- The Student Dietetic Association (SDA) at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) was established in November 1998.
- Since it was founded, the organization has been involved in several campus and community-wide activities.
- SDA at UCA has begun efforts to disseminate information on careers in nutrition and dietetics across the state.
- Each spring, SDA participates in UCA’s annual Health Fair. This fair is open to the entire community, and members have provided nutrition information and performed basic nutrition screenings for participants.
Other community-wide efforts that the Student Dietetic Association has been involved in recent years include:
* Assisting with the annual EcoFest.
* Working with the Child Study Center on various projects.
* Several SDA members have volunteered their time and expertise to establish a nutrition education program for school-aged children.
* UCA Student Dietetic Association members are currently working on recruitment for careers in dietetics across the state.
The SDA meets monthly and a guest speaker is usually featured at each meeting. Speakers have included dietetic internship directors, current dietetic interns, and a representative from UCA’s Career Services office to share information on resume writing and job hunting. SDA also maintains a bulletin board that showcases current nutrition research topics and recipes and updates the information monthly.
The SDA’s goals include providing nutrition information to the public and community service activities and SDA is meant to serve as a support system for Nutrition and Dietetic students.
The SDA is for any undergraduate or graduate student who is a major in Dietetics, Community Nutrition, Nutrition Science. Also, any student who has not declared a major and has an interest in Nutrition and Dietetics is welcome to attend.
Dues are $10 per year. Students may join at any time during the semester. Just show up at one of the scheduled meetings listed below, or contact one of the SDA officers or the faculty advisor.
Faculty Advisor – Khandra Faulkner, kfaulkner@uca.edu
Meeting Dates
SDA meets the first Tuesday of each month at X period (1:40-2:30).