Occupational Therapy

Visit the S.O.T.A. website created by OT students.

What is S.O.T.A.?

The Student Occupational Therapy Association (S.O.T.A.) is a non-profit, pre-professional, student-run association which aims to benefit the students in the Occupational Therapy department.

What is the purpose of S.O.T.A.?

S.O.T.A. provides students in the Occupational Therapy major exposure to a pre-professional program. It provides educational opportunities to our fellow students through workshops and seminars. It grants occasions for students to form strong friendships and get information through networking with other students and faculty. It gives students the means to have group socials, engage in fun activities, and help balance the work/education, play/leisure and rest components of their lives.

How does one become a member?

Membership applications are available from the sequence representatives, or from a box on the wall next to the S.O.T.A. bulletin board. Fill out an application and include a check for $15.00 (one time fee) payable to S.O.T.A. and return to the S.O.T.A. mailbox located across from the OT office or to your sequence representative.

Why should students become members of S.O.T.A.?

For each member, S.O.T.A. returns $15.00 to that members sequence for their convocation. The more members a sequence has, the more money it gets for convocation. S.O.T.A. provides both fun and educational programs and projects like holiday socials, splint workshops and fund-raisers. Members receive discounts on fundraising merchandise sold through S.O.T.A., like the coffee mugs, sweatshirts and license plate frames. The events provide the opportunity for students to network, as well as form friendships and support systems with other students and faculty.

What does the S.O.T.A. board look like?

The board is made up of 17 positions. Some of the positions have the flexibility to be co-chaired and that is solely up to the current board members discretion. The title and descriptions of the positions are as follows:

CHAIRPERSON - Directs and heads board meetings. Meets regularly with the S.O.T.A. boards faculty representative.

VICE - CHAIRPERSON - Second to the chairperson. Leads board meeting if chairperson is not there. Chairs fundraising committee and organizes activities like the car wash and sweatshirts sales.

TREASURER - Has direct access to the S.O.T.A. account. In charge of deposits and withdrawals. Receives membership dues and responsible for issuing membership cards. Monitors cash flow within the S.O.T.A. account. Reports to board on financial status.

RECORDING SECRETARY - Records the board meetings and posts the minutes weekly on the S.O.T.A. bulletin board.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY - Assists the recording secretary. Responsible for written correspondence like "thank you" letters.

PROGRAM CHAIRPERSON - Plans and implements activities aimed to please the special and social interests of the OT students, like the potluck social and Halloween costume party.

PROJECT CHAIRPERSON - Organizes and implements important service and educational projects relating to the OT profession, like the splint workshop and burn unit tour.

PUBLICITY CHAIRPERSON - Publicizes information about upcoming S.O.T.A. events, responsible for decorating the OT display cases in the Central Classroom Building, and for publishing our monthly, in-house Therapeutic Thought newsletter.

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE - An important link between the faculty and the students. Attends the faculty meetings and relays important and relevant information concerning the students to the board. Also takes concerns or issues to the faculty meetings from the S.O.T.A. board and the general student population. Means to be, if needed, a carrier for private issues from individual students.

OTAC REPRESENTATIVE - Maintains close correspondence with OTAC and the Santa Clara Chapter here in San Jose. Attends Chapter OTAC meetings and reports to the board regarding topics. Advertises monthly OTAC meetings and current events that students are encouraged to attend.

ASCOTA REPRESENTATIVE - Represents the OT student body on a campus level. Raises concerns regarding campus issues to the associated students.

PRE-OT REPRESENTATIVE - Attends board meetings and reports information back to the students not yet taking the major courses. This position is usually co-chaired because of the large number of Pre-OT students on campus.

FIRST SEQUENCE REPRESENTATIVE - Attends the board meetings and reports back to the sequence and also brings concerns or questions to the board from the sequence. A very important link between the board and the students.

SECOND SEQUENCE REPRESENTATIVE - Same as above.

THIRD SEQUENCE REPRESENTATIVE - Same as above.

FOURTH SEQUENCE REPRESENTATIVE - Same as above.

Elections for the positions are held in April. All positions are a year long, except for the sequence representative positions, which are one semester, and therefore not available to those students in the third or fourth sequences. All persons running for a board position must be a S.O.T.A. member. Pre-OT students can hold only the Pre-OT rep position.

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