Outstanding Student Section Award 2012-2013

Co-sponsored by American Society of Safety Engineers and Mine Safety Appliances Company

COMPLETE applications in PDF format due April 1, 2013 to chapterservices@asse.org

Download a Copy of the OSSA Criteria

Purpose

To recognize and encourage the activities of established ASSE Student Sections and to honor the Section making the most significant contributions toward the advancement of excellence in safety education and research and to recognize the safety educators involved with these Student Sections.

Honorarium/Award

A $6,000 award and plaque is presented by Mine Safety Appliances Co. to the school in honor of the selected Student Section. $4,000 of the funds are to be used as a scholarship fund for at least 2 deserving members of the Section as selected by the school within the following academic year. The school will award $1,000 to an instructor or professor to further student research (i.e. seed money to buy equipment to be used by students in a research project). The remaining $1,000 will be used to fund travel of the Section's student representative to and from the ASSE Professional Development Conference to receive the award.

The Student Section that receives the Award must report to ASSE the names of the scholarship recipients and how the remaining funds were used.

A Student Section can win the Award consecutive years.  The winning application will be published online at ASSE's website.

**Student Sections who meet the Annual Minimum Criteria, but do not win the Outstanding Student Section of the Year Award will receive $500.00 from the American Society of Safety Engineers. These awards are sponsored by ASSE for all the hard work that sections do!

Annual Minimum Criteria

• Student Section publishes a newsletter at least 4 times during the academic year.  All newsletters are included with the petition.  If section uses social media in place of newsletters, please include several screenshots/printout examples.
• Section sends at least one representative to a minimum of 2 parent-chapter General Membership or Executive Committee meetings per year.  Please include dates of attendance and subject matter of meeting.
• Section conducts at least 6 meetings per year, with 4 being of technical content.  The definition of "technical" in this context is that the process or procedure directly relates to SHE practice.  Be descriptive!
• Section Bylaws are reviewed annually and have been revised (as needed) and re-approved within the last 2 years.  A signed and dated copy of the latest bylaws review (regardless of changes) is included with the petition.
• Section works with and cooperates with the Faculty Advisor on all matters.

Note: All Student Sections applying for the Outstanding Student Section Award must meet all of the minimum criteria in order to continue into national competition. Sections that are deficient in any of the above will not be eligible.

Judging Criteria

New ideas, concepts, methods in campus activities, continuing education and research that enhance Section service are rated highly.

• Type and quality of Section meetings devoted to further safety education, research and professionalism.
• Quality and scope of applied research activity(ies) sponsored or participated in by the Section.  The research activities must involve the investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or application of new or revised theories.
• Type and quality of community and/or campus activities sponsored or participated in by the Section.
• Scope and quality of endorsement of the Section's activities by its faculty advisor and appropriate Chapter and Region/Area officers.
• Percentage of eligible students belonging to the Student Section (this includes ASSE student membership) and percentage (or amount) of student members attending each Section meeting.

Procedures

• Applications must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the application form. Support documentation is encouraged but should be limited to only applicable information. The mock petitions should be used for reference in preparing the petition.
• The Faculty Advisor will be responsible for explaining the award's criteria, providing guidance, and attesting in writing to the validity of the application.
• The application must be signed by the Student Section President & Faculty Advisor
• Applications must be received by ASSE with a copy to the Chapter President and Regional Vice President on or before April 1, 2013. Only Section activities of the current school year are to be submitted on the application.  Activities occurring after the April 1 deadline should be listed in the future tense and described as fully as possible.  Please E-MAIL a PDF version of your COMPLETE application to chapterservices@asse.org.

The OSSA Evaluation Committee will be exclusively responsible for the selection of the winning Student Section and its decision will be final