WHAT IS ASDA?
The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization comprised of dental students around the country. The purpose of the organization is to represent the best interests of dental students nationally. ASDA is devoted to protecting dental students’ rights, ensuring their general welfare, and representing more than 20,000 dental students’ concerns on various professional issues. There are a total of 66 chapters that comprise National ASDA. These chapters are grouped into 11 Districts. Our UNC ASDA Chapter belongs to District 4.
MISSION AND STRUCTURE OF UNC ASDA
At UNC, our chapter aims for active involvement at local, state, and national levels regarding issues affecting dental students and the dental profession as a whole. We have a total of 9 committees that you can get involved in. These include Advocacy, Communication, Community Outreach, Diversity & Inclusion, Events, Fundraising, Pre-Dental Outreach, Vendor Committees, & Wellness Committees.
Our Executive Cabinet consists of two Co-Presidents, two Co-Vice Presidents (serving as Treasurer and a North Carolina Dental Society (NCDS) Liaison), and 2 D1-Representatives. The D1-Representatives are first-year dental students who are elected by their peers in their first semester of dental school to serve as representatives of their entire D1 class and work for the best interests of their class on the UNC chapter’s Executive Cabinet. These reps move into the position of Treasurer and NCDS Liaison during their second year of dental school. The Treasurer maintains UNC ASDA’s budget and oversees UNC’s Events and Fundraising Committees. The NCDS Liaison serves as the student trustee on the NCDS Board of Trustees and represent UNC by serving as a voting member at the NCDS annual session. The Treasurer and NCDS Liaison graduate to the position of Co-Presidents of UNC ASDA during their third year of dental school. The Co-Presidents represent ASDA at District and National conferences. They serve as voting members in the ASDA House of Delegates at the ASDA annual session. Finally, the Co-Presidents oversee committees on the chapter level.
MEMBER BENEFITS
As a member of UNC ASDA, you will receive a number of benefits, all of which are included in the yearly ASDA membership fee that you pay as part of your dental school fees.