TCU’s student chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association nationally recognized

Fort Worth, TX

12/3/2009

By: Julie Meyer, Schieffer School of Journalism

The TCU chapter of The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) was recognized with 2009 Chapter of the Year Honors this fall. The association’s executive board presented the TCU chapter with their award at the 2009 NSSLHA Luncheon and Awards Ceremony on Nov. 20 in New Orleans.

Dr. Lynn Flahive, former advisor for the TCU chapter, said, “It was great to have the National recognition given to the TCU chapter of NSSLHA. The president of NSSLHA as well as the other national officers were there so it was good publicity for TCU.”

Annually, the executive council of the organization awards the Chapter of the Year Honors to a chapter for outstanding achievements. Several factors are taken into consideration for this award including awareness of student issues and concerns, community outreach, educational opportunities, and social and fund-raising activities. Chapters that win this award also demonstrate significant contributions to the association on both a national and local level as well as to the discipline of human communication sciences and disorders on the whole.

Receiving the award is extremely meaningful because TCU submitted their chapter for consideration for this award in both 2007 and 2008. These defeats only made the chapter stronger as members set out to improve their service to the community across many different levels.

“It is a very competitive process, so I was disappointed when we weren’t recognized the first time, but now I look at it as a reward for 17 years of excellence,” Dr. Flahive said. “It’s great recognition for TCU and especially our department. We were really active for the 17 years I was the advisor, so I’m really very thrilled for the students.”

2009 was an eventful and productive year for the TCU chapter, recruiting 30 local members and 41 national members. These members participated in several activities that raised awareness for the communication sciences and disorders program at TCU.

The first activity of the year sponsored by the chapter was a fall carnival for children receiving services in the clinic. Later in the year, TCU’s chapter sponsored a book drive for children at two local Head Start facilities and was one of the largest contributors to a Christmas toy drive for children in the Child Protected Services program.

“Our outreach to Head Start to promote literacy is one of my favorite events,” Dr. Flahive said. “We provide children with two books in their language as well as a pamphlet for the parents that tells them how to reach their children.”

The university’s chapter also hosted speakers, educational workshops, banquets and conferences throughout the year. One notable speaker was Dr. Patricia Prelock, who talked about Autism Spectrum Disorder and its assessment and treatment.

The NSSLHA, founded in 1972, is a pre-professional membership association for students interested in the study of communication sciences and disorders. It is the only official national student association recognized by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

Membership is available to any undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral student enrolled full-or part-time who are interested in the study of communication disorders. NSSLHA has about 13,000 members nationwide with chapters at more than 300 colleges and universities.

For more information on TCU's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, visit their Web site at www.csd.tcu.edu or call 817-257-7621. To visit the official National Student Speech Language Hearing Association website go to www.nsslha.org.