Omicron
Kappa Upsilon had its inception with the class of 1914 at Northwestern
University Dental School. A
committee from this group submitted a petition to the faculty of the school
which stated they were “desirous of organizing and funding a national
honorary fraternity similar to other honorary fraternities now existing in
the leading universities…but which shall consist of dental students
exclusively; admission and membership to which shall be based upon
scholarship and character as manifested by election by the faculty.”
Dr.
Green Vardiman Black, Dean of the Dental School at that time, received the
suggestion very favorably and appointed Dr. H.A. Potts, Dr. Arthur D. Black,
and Dr. Charles R.E. Koch, as a committee to counsel with the students.
A form letter was prepared by the student committee and addressed to
the Deans of fifty-one dental schools in the United States and Canada.
In their replies, the Deans of the various schools displayed much
interest in the proposal and in most cases, were eager for more information
regarding the proposed organization. A
number of these replies are preserved in the Secretary’s records.
While
correspondence was being carried on, the local committee was active in
formulating plans. It was
decided that the new organization should be known as OMICRON KAPPA UPSILON.
The
following statement appearing in the Northwestern Dental Journal, March
1914, was prepared by Mr. John C. Burg, Northwestern University Liberal
Arts, Class ’09, who was requested to select a name and design for the new
Society.
“My
duties and opportunities as Secretary to President Harris have been varied,
interested and sometimes exciting, for I have been called upon to do many
things. But the most original
request was the one conveyed to me in a telephone conversation with Dr.
Arthur D. Black when he asked me to ‘think up’ Greek letters for the new
honor society in the Dental School, and to design a key as a badge.
I wanted to please the doctor, and besides I felt that it was no
small honor to have originated the insignia of a scholarship organization,
so I undertook the task imposed.
“I
first secured from Dr. C.R.E. Koch a statement outlining the ideals of the
dental profession as he understood them.
This I thought essential, as a basis.
I know that his expression would fit, for few men have a greater
knowledge of the history of the dental profession or a higher estimation of
its purposes. I learned from
him that the ideal of the modern Doctor of Dental Surgery is neither long
nor tiresome; simply expressed, it is the conservation of teeth and health.
“I
had, therefore, three words upon which to build the name-conservation, teeth
and health. I then went to John
A. Scott, Professor of Greek in Northwestern University, and asked him for
the Greek terms expressing the three words, and he informed me as follows:
SOTERIA is the Greek for conservation, ODOUS
for teeth and HYGEIA for
health.
“Using
this information I selected the initials of the last two Greek words, that
is- Omicron and Upsilon, chiefly because they were appropriate but also
because they were euphonious and have now to suggest that the name for the
new Dental Honor Society be OMICRON KAPPA UPSILON, - Kappa (K) being the
initial letter of the Greek word for a
(kai). Upsilon is the Greek
letter which under certain conditions indicates the sound of the English
letter ‘h.’
“My
reason for the design submitted is obvious.
Honor societies in other departments of education use the ‘Key’. When Phi Beta Kappa was organized in 1776 the key was not
only ornamental but useful, for in those days the wearer used it to wind up
his watch. Few, if any, watches
are made nowadays requiring a key, yet the idea of a key as the symbol of an
honor society has persisted and is being used by scholarship organizations
in medicine, law and oratory, each one varying from the others only in
shape. It seemed altogether
proper to let it be also the basis for the symbol design of the Dental
Scholarship Organization. I,
therefore, used it. The shape
suggested is different; that is about all I can say for it.
“If
you will note the design, you will see that the most prominent letter is
SIGMA which stands for conversation. OMICRON
and UPSILON , the initial letters for the Greek words meaning teeth
and health, appear as they should be, with in the larger symbol of
conservation.
“
Of course, that which I submit is in the nature of a suggestion.
I have enjoyed contributing toward the accomplishment of what I
believe is good and useful, but I would not take amiss if
the founders of the Society saw fit to change both name and design.
Respectfully
submitted,
John C. Burg.”
In
the Northwestern University Dental Faculty minutes of a meeting held on
April 8, 1915, appears this statement—“In behalf of the Committee on
Honor Society, Dr. Eisenstaedt reported by presenting a copy of the gold
insignia for the Society for the approval of the faculty.
The design and insignia were approved.”
OMICRON
KAPPA UPSILON was to have as a standard for its membership certain ideals
which are found in the preamble of the first Constitution.
It reads as follows--
“To encourage and develop a spirit of emulation among students in
dentistry, and to recognize in an appropriate manner those who shall
distinguish themselves by a high grade of scholarship.”
The
established date for this organization is 1914 , and the date on the
certificate of incorporation by the State of Illinois is March 15, 1916.
The original Certificate of Incorporation was signed by Thomas L.
Gilmer, Arthur D. Black, H.A. Potts, Fred W. Gethro, and Charles R.E. Koch.
During
the first year and a half it appears that eight (8) new Component Chapters
were organized. These were in
addition to the national chapter (Alpha) as it was then known.
Also, during the same period a temporary organization was
accomplished. The temporary
officers elected were: Dr.
Thomas L. Gilmer, President; Dr. Arthur D. Black, Vice-President and Dr.
Charles R.E. Koch, Secretary-Treasurer.
A
meeting of the representatives of the schools in which Component Chapters
had been established was held in Minneapolis, June 1916.
Dr. Koch’s health was such that he did not attend this meeting, and
Dr. Alfred E. Owre was chosen as Secretary pro-tem.
The officers of the temporary organization were re-elected as
permanent officers at the 1916 meeting.
There is no record available of the proceedings of the Minneapolis
meeting, although it is well known that our organization was effected at
that time. Dr. Koch died in the
summer of 1916, and after his death a thorough search of his office at the
school and his private study revealed no sign of a record of the proceedings
of the Minneapolis Meeting or of our organization.
Interest
in the new organization was evidenced by the fact that the University of
Pennsylvania dropped its proposed local honorary fraternity in favor of
Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Minnesota,
on the other hand, organized its own honor fraternity, but a few years later
expressed a desire to join Omicron Kappa Upsilon, and a charter was granted
them.
The
distractions of World War I resulted in a lapse of interest in the new
organization, although most of the original chapters functioned by
conferring membership upon honor students.
This is evident from chapter rolls of the Supreme Secretary.
It
was not until 1921, during the meeting of the Teacher’s Association in
Indianapolis, Indiana that representatives of the chapters known to be in
existence were called together by Dr. Arthur D. Black, who acted as
temporary chairman. The minutes
of the meeting showed the organization was then revived and the annual
meetings of the Supreme Chapter since that time have been held regularly
with the transactions properly recorded.
The
chapter roll as announced at the meeting in 1921 seems to have been as
follows:
Alpha—Northwestern
University
Beta—University of Pittsburgh
Gamma—Washington University
Delta—North-Pacific Dental College
Epsilon—Creighton University
Zeta—University of Southern California
Theta—Ohio State University
Iota—Vanderbilt University
Eta—University of Pennsylvania
Kappa—Medical
College of Virginia School of Dentistry
CONSTITUTION
AND BYLAWS
The
first Constitution and Bylaws were adopted in 1921.
They had previously been presented in the form of a draft and
discussed at length, but final adoption was delayed because of World War I. The Society functioned under this Constitution until the
Chicago meeting of March 25, 1926, during which the officers were
“directed to prepare revisions in the Constitution relative to rules for
the conduct of Chapters for presentation at the next meeting.”
The
committee presented its report at the Washington, D.C. meeting in 1928.
The report may have been adopted, but a search does not reveal any
Bylaws that apply specifically to the conduct of Component Chapters.
It is obvious that Chapters were to have Bylaws that were in harmony
with and approved by the Supreme Chapter.
At this 1928 meeting, President Dr. H.E. Friesell and two additional
designated persons were appointed as a committee for the revision of the
Constitution. The appointed
personnel to assist were Dr. A.D. Black and Dr. F.B. Noyes.
The report of this committee was presented and adopted at the Chicago
meeting, March 25, 1929.
The
third revision of the Constitution and Bylaws was presented and adopted at
the Baltimore meeting, March 16, 1937.
Dr. W.H. Wright of Beta Chapter was responsible for this dynamic
revision. During the Presidency
of Dr. H.B. McCarthy, Phi Chapter, the Constitution and Bylaws were revised
and approved during the Supreme Chapter meeting at French Lick, Indiana,
March 28, 1950. Dr. Charles W. Craig, President, 1955, recommended that
revisions were necessary and during the March 22, 1955 meeting the Revised
Constitution and Bylaws were adopted.
On
March 25, 1958, the Supreme Chapter, during the annual meeting in Detroit,
Michigan, approved for printing and distribution to all members of the
Component Chapters a brief summary of the historical data and other
pertinent information of interest to the membership.
This booklet was prepared by Dr. Erling Thoen, Secretary-Treasurer
1946-1955 and President 1957. As
of this writing, this booklet is issued to each member upon election to our
Society.
On
March 26, 1963, the Supreme Chapter at its annual meeting adopted three
amendments to the Bylaws. This was the last change in the Constitution and Bylaws until
July 27, 1965 in Toronto, Canada, when “the Executive Committee, after
considerable discussion, recommended a moratorium on amendments to the
Constitution and Bylaws of the Supreme Chapter…this moratorium to extend
until the March 1967 annual meeting of the Supreme Chapter…a Constitution
and Bylaws Committee to be appointed by the President for the revision of
the present Constitution and Bylaws.”
The following committee was appointed by President Robert Biddington
in October 1965 to study and recommend appropriate revisions: Dr. W. Arthur
George and Dr. David Bixler, Committee Members and Dr. Robert Sausen,
Chairman. Due to the untiring efforts of this committee and the
continual guidance of Secretary, Dr. Charles W. Craig, on March 21, 1967, in
Washington, D.C. the Constitution and Bylaws were approved and adopted.
The
success of the 1967 revision is attested by the fact that the Society
continues to operate from the document which has been amended but a few
times. Changes have been made
to accommodate schools with self-paced curricula allowing early graduation.
Chapter attendance requirements now allow a chapter to petition for an
excused absence in advance of the annual meeting in question.
Component chapters may now individually establish their quorum for a
regularly scheduled chapter meeting. Since
1967 Dr. Sausen served nearly continuously as chairman of the Constitution
and Bylaws Committee and was invaluable in providing ongoing interpretation
of the document. Dr. Sausen retired in March, 1991.
At
about the same time, it was discovered that the incorporation of OKU in
Illinois had been involuntarily dissolved on June 4, 1937, probably because
annual reports had not been filed. After
seeking legal counsel, OKU sought incorporation in the state of Nebraska.
Attorneys transformed the Constitution and Bylaws (carefully
maintaining the intent of the 1967 revision and amendments) and changed the
name of the Executive Committee to Board of Directors, both to conform with
Nebraska state law. The changes
were ratified by the Supreme Chapter delegates in March of 1992 at the OKU
annual meeting in Boston. Additional revisions were proposed in 1998 and
ratified in 1999. The most recent update to the bylaws was undertaken by the
Board of Directors in 2004 and ratified in 2005.
COMPONENT
CHAPTERS
The
number of component chapters has steadily increased over the years. Although
a total of seventy (70) chapters have been chartered, there are currently
only fifty-eight (58) active chapters as twelve (12) have become inactive
when their affiliated dental school closed.
At
the present time there is a component chapter in every dental school in the
United States, with two (2) chapters located in Canada and one (1) in Puerto
Rico.
COMMUNICATIONS
At
the annual business meeting of Supreme Chapter, Bal Harbour, Florida, March
29, 1966, President Robert Biddington quoted the bylaws reminding the
members that one of the duties of the Supreme Chapter shall be: “To publish, if and when justified,
the official organ of the Society, which shall be known as The Bulletin of Omicron Kappa
Upsilon.” The Bulletin was
born this date with Dr. Carrol G. Bennett appointed as Editor Pro Tempore.
The
Bulletin has been published annually since 1966 with Dr. Bennett serving as
its editor through 1973. From 1973 to 1986 the editor was Stephen H. Leeper.
In 1986 Janet L. Harrison became Interim Editor and in 1987 was
elected Editor. After ten years of dedicated service Dr. Harrison asked that
a new editor be selected . In
1996 Richard Carr was elected to fill that position.
In September of 1999 the first electronic version of the Bulletin was
published. This electronic
version was introduced on the OKU website at OKU.org.
Elected in 2001, James Delahanty currently serves as Editor. We congratulate President Robert Biddington for the foresight and Dr.
Carroll Bennett for getting the publication underway so successfully- as
well as all these who have served to further its tradition.
UNITED
STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
In
1964, the United States Civil Service Commission, Bureau of Recruiting and
Examining, approved membership requirements of Omicron Kappa Upsilon; thus
determining that our Society meets their special provision for grade GS-7
eligibility.
This
approval permits those becoming members of Omicron Kappa Upsilon and wishing
to enter careers in government to be excused from examinations required for
attaining grade GS-5 and be rated eligible for grade GS-7.
NATIONAL
SYMPOSIA
In
1983, in order to promote excellence, scholarship and visibility, OKU
sponsored its first national symposium entitled “Human Values and Ethics
Education in Dentistry.” Due
to the enthusiastic response, many symposia have been offered by the Supreme
Chapter through the years. The
sponsorship by OKU of quality programs has become a tradition at the A.D.E.A
Annual Sessions. In 1998, the
Supreme Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon partnered with its Dental
Hygiene counterpart,
Sigma Phi Alpha (SPA),
to present a highly successful joint symposium entitled "Intellectual Property and The Electronic Environment: Institutional, Faculty
and Student Rights and Responsibilities." The organizations
partnered once again in 2000 to present another highly successful presentation: “Mentoring-Does Business Have the Answer?”
In 2002, OKU and SPA presented "Academic Integrity and Honor Codes: Focus
on Faculty Leadership" to a standing room only gathering. In 2004,
OKU and SPA presented "A
Culturally Conscious Approach To Addressing Disparities In Oral Health Care:
Emerging Models Of Practice." and
in 2006 the symposium was entitled "Getting Started in Research:
Challenges and Opportunities." In 2008 the program was called "Ethics:
What A Great Time To Be In Education."
RECOGNITIONS
The
first certificates of recognition were presented during the Supreme Chapter
luncheon, March 26, 1968, in San Francisco, California, when President
William Gilmore cited the outstanding service rendered to the Supreme
Chapter by the members of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
Another
first in Supreme Chapter history was the presentation of a
Past-President’s plaque to Dr. Charles M. Pearce, Jr., following the
business meeting in Toronto, Canada, on July 27, 1965.
The customary procedure had been the presentation of the
Past-President’s gavel.
In
1969, the Supreme Chapter was honored to have in attendance Dr. Arthur E.
Hurt, one of the original founders of our Society.
The luncheon, March 25, in Houston, Texas was dedicated in his honor.
Dr. Williams S. Kramer was honored at the 1986 Annual Business
Meeting of the Supreme Chapter. Dr.
Kramer retired after 15 years as Secretary-Treasurer (1971 to 1986), the
longest term of office since the founding of the society in 1914. An award was established in his name to annually honor a
second year student at all component chapters in the United States and
Canada in recognition of scholarship, character and professional promise.
Dr. Robert Sausen was honored at the Annual Business Meeting in 1991
when he retired after 25 years as Chairman of the Constitution and Bylaws
Committee.
At
the annual meeting in March of 1997, a new award was established to
recognize and reward dental educators who demonstrate exemplary standards in
dental pedagogy. The award,
known as the Dr. Stephen H. Leeper Teaching Excellence
Award, honors
individuals who have implemented innovative techniques and have exhibited
consistent excellence in dental education. The award is used to recognize creativity and teaching energy
while challenging others to strive for excellence in dental education.
It was established in honor of Dr. Stephen Leeper, Dean, Univeristy
of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry upon completion of 22 years
of service in a position of leadership within the Supreme Chapter of Omicron
Kappa Upsilon.
In
March of 1999, two new awards were approved by the Supreme Chapter at the
annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C.
The first of these awards, The
Omicron Kappa Upsilon-Charles Craig Teaching Award was created to recognize
dental educators who have been teaching less than five years, and have
demonstrated new and innovative teaching techniques in the art and science
of dentistry. Faculty at the undergraduate, graduate and residency training
levels are eligible and emphasis will be placed upon creativity, motivation
and innovation. This award was established
to honor Dr. Charles Craig who served as president of the Supreme Chapter in
1954 and secretary-treasurer from 1960-1970.
The
second award-The Omicron Kappa Upsilon Chapter Award recognizes an OKU
component chapter that has created exemplary programs promoting academic
excellence at the local level. The
award honors a dental school chapter that has created innovative programs
fostering academic excellence in the spirit of OKU.
At
the 2002 annual meeting of the Supreme Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon a
motion was passed to establish the OKU New Educator Research
Grant with the provision that the awarding of the first grant be
deferred until the necessary funds are raised to finance the award. Pursuant
to this motion the Board of Directors has begun the task of soliciting the
necessary money to begin the funding of the OKU New Educator Research
Grant.
The
goals of the OKU New Educator Research Grant are twofold; first,
to enable junior faculty to develop research skills with an established
mentor and second, to provide junior faculty with the opportunity to
initiate a research project that can develop into a larger, extramurally
funded study.
It
is expected that the recipient will present the results of his/her research
at the annual business meetings of the Supreme Chapter of Omicron Kappa
Upsilon and the American Dental Education Association immediately following
completion of the project.
MEMBERSHIP:
SUPREME CHAPTER
Classification
of membership in the Supreme Chapter shall be divided into two classes:
active and honorary.
ACTIVE
MEMBERS. The active members of
the Supreme Chapter shall consist of its officers and one active-member
delegate, or alternate, from and selected by each component chapter.
Active members shall be voting members.
HONORARY
MEMBERS. The voting members of
the Supreme Chapter may elect to honorary membership any member of the
dental profession who has made an outstanding contribution to the art,
science, or literature of dentistry, and others not members of the dental
profession who have made similar outstanding contribution to the advancement
of dentistry. At any annual
meeting, one person may be elected to honorary membership by a two-thirds
vote of the delegates in attendance. Component chapters and individual members are requested to
submit names and curriculum vitae prior to December 1 to the Secretary of
the Supreme Chapter.
The
Board of Directors of the Supreme Chapter shall study the qualifications of
all such candidates and determine those eligible pursuant to the Bylaws.
Of those eligible, only one may be nominated by the Board of
Directors at the next officially convened annual business meeting.
The
terms art, science or literature of dentistry wherever appearing in
the Bylaws of the Supreme Chapter or of component chapters of this society
shall be interpreted as follows:
-
“The art of dentistry” shall imply skill in performance, acquired by
experience, study and observation and may be manifested by presentation,
before graduate, post-graduate, refresher courses or dental meetings not
sponsored or financed by a business firm or commercial enterprise, of a
method of performing an operation or the development of an instrument,
appliance, machine or equipment to facilitate dental operations with no
purpose of self profit.
-“The
science of dentistry” shall be interpreted as the introduction of a new
theory or suggestion and based upon facts which have been established by
study, observation and research, as distinguished from skill in performance.
-“The
literature of dentistry” shall imply the publication of a book or the
publication, in a professionally controlled journal of dentistry or its
allied sciences, of an original essay, treatise or thesis.
There
have been only nine persons elected to honorary membership in the Supreme
Chapter. They are: Lloyd E.
Blauch (1934), Harlan H. Horner (1948), Shailer Peterson (1956), Reginald H.
Sullens (1962), Grace Parkin (1970), John W. Stanford (1980), Harry Bruce
(1983), Henry J. Sazirna (1985), Janet K. John (1999)
COMPONENT
CHAPTERS
Component
chapters shall consist of charter, alumni, faculty and honorary members.
CHARTER
MEMBERS are members of the faculty whose names appear on the charter as
founders of the chapter. They
shall have all the privileges of active members while remaining a member of
the dental school faculty.
ALUMNI
MEMBERS shall be elected as follows:
Graduating
students. A
list containing the names of at least the upper 20% of the graduating class
(class: a group that generally began studies together)
who rank highest in scholarship for the entire period that they have
been in attendance at a dental
school shall be submitted by or secured from the Dean.
From any on this list, a number of candidates constituting not more
than 12% of the entire class, who, in addition to scholarship, have
demonstrated exemplary traits of character and potential qualities of future
professional growth and attainments, may be elected to alumni membership by
the active members of the component chapter.
The election of such members may be held at the discretion of the
active members at any time after the beginning of the last term (quarter or
semester) by which at least 80% of the class has the potential to graduate.
The
method of balloting shall be determined by the component chapters.
A two-thirds affirmative vote of the active members of the component
chapter who participate in the voting shall be necessary to elect a student
or an alumnus to alumni membership. If
12% of the class shall be less than three, a maximum of three students may
be elected.
Graduating
international students.
A list containing the names of at least the upper 20% of the
graduating international students (a student with a foreign dental degree
who has completed all of the requirements necessary to be awarded the D.D.S.
or D.M.D. degree) who rank highest in scholarship for the entire period that
they have been in attendance at a dental school shall be submitted by or
secured from the Dean. From any
on this list, a number constituting not more than 12% of this group of
students, who, in addition to scholarship, have demonstrated exemplary
traits of character and potential qualities of future professional growth
and attainments, may be elected to alumni membership by the active members
of the component chapter. The election of graduating international students may be held
at the discretion of the active members and must occur at the time of the
election of graduating students.
The
method of balloting shall be determined by the component chapters.
A two-thirds affirmative vote of the active members of the Component
Chapter who participate in the voting shall be necessary to elect a
graduating international student to alumni membership.
If 12% of the graduating international students shall be less than
one, a maximum of one student may be elected.
Alumni
of any dental school, in which since their graduation a component chapter
has been established
may be elected to alumni membership, proving their standing as students
would have made them eligible to membership. Such eligibility, however, shall be conditional upon an
ethical and unblemished record since graduation.
Alumni
members who become members of a dental school faculty
are eligible for all the privileges of active members.
FACULTY
MEMBERS are the dentists in a dental school faculty who have been elected to
membership after service as a full-time teacher for three years or a
part-time teacher for six years at the school where he/she is being
nominated. Full-time
and part-time shall be defined by the administration of each school of
dentistry. Two part-time years will be the equivalent of one full-time
year. To be eligible for
election, a member of a faculty shall have made outstanding contribution to
the art, science, or literature of dentistry (see Article III, Section
2b.(2)) in addition to the minimum period of service described above.
A two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the active members of the
component chapter who participate in the voting shall be necessary to elect
to faculty membership. They are
eligible for the privileges of active members.
HONORARY
MEMBERS. The component chapter
may elect to honorary membership any dentist (who is not a faculty member of
a dental school) who has
made outstanding contribution to the art, science, or literature of
dentistry, and others who have made
similar contribution to the advancement of dentistry.
At any annual meeting only one (1) person may be elected to such
honorary membership. A
two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the active members of the component
chapter who participate in the voting will be necessary to elect.
An
honorary member of the Supreme Chapter or of a component chapter is entitled
to the privileges of active membership.
An honorary member of the Supreme Chapter may attend the meetings of
any component chapter.
LIFE
MEMBERS. To be granted life membership by a component chapter one must have
been an active or an associate member for 30 years and have reached the age of 60.
Life members retain all privileges of active members while remaining
a member of the dental school faculty, and are exempt from dues.
CLASSES
OF MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITY
Active
Members.
All charter members are active members while remaining a member of
the dental school faculty. All alumni, faculty, and honorary members who are members of
the dental school faculty and have been approved by the component chapter
are active members. Only active
members may vote or be elected to office.
Associate
Members.
All those members of a component chapter who are not active members, but do
support the component chapter by payment of dues with a regularity
satisfactory to the Executive Committee of the Component Chapter.
Inactive
Members.
Those members of a component chapter who are not active or associate members
and do not pay dues. Inactive
members may be reinstated as associate or active members upon the payment of
unpaid dues and the approval of the Executive Committee of the component
chapter.
All
classes of membership are privileged to receive regular communication from
their component chapter and may attend all convocations and award
ceremonies.
USE
AND MISUSE OF OKU MEMBERSHIP
Membership in OKU is understood to be an honor, but it is not an academic or health related degree. Members should be justly proud of this earned honor. However, being an OKU member also carries responsibilities, including the responsibility to not misuse the membership professionally or for personal gain. OKU members should maintain the highest professional, ethical, and legal standards in their personal conduct and their professional work. Those professional and ethical standards are common to the dental profession and are described in the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct. Legal standards are considered to be all applicable state and federal laws governing dentistry, including rules and regulations of state licensing
boards.
In view of these facts, members of OKU may truthfully list their membership in a dignified and professional manner on their resume, curriculum vitae, or similar documents that describe the member’s professional background, or on any application or similar document where honors are typically
listed.
Members may not list their membership in a way that: 1) could reasonably mislead the public; 2) implies superiority over other dentists; 3) implies OKU is an academic or a health-related degree; or, 4) for professional gain or benefit in the practice of
dentistry.
As examples that are not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather to demonstrate the spirit of the professional, ethical and legal boundaries, OKU membership may not be used on office doors, office buildings, name plates, directories, publications or stationery, including personal, professional or appointment cards. The abbreviation may not be used in flyer announcements, educational courses, seminars or meetings where the member is a participant or otherwise involved. Such uses may be considered false or misleading advertising as described in the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, and could result in suspension or forfeiture of OKU membership through a vote at the Component Chapter level as described in Article XIII of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Supreme Chapter Bylaws.
ADMINISTRATION
Information
pertaining to how the Supreme Chapter business is handled during the
interval between annual meetings of the Supreme Chapter is as follows:
The
Board of Directors of the Supreme Chapter consists of the President,
President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Editor.
This group has the responsibility of making decisions on matters not
otherwise provided for in the Bylaws, and which may require action before
the next annual meeting of the Supreme Chapter.
Such
matters are usually brought to the attention of the Board of Directors by
the Secretary of the Supreme Chapter who may have received them from a
source such as a Component Chapter, or they may originate within the Board
itself. When the Board has
arrived at a decision on the matter, the Secretary-Treasurer abides by it
and proceeds to act accordingly.
The
Board holds one or more meetings prior to the Supreme Chapter meeting to
consider such matters not previously dealt with and which should be brought
to the attention of the Delegates for their consideration.
All business handled by the Board of Directors, both during the
aforementioned interval and prior to the Supreme Chapter meeting, is
presented to the Delegates in the form of an official Board report.
Regular
routine business during the year is handled by the Secretary-Treasurer who
routinely presents a report of his activities during the previous year at
the Supreme Chapter meeting.
THE
UPDATING OF THE SUPREME CHAPTER HISTORY
At
the March 21, 1967 Annual Supreme Chapter Meeting in Washington, D.C.,
President William Gilmore requested that Dr. Harold Lantz rewrite and update
the Supreme Chapter history. As
stated by Dr. Abram Hoffman, “In view of the passing of time and men
familiar with the early development of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, it seems
fitting that many of the facts relative to the organization and early years
of the Society be made a matter of record.
Some of the earliest records have already been lost and many of the
facts have been gleaned from incomplete records and conversations.
It is important that these verbal statements should be noted and such
records as we have be carefully preserved.”
Similarly,
an attempt has been made to continue the excellent work of Dr. Abram Hoffman
and Dr. Erling Thoen, that of making permanent record of facts.
The large volume is not a copy of previous assembled material, but a
continuation and the placing of many facts under one cover.
A great deal of material remains unaltered.
For historical purposes, this is essential.
In most instances, we are not quoting, we are only including.
The large volume of historical manuscript is located in the Supreme
Chapter Headquarters. This
publication is a condensation of the large manuscript.
In
conclusion, may we quote a statement made by Past President of the Supreme
Chapter, Dr. Abram Hoffman, as a part of his Presidential address which he
delivered at the March 1940 meeting of the Supreme Chapter: “Let us
remember that our first duty in furthering the purposes of the Society is to
honor dental STUDENTS for excellence in scholarship and character.
If we concentrate our thoughts and efforts in behalf of STUDENTS then
OMICRON KAPPA UPSILON will render a valued service in the educational
program of dentistry.”
The
material and information contained in this release was obtained from Dr.
Erling Theon’s 1958 booklet, and Dr. Charles W. Craig’s Supreme Chapter
files. The Supreme Chapter expresses its sincere thanks to these two
great devoted servants for their tremendous contributions and service to our
Society.
The
material in this book was updated in March of 1982 by Secretary-Treasurer
William S. Kramer, in March of 1988 by Editor Janet L. Harrison, in 1992 by
Secretary-Treasurer Stephen H. Leeper, in 2000 by Editor Richard H. Carr,
Jr. and is updated yearly by Editor James L. Delahanty. The last date of
revision is reflected by the date at the end of the page.
LIST
OF COMPONENT CHAPTER
