants attended this first Leadership Retreat. This year, the 2nd annual IEEE Region 3 Student Leadership Retreat was just held this past weekend (September 16-18) in the Best Western at Sweetwater, Tennessee in an effort to permit for an increase in attendance while keeping costs down. Logistically, the student branch officers were required to find a means of transportation to the event. SAC provided one quad room and food for the weekend for the first 20 schools to register. We actually had the following 23 student branches attend the Retreat: 1.Chattahoochee Tech 2. Christian Brother University 3. The Citadel 4. Embry Riddle Aero 5. Guilford Tech CC 6. Georgia Tech 7. Mercer 8. Mississippi State 9. North Carolina State 10. Pellissippi State 11. SPSU 12. University of Alabama 13. University of Alabama at Huntsville 14. University of Central Florida 15. UNC-Charlotte 16. University of South Florida 17. UT-Chattanooga 18. UT-Chattanooga (CS Branch) 19. UT-Knoxville 20. University of Kentucky 21. Virginia Commonwealth University 22. Virginia Tech 23. Western Carolina University We had 4 other schools register but had to cancel at the last minute. In total, over 70 students and counselors from 23 schools attended the Retreat. First-Ever IEEE Region 3 Ethics Competition ================================= One new event added this year to the retreat was the Region 3 Student Ethics competition as mandated by the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee. While no formal structure is given for this competition, it should embody the spirit IEEE Code of Ethics. In this year's competition, students were instructed on the IEEE Code of Ethics and then told to develop a small skit which would illustrate an academic or industry ethical dilemma and both appropriate and in appropriate responses to the situation. The students scored each skit for originality, realism, appropriateness of the ethical response, inappropriateness of the unethical response, and entertainment. 17 schools participated in the competition on Saturday night with the following results: 1st Place - Mississippi Sate 2nd Place - Georgia Tech 3rd Place - UAH The following schools participated in the competition: CBU UK MSU NCSU UNCC VT UCF USF PSTCC GT GTCC UTC bbUTC-CS ERAU VCU UAH SPACs/SPAVes ============= Part of the Retreat was an SPAC/SPAVe planning workshop. In fact, one FAMU/FSU could not attend the Retreat because of a conflict with an SPAC which was conducted on Saturday, September 17th. Of the schools attending the Retreat, Georgia Tech, UK and USF have committed to a hosting an SPAC. Other smaller schools in attendance are contemplating holding joint SPACs and will be contacting our Region 3 SPAC coordinator, Jim Howard, in the future. Southeastcon 2006 - Student Activities Update ================================== Representatives from the CBU hardware competition planning team attended the Retreat as did John Ventura, the branch counselor from CBU. Attending teams had an opportunity to give feedback to the CBU group. The University of Memphis student branch--which is helping put on the programming and other contests, registered for the Retreat but could not attend at the last second. The student program of Southeastcon 2006 is jointly hosted by CBU, UM, and UT-Martin and will have all the usual competitions plus the new GSM Poster Exhibit. The rules of the paper contest were discussed at the Retreat and will be posted soon. Other updates for the other contests are expected to be posted soon as well. The web site is located at: https://www.secon06.org/index.php ===========================APPENDIX=========================== *************************************************************************** 2005 IEEE Region 3 Student Leaders Fall Retreat September 16-18th *************************************************************************** WHEN: The weekend of September 16th, 2005 WHERE: Best Western Sweetwater Sweetwater, Tennessee 1421 Murrays Chapel Rd Sweetwater, TN 37874 423 337-3541 https://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=43139 DIRECTIONS: The Sweetwater Best Western is exactly 60 miles north of the Tennessee/Georgia Border on I-75. The exit number is Exit 60 and the hotel is just to the west of the exit and visible from the interstate. See https://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&address=1421+Murrays+Chapel+Road&city=sweetwater&state=tn&zipcode COST: What is covered: One quad room per school for the first 20 schools to register and all meals. What is not covered: Transportation (you must find a means to get there) FINAL SCHEDULE: Friday, September 16th 7 - 9 p.m. Reception in Andrew Johnson Room (Optional - some students will be traveling) Saturday, September 17th - Andrew Johnson Room 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast - Registration/Name Tags 9:00 a.m. Welcome/Introductions/Ice Breaking Exercise 9:30 a.m. Overview of IEEE and Officer Positions 10:00 a.m. Officers Breakout/Retreat Group 10:45 a.m. Break 11:00 a.m. Membership/Fundraising Workshop 12:00 noon Lunch - Catered 1:00 p.m. Best Practices 2:00 p.m. SPAC/SPAVe and Student Activities Workshop 3:00 p.m. Break 3:15 p.m. Calendar Planning/Plan submission 5:00 p.m. Break 6:00 p.m. Dinner/Ethics Competition Sunday, September 18th 8:30 a.m. Breakfast/Results of Ethics Competition 9:30 - noon Team Building/Recreation (Optional) noon Adjourn - Return Home ========================================================= Dr. Bruce L. Walcott, Associate Dean E-mail: walcott@engr.uky.edu COE Alumni Professor Voice: (859) 257-1182 College of Engineering Fax: FAX: (859) 323-4922 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0503