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Are you interested in research or completing an Evidence-Based /Quality Improvement Project??

Here is an opportunity for you to receive funds for a project that you are passionate about and make a difference in healthcare!

Applications are due March 1, 2024 by 11:59pm.

Scan QR Code for the guidelines/more details!

Help us make this a warmer winter for our neighbors in need!

Donate new socks, hats & gloves for children and adults from November 20th-December 4th!

See flyer for additional details. 

Come ONE, Come ALL,

Join us in an event wrapping session on December 1^st. You can sign up to help set up, wrap gifts, and/or clean up. The event will be held on Friday, December 1^st in the auditorium, Room 231, from 12:00 – 4:30pm.  Setting up will be from 11:00-noon and clean up from 4:30 – 5:00pm.

Sign up link to participate https://forms.office.com/r/kwynSs9f35 or use QR code.

Connect with Alpha Xi Chapter on Social Media:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/STTIAlphaXi

Instagram:

instagram.com/alphaxi_stt

Distributing Thank you Cards for Veterans on Nov 9th and Nov 10th. If you are interested, please see the Alpha Xi Ambassadors.

1. Dorn VA Hospital
1. November 9
2. 11am-1pm
3. Patriots Park near the VA cafeteria
4. Needed 6-8 students

Annual Veteran’s Day Breakfast

1. November 10
2. 6:45am – 7:15 am
3. Russell House Ballroom-placing cards on tables prior to the start of the breakfast
4. Needed 6-8 students

Thank you so much!

Fighting for a Different Future

The Sigma Alpha Xi Chapter supported the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s on October 21 at Segra Park in Columbia, SC.  Drs. Malissa Mulkey (Chapter Governance Committee Member & Team Lead), Karen Worthy (Chapter President), Sue Haddock (Chapter Treasurer) along with family and friends of Alpha Xi volunteered for the event.  

Our Chapter volunteered at the “Promise Garden”:

Walk to End Alzheimer’s events across the country feature a Promise Garden, a hands-on, mission-focused experience that allows participants to raise flowers representing their promise to remember, honor, care and fight for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Through color, these Promise Flowers represent the diverse motivations of our Walkers:

• Blue:  I have Alzheimer’s or another dementia
• Yellow: I am supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia
• Purple:  I have lost someone to Alzheimer’s or another dementia
• Orange:  I support the cause and the Alzheimer’s Association vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and other dementia

Participants have an opportunity to write a personal message on their flower to further show their dedication.

Check out our Instagram and Facebook for additional  videos/pictures!

Alpha Xi raised $530 to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research! 

Please see the attached Alpha Xi Travel Awards Policy and Request Form.  For the month of November, including the Sigma Biennial Convention requests, we are waiving the 30-day advanced application requirement.

If you would like to request travel funds for the month of November, please send Billie your application by COB October 10 at billiethompson711@gmail.com. Starting in December 2023, requests must be submitted 30 days before anticipated travel.

Please contact Billie for questions or concerns.

Stronger Together!

Alpha Xi Travel Award Policy 2023.docx
Alpha Xi Travel Request and Checklist 2023.docx

Join Team Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Xi in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease at 9:00 a.m. on October 21st in Segra Park at 1640 Freed Street Columbia, SC 29201. 

Click Here to Join Our Team or Donate!

Veteran’s Day Cards!

All Alpha Xi members - please join our AX students at the CON for a fun outreach activity on October 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., CON Room 402. 

We will be making cards for Veteran’s to be shared at our local VA Hospital and at the annual USC Veteran’s Day Breakfast. All supplies are included. We are requesting everyone who wishes to participate sign up to help with planning. Dress is casual for the card making event; however, we will be taking pictures for social media. 

Veteran’s Day Card Sign Up: https://forms.office.com/r/twWRJWrzeA

  

Alpha Xi continues to support the CON Open House events.  The 2023 Open House was held on Friday, September 22, 2023.  This was an exciting event to talk to current and potential students as well as connect with and recruit future Alpha Xi members.

A special thank you to our Alpha Xi hosts:  Pam Wright, Malissa Mulkey, Sue Haddock, and guest Debora Stokes.

Alpha Xi Students Ambassadors, Emma Fralix, Isabella Marchese, and Hadley Markland, did not hesitate to step up to help!  They recruited volunteers and donors for the American Red Cross Sickle Cell Diverse Blood Drive on Thursday, September 7, 2023. Our USC and CON students played a huge part in the success of the blood drive! The event was sponsored by Midlands of SC Black Nurses Association, Delta Eta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi, the South Carolina Nurses Association, and Alpha Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.  Way to go Alpha Xi Student Ambassadors!

Please join Alpha Xi, Midlands of SC Black Nurses Association, Delta Eta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi, and SCNA on September 7, 2023 at the American Red Cross.
Donate to Save a Life!

Alpha Xi Co-Sponsored the CON Summer Adventures Program (June 19-23). This was a weeklong program for 19 rising 9-12^th graders from all over the nation. Students trained in our state-of-the-art Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning (SAEL), discovering techniques nurses use with their patients. They practiced nursing skills such as hand hygiene, sterile technique, PPE, intravenous medications, injections, vital signs, assessments, practice using a stethoscope and other medical equipment, and many more real-life procedures. They also toured Prisma Baptist Hospital and saw nurses at work!  Alpha Xi was visible throughout the week--discussed the importance of professional nursing organizations, hosted table in CON Innovation Room, and sponsored daily treats.

Read more about the Summer Adventures in Nursing Program: https://bit.ly/46eli3f

We hope you enjoy the attached newsletter (linked below)!

In this issue, you will find highlights from recent Alpha Xi events, Sigma news, a special Corner message on Belonging, pictures, and some helpful resources and links. 

Be on the lookout for future communications asking for content contributions to the newsletter.
Please consider topics such as past events that should be celebrated, upcoming events that should be advertised, members who deserve a spotlight, and wellness topics for our members.

Respectfully submitted,
Your Publicity and Newsletter Committee
Drs. Lan Nguyen and Teresa Bowers

Alpha Xi Newsletter May 2023.pdf

The following are recipients of the 2023 Alpha Xi Service Awards in recognition for their continued service and contributions to the Chapter. Congratulations to all!

Jeanne Cavanaugh
Joan Creed
Sabra Custer
Sue Haddock
Rhonda Johnson
Kathy Miller
Heather Roth
Maggie Selph
Abbas Tavakoli 
Gail Vereen

Hi Alpha Xi Members,

We hope you enjoy the attached newsletter (linked below)!

In this issue, you will find highlights from recent Alpha Xi events, Sigma news, a special Corner message on Belonging, pictures, and some helpful resources and links.

Be on the lookout for future communications asking for content contributions to the newsletter.
Please consider topics such as past events that should be celebrated, upcoming events that should be advertised, members who deserve a spotlight, and wellness topics for our members.

Respectfully submitted,

Your Publicity and Newsletter Committee: Drs. Lan Nguyen (Newsletter Editor) and Teresa Bowers (Publicity Chair and Webmaster)

Alpha Xi Newsletter May 2023.pdf

The University of South Carolina Anne Frank Center Tour hosted by Alpha Xi on May 23 and May 24, 2023 sparked ‘our commitment to never be bystanders but instead to stand up together against antisemitism, bigotry and inequality wherever it may exist today’.

USC CON is leading an academy, StAND-UP: SC, to support the diversification of the registered nurse workforce in South Carolina by increasing the proportion of underrepresented, minoritized, and disadvantaged background (URM/DB) students graduating from nursing schools in South Carolina. The goal is for students to better understand how social determinants of health, health equity, and social justice advocacy influence patient outcomes- especially in the midst of a pandemic like COVID-19. 

Dr. Coretta Jenerette and Dr. Karen Worthy, Co-Project Investigators, initiated the StAND-UP: SC Academy in September 2022.  On May 11, 2023, they will "graduate" approximately 40 pre-licensed nursing students during an in-person conference in Columbia, SC, where they will discuss lessons learned, recommendations, and the next steps to support URM/DB.

The event is FREE, registration is required.

If you are able to assist with hosting the Alpha Xi Table, please email Dr. Worthy, kworthy@sc.edu.

During Final Exam week at the CON, students found value in mindful coloring between exams. The coloring pages were sponsored by our Alpha Xi Chapter. Students stated that coloring alleviated anxiety, reduced symptoms of stress and even triggered a meditative state. 
Sending positive energy your way!  You got this!

 

Please see the attached flyer and join us for the Alpha Xi '23 Annual Meeting featuring Melissa Taylor, CNO at Lexington Medical Center on May 18th.  Register HERE. 

This meeting is in lieu of the standard scheduled  monthly meeting on May 11.

If you would like to attend virtually, the meeting link information is below:

Microsoft Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 260 611 455 409: Passcode: ZrdnFu

Or call in US (audio only): +1 803-400-6044,420562522#  

Phone Conference ID: 420 562 522#

Teams Link for Alpha Xi (same as above)

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NGE5ZThmNTEtZTI0Zi00ZDYyLTk4N2MtODBiYmM0N2YzZTcx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229cc27f2b-90cd-4317-9933-123d13f8a1e6%22%7d

2023 AX annual meeting (1).pdf

Instead of sleeping in after their final exam, three Alpha Xi Senior (like...graduating in 2 weeks) Nursing students Jordan Burkey, Mary Rose DePont and Jenna Martin proudly organized, lead and managed a Student Driven Vital Sign Health Clinic for our senior population today, April 20, 2023. In addition to providing great conversations, they performed vital signs (Blood Pressure, Pulse, Respiration, Temperature, and Oxygen Saturation) and weight checks.  They also educated residents on diabetes management and heart-healthy living. The residents, students, and Dr. Worthy alike had a great time!

Way to Go Future Gamecock Nurse Leaders!

 

 

 

 

The College of Nursing's Annual Research and Scholarship Day was held Friday, April 14, 2023.  Sigma Alpha  Xi Chapter proudly co-sponsored the event which provided a collegial and interactive environment to:

·        highlight how research and scholarship enhances nursing practice

·        stimulate student interest in research and scholarship

·        showcase student research and scholarship that advances nursing-related science

Congratulations to our very own, Dr. Pam Wright, on being selected for a Sigma Foundation Small Grant!  Dr. Wright is the Alpha Xi Governance Committee Chair, and an incredible leader and researcher.  This is an amazing accomplishment!

On Thursday, April 27 at 10:00am ET, the Sigma Foundation will be announcing and showcasing individuals who were selected to receive a 2023 small grant from the Foundation.

Please RSVP to Nikki Aleman (nikki@sigmanursing.org) if you would like to receive the Zoom information to attend.

Alpha Xi Students, Taylor Gorski and Aidan Fahy, were amongst Alpha Xi and CON student volunteers and donors at the American Red Cross Sickle Cell Diverse Blood Drive on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.  The blood drive was sponsored by Midlands of SC Black Nurses Association, Delta Eta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi, the South Carolina Nurses Association, and Alpha Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.  Way to go Alpha Xi Students!

Please join your Alpha Xi friends for a free tour of the Anne Frank Center in Columbia SC!  

Dates:  May 23rd and May 24^th
Time:    10:30am -12:00pm
Location:  1731 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208
Capacity:  15 guests per session.  First come, first serve
Cost:  FREE for Sigma Alpha Xi Members

Visit the Anne Frank Center Website for additional information

Register here for the May 23^rd Tour

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/private-tour-kate-bernheisels-usc-group-tickets-600810599677

Register here for the May 24^th Tour

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/private-tour-kate-bernheisels-usc-group-tickets-600814310777

Questions:  Contact Dr. Kate Bernheisel, Alpha Xi Governance Committee Member, at bernheik@sc.edu

Dear Alpha Xi Members,

You should have received an email to vote for chapter leaders by March 26th, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.  

You may also access the link to vote here:  https://redcap.link/tqlan0d5

If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Corbett, Leadership Succession Chair: corbett@sc.edu.

Thank you,

Alpha Xi Leadership Succession Committee

Hi Sigma Alpha Xi Retired Members!

Thank you to all who were able to attend the first meeting!  We are even more excited to schedule our second virtual meeting to discuss upcoming chapter events, involvement opportunities, ideas for engagement, and the name of our team. 

Please see the attached powerpoint and minutes from our first meeting on January 24, 2023. 

We want to hear from you!  Please bring a creative name for our team—we will select a name at this meeting.

Date:  February 21, 2023

Time:  1:00-2:00 pm

Method:  Virtual via Teams

 

Microsoft Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 260 611 455 409: Passcode: ZrdnFu

Or call in US (audio only): +1 803-400-6044,420562522#  

Phone Conference ID: 420 562 522#

Teams Link for Alpha Xi (same as above)

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NGE5ZThmNTEtZTI0Zi00ZDYyLTk4N2MtODBiYmM0N2YzZTcx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229cc27f2b-90cd-4317-9933-123d13f8a1e6%22%7d

 

We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Karen Worthy, Alpha Xi President

Nydia Harter, Alpha Xi Secretary

Sue Haddock, Alpha Xi Treasurer

Billie Thompson, Alpha Xi Awards & Scholarship Committee Chair

All Chapter members are cordially invited to join Board meetings for education and exposure of the work that goes on behind the scenes.
The meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of the month via Teams.  We will hopefully be able to resume in person meetings at some point when community transmission rates of these viruses decrease.

Microsoft Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NGE5ZThmNTEtZTI0Zi00ZDYyLTk4N2MtODBiYmM0N2YzZTcx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229cc27f2b-90cd-4317-9933-123d13f8a1e6%22%7d>
Meeting ID: 260 611 455 409: Passcode: ZrdnFu
Or call in US (audio only): +1 803-400-6044,420562522#
Phone Conference ID: 420 562 522#

Happy New Year Retired Alpha Xi Chapter Members!  We are excited to schedule our first meeting with you virtually to discuss upcoming chapter events, involvement opportunities, and discuss your ideas for engagement. 

We want to hear from you!  Please bring a creative name for our team with you.

Date:  January 24, 2023

Time:  1:00-2:00pm

Method:  Virtual via Teams

Microsoft Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 260 611 455 409: Passcode: ZrdnFu

Or call in US (audio only): +1 803-400-6044,420562522#  

Phone Conference ID: 420 562 522#

 

Teams Link for Alpha Xi (same as above)

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NGE5ZThmNTEtZTI0Zi00ZDYyLTk4N2MtODBiYmM0N2YzZTcx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224b2a4b19-d135-420e-8bb2-b1cd238998cc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229cc27f2b-90cd-4317-9933-123d13f8a1e6%22%7d

 

We look forward to meeting with you soon!!

Karen Worthy, Alpha Xi President

Sue Haddock, Alpha Xi Treasurer

Nydia Harter, Alpha Xi Secretary

Dean Andrews with current and future Faculty Emeriti celebrated their time at #USCNursing with a holiday lunch at the McCutchen House. 
Many are Alpha Xi members!

Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina have partnered to create a READI-2Work program designed to provide students in their junior and senior years of nursing school with opportunities to enhance skillsets and experience the complexity of patient care by pairing academics with clinical experience. 

The program is designed to help transition the student nurse to a registered nurse and provide the student with a solid foundation for caring for patients in various clinical environments. 

Alaira Atkinson           

Alexis Blackwell         

Erika Felder*

Georgia Lamb

Courtney Fuller*

Hayleigh Fulmer

Jamiah Gilliam

Elise Lee

Genna Rivers*

Christina Schweitzer

Olivia Shorter*

*Alpha Xi Members

CON & Alpha Xi Members wrapped gifts for Families Helping Families

Alpha Xi Members:  Karen Worthy & Joan Creed Donating Crafting Supplies to the University of South Carolina College of Nursing (Melissa Kupfer)  

Hi Sigma Alpha Xi Chapter Retired Members!

Retired Sigma members represent a valuable membership segment, with the knowledge and experience to lead, educate and mentor younger members. As a valued member of our Sigma Alpha Xi Chapter, we would love to meet with you to discuss upcoming chapter events and involvement opportunities.

Please complete the following survey by Wednesday, December 21, 2022 to assist us with scheduling a time to meet. 

Both paid and unpaid retired Alpha Xi Chapter members are invited to attend this meeting. 

Click the link (words in blue) to assess the Retired Member Meeting Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/sU5U0EsaPW

You can also scan the QR code below on a phone or tablet to access the survey. 

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Karen Worthy, Alpha Xi President

Sue Haddock, Alpha Xi Treasurer

Nydia Harter, Alpha Xi Secretary

On Sunday, November 6, Alpha Xi inducted 58 new members with over 30 in attendance at the ceremony and new member orientation. Dr. Betsy McDowell delivered the keynote address. Thank you to counselors Maggie Selph and Leigh Pate and everyone who helped make this induction special. Welcome New Members!

The following was included in the last newsletter but we received very few responses.
******Please take a moment to complete this quick survey focused on how you would like to receive communication and social media preferences from your Alpha Xi Publicity and Newsletter Committee.
Thank you!