Revival of the SfAA Student Committee!

After being dormant for several years, the SfAA has a newly-formed Student Committee who are working to better engage and integrate students into the SfAA. Thank you to President Michael Paolisso for your hard work in pushing this forward. Our Student Committee is Co-Chaired by Michelle Hak Hepburn (PhD candidate, Anthropology, University of British Columbia) and Darius Bittle-Dockery (newly-minted PhD/MPH in Medical Anthropology and Behavioral & Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh). Please also welcome committee members: Mandy Ausman (BA student, Anthropology & Sociology and Environmental Policy & Decision Making, University of Puget Sound), Vanessa Waites (MA student, Applied Anthropology, University of Memphis), Ethan Copple (MS student, Applied Anthropology and Industrial Engineering, Oregon State University), Caroline Ammon (MA candidate, Applied Anthropology, San José State University), and Samantha Primiano (PhD Candidate, University of Maryland, College Park).

We have been charged to: 

• Help board and leadership develop ways to make the SfAA more beneficial to students, and to increase student input into SfAA policy and program development

• Help the board and leadership improve communication and outreach to students

• Work with and provide support for student board member

• Develop student initiatives, especially around annual meeting

• Work with the president to update the manual for the student committee

• Judge the Student Endowed Award

We have many great ideas and are eager to get started. We are currently developing a student survey which we will distribute to anthropology and allied departments in the fall. This survey will guide our work going forward. In the meantime, we are developing plans to further engage students through social media and expand our online presence. We are also working on proposals to make the Annual Meeting feel more accessible and welcoming to every student and participant. Additionally, we have plans to establish specific guidelines and protocols for judging the student endowed award, and have created a sub-committee to update the student committee manual. We want to contribute to creating connections that will help students with their emerging careers as applied anthropologists and allied practitioners. We’re looking forward to showcasing the value of the SfAA to students.

Please stay tuned for more updates about our work in the upcoming months!