Friday, February 11, 2022

This year, the Purdue Veterinary Medicine chapter of Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) was recognized by the national organization VOICE with two awards: Excellence in Servitude and External Relations and Chapter of the Year. The Excellence in Servitude and External Relations Award recognizes a VOICE Chapter that, over the past year, has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to serving its community through service and outreach. The Chapter of the Year is awarded annually to a Chapter that fully embraces the purpose of VOICE and exceeds the Chapter requirements set forth in the National Constitution and Bylaws.

The Purdue Chapter was notified of the awards in early January in conjunction with the National VOICE meeting held virtually January 7-9, 2022. Each award includes a $500 prize, meaning the Purdue Chapter received a total of $1,000 to support future programming and the chapter. continued excellence.

“We want to express our gratitude to VOICE National for these awards,” said Tyra Jenkins, Purdue VOICE Chapter President. “We are working hard to help make the college as inclusive and welcoming as possible and plan to use this funding to continue to promote diverse and inclusive programming for our community.”

Purdue VOICE is a unique organization that seeks to bridge the gap between faculty, veterinary students and veterinary nursing students, encouraging people from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas, celebrate diversity and discover a middle ground. All are invited to participate in Chapter events, such as panel discussions and keynote speakers, and learn more about the PVM family, both personally and professionally.

“We think VOICE is an important organization because its events are run by students for students,” Tyra said.

VOICE National is a student-run organization that seeks to increase awareness, respect, and sensitivity to differences between all individuals and communities in the field of veterinary medicine. VOICE also aims to celebrate diversity within the profession, encourage campus environments that embrace diversity and support the success of all students, and highlight the importance of cross-cultural awareness in veterinary medicine to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse clientele.

In addition to awards for Chapter of the Year and Excellence in Servitude and External Relations, the national organization also presented awards for Excellence in Programming and Most Improved Chapter at the national meeting. These awards were presented to the VOICE chapters of the University of Georgia and Colorado State University respectively.

Writers):
Hailee Rolofson, PVM Communications Intern | [email protected]