PSO Happenings Around the CountryTo add your PSO activities to this page, send a short description and images to students@planning.org. Texas A&M UniversityWebsite APA Student Representative The Association of Student Planners (ASP) at Texas A&M University starts off the year with volunteer opportunities and social events to unite new and current students, such as fundraising opportunities and our annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Funds raised are used to sponsor student participation in state and national APA conferences. Each spring, ASP invites public and private planning firms to attend a career fair; stimulating interaction between professionals and students seeking internship opportunities and employment after graduation. To boost attendance and provide incentive for professionals to participate, ASP has recently incorporated a CM credit workshop in the career fair.
Eastern Michigan UniversityWebsite
Other events during the year included a trip to a nearby New Urbanist development near Canton, MI, as well as a tour of the lead planning consulting firm for the development, McKenna Associates. Students also visited a local cohousing community in Ann Arbor, on perhaps the coldest day of the year. The year culminated with a tour of Detroit, where students:
Mark Ferrall mferrall.planning@gmail.com EMU Planning Students tour nearby McKenna Associates in Northville, MI. Shown in the photo (front row first, left to right each row): Dave Waligora, Daryl Graus, Steve Holowicki, Bob Jones, Scott Kree, Aaron Flohr, Hidden, Mark Ferrell, Adam Cook, Kevin Fenton (hidden), Greg Peruski, Ron Akers, Vitaly Peker, Sarah Leaders, Kate Rogers. Photo: Norm Tyler CornellWebsite APA Student Representative Cornell students co-sponsored a Conflict Resolution/Negotiation workshop in February in partnership with the Department of City and Regional Planning and the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell. The students also organized several social mixers and are currently working on completing the ULI Urban Design Competition MITWebsites APA Student Representative MIT recently launched its "Planning Lunch Dates" last semester, with our student government reimbursing students up to $20 for a lunch date with an alum or someone in the field that they've been interested in talking to. There was a lot of interest in it. MIT is also considering organizing an info session on the AICP process with the assistance of the Career Services Center. The PSO may also sponsor another lecture with a local planner in conjunction with the student activities committee.
MIT students doing site surveys in Biloxi, Mississippi, in spring 2008. Photo by Eran Ben Joseph. TuftsWebsite Tufts planning students have created an interesting blog that a few students have established this year and which can be viewed at http://www.ase.tufts.edu/uep/blogs/. Tufts also sponsors a variety of brown bag events and volunteer opportunities. One of its main efforts for the spring/summer will be event planning for an annual fall workshop with the four accredited planning schools in Massachusetts. (The host school rotates each year, and is responsible for choosing a topic and arranging for a panel discussion featuring a faculty member from each school.) The 2009 workshop will be hosted by Tufts. PrattPIPSA (Pratt Institute Planning Student Association) APA Student Representative Pratt students organized several planning events (happy hours, socials with other planning schools in the area) and hosted a career event in the spring. Pratt will also be playing host to the other NYC planning schools to present their final semester studio work in May. Pratt also put on a series of open houses at planning firms and organizations centered on certain themes (transportation, economic development, environmental planning, etc.). Additionally, several Pratt students are representatives to the local APA chapter and regularly attend Executive Committee meetings on top of playing active roles within the Student Relations Committee, and hosting a panel on certification options open to planners after graduation and a career event. NYUWebsite APA Student Representatives NYU's PSO organized a NY Metro Chapter Student Conference this past Fall which was a great success! The conference received the 2009 SRC Outstanding PSO Award — Best Practices. Students from all the planning schools in the Metro region attended as well as 26 speakers and a very crowded career fair. Activities are already underway for planning next year's conference. The Metro Chapter has established a Student Relations Committee and has appointed a recent grad from USC, Reyna Alorro, to Chair that Committee. So, the group has been working with Reyna as well as the student reps from Columbia and the Pratt Institute to plan a mixer and a panel on LEED and AICP Certifications for next semester. NYS also recently co-sponsored two Career Panels, one on economic development and another one on transportation. NYU students have been hosting a monthly film series all semester. They are also co-sponsoring an international food fest with the 10 other student groups, which will be this Friday. University at AlbanyGraduate Planning Student Association (GPSA) Website APA Student Representative UAlbany planners have a very strong rapport with local planners, which is the focus of many events. Students regularly attend the local section's monthly luncheon speaker's series and present their studio projects to the group at the end of each semester. Students are currently hosting the director of the City of Albany Planning Department to discuss ways to bridge the gap between the university and the professional planning community. Students are also working to hold a regular speaking series with members of the planning community. Trips also constitute a large part of the group's activities, with past trips including Boston, Providence, Boston, and North Hampton. Plans are under way for visiting Ithaca this coming spring, which will include meeting with city planners and visiting local sites.
RutgersWebsite APA Student Representatives Rutgers will be continuing a lunch series with planning professionals. As Rutgers also has a policy program, planning students hope to incorporate more policy events in the future. HunterAPA Student Representatives Hunter planning students have an action-packed spring with a town hall meeting in early February 2009. Later, the PSO will be participating in a planning exchange program with Germany. Hunter students joined students from recent study abroad programs and shared their experiences in Berlin and Hamburg. Other events include an alumni panel to provide insight into the transition from school to work, the the job search, and networking opportunities. Deputy DOT Commissioner Bruce Schaller spoke about PLANyc 2030 and the transportation agenda, and explored how the current economic crisis will impact its implementation. The semester ended with students' presentations of their final projects and an end-of-the-semester party. BuffaloAPA Student Representatives Dr. Jason Corburn of UC Berkley will speak in Spring 2009. HarvardWebsite APA Student Representatives Harvard has had several student events over the course of the year. One event was a summer job/internship event with the second year planners talking about their summer experiences and offering tips for finding jobs. Another event was a screening of the film "Contested Streets". The screening was open to the public. Harvard has also co-sponsored several lectures with other student groups and will continue to work on more lectures and a community service project in the future. UMassAPA Student Representative UMass students organized a planner's social event; not a take-to-lunch but rather an evening networking event where students were encouraged to network. UPennAPA Student Representative UPenn's PSO has been involved with some interesting activities, facilitating a student/mentor program, and providing interesting and relevant on-campus lectures to engage the community as well as students and faculty. | ||
Eastern Michigan University's Planning Student Organization, PLACE, had an active 2008-2009 school year. The program was host to the 2009 Student Conference, which brought together student planners from across the state to Ypsilanti for professional and student led sessions, as well as networking and professional skill building opportunities. 
