by Efstratios (Steve) Ledakis, Pace University, New York City
This past summer Beta Alpha Psi held its Annual National Meeting. The meeting took place on August 15 and 16 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. For those who decided to attend the National Leadership Conference at Camp Grady Spruce the meeting began three days earlier on August 12.
The National Leadership Conference was a humbling experience for most attendees. Especially those who were not accustomed to climbing thirty foot high walls, jumping off fifty foot poles, and living in air-conditionless quarters for three days and two very long nights. However, it is certain that those who attended gained many valuable skills from the various team building exercises. Teams of ten to twelve people were formed and each group was given a variety of problems to solve. These problems included, finding a way to fit twelve people on a two foot square piece of wood, building a twenty foot tall tower out of old newspaper pages and building a boat out of three large pieces of styrofoam and wood, and navigating it with eight to ten team members on a lake. Even though these activities may sound childish, participants were taught to trust group members, coordinate and execute objectives, and think collectively. These are skills that attendees will be able to carry on with them throughout their careers.
Moving on to the National Meeting was a relief. Although Pace University was still a petitioning chapter of Beta Alpha Psi it received distinct recognition in this its second year of attendance. Because of the efforts of past and present executive committee members, as well as Faculty members, Pace University has been looked on in high regard by the National Board of Directors. This was evident by incoming President Willard Galliart's recognition of Pace University as "superior", (an honor reserved strictly for installed chapters) during the awards ceremony. Four members were present to receive this high distinction these members were, Richard Chan (President), Tamara Sablic (Reporting Secretary), Ivan Perfiliev (Treasurer), and Efstratios Ledakis.
In addition to this high distinction, Pace University's representatives attended all scheduled events which offered a great deal of insight on chapter development. The President, Reporting Secretary and Treasurer each attended workshops for their respective positions. In these workshops chapters from all around the country presented ideas on how individual chapter operations can be improved. Members also attended sessions conducted by representatives of various accounting firms and organizations on How to Attract New Members, The Importance of Community Service, Image and Ethics in the Accounting Profession, and The Future of the Accounting Profession.
During the first day of events, Friday the fifteenth, National President Penelope J. Yunker presided over the National Chapter Meeting. She stated some of the fraternity's recent accomplishments, including the merger with the AICPA, and strategic plans for the future, including plans for an on- line reporting system. Following her speech was the opening plenary session with guest speaker Senator Jake Garn. Besides being a former U.S. Senator, Mr. Jake Garn was also privileged enough to be an astronaut onboard the space shuttle. In his speech he called for understanding among people of one another. His moving speech about how connected the world would feel if everyone were to look down on earth from a space shuttle made everyone in the audience reconsider how people should be treating each other.
Other guest speakers during the conference included, Mike Bohan from the International Management of Accountants, Samuel A. Vitkoski, BDO Siedman, LLP, Candace H. Duncan, KPMG, and numerous representatives of other accounting firms and professional organizations.
Besides the benefit received by the lectures of such top ranked professional, students were also able to network with their peers at the Welcome Social hosted by Texas A&M University. Upon entry into the large banquet area, students were given a bingo card containing various personal characteristics in the place of bingo numbers. These characteristics ranged from "someone not born in this country" to "someone who didn't enjoy the movie: 'Air force One'." Students then had to go around the large banquet area and find people who had these characteristics. This gave students the opportunity to meet new people and exchange phone numbers, and of course e-mail addresses.
In summary, all chapter representatives benefited enormously by attending the Beta Alpha Psi Annual National Meeting. Pace University's representatives took home with them the pride of being recognized as "superior", to convey to members who did not attend as well as to new members joining in the fall. Also, the knowledge attained from the workshops and information sessions will help the soon to be installed petitioning chapter in acheiving "superior" status once again.
