SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference Participant Information Detail

• Important Dates
• About the 2008 Conference
• Conference Schedule
• Hotel Accommodations & Reservations
• Travel
• Registration Fees & Inclusions
• Registration Instructions
  • Registration Form
  • Payment of Fees
  • Group Payments
  • Other Registration Advisories
• Terms and Conditions of Conference Participation
  • The SNMA Conference Program
  • Membership Status
  • Membership Definitions
  • Delegate Status
  • Registration Allowances
  • Substitutions
  • Settling Prior Debt
  • Cancellations/Refunds
  • Distribution/Availability of Conference Materials
  • Late Arrivals at the Conference
  • Availability and Management of Event Tickets
  • Limits of Liability
  • Extraordinary Circumstances
• Participant Registration Form

Important Dates

About the 2008 Annual Medical Education Conference

 The SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) has emerged as a cornerstone activity for the SNMA, an event in which both students and professionals have gathered with high anticipation to attend a wide range of educational and networking events. The AMEC is held each spring in locations around the country and serves to enhance our members’ career development, provide continuing education, facilitate networking among minority medical students, bolster the effectiveness of our local community service programs and recognize the achievements of our members. In short, our Conference is designed to nurture future leaders in the field of medicine. The AMEC attracts students from all levels of medical education and is consistently the largest gathering of underrepresented minority medical students at any time in any place in the country.

The 2008 AMEC, entitled Leadership in Medicine: Science to Service, will focus on developing SNMA members into the future leaders of medicine. This will be achieved through the fulfillment of our mission to support current and future underrepresented minority medical students, address the needs of underserved communities and increase the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.

The national conference will focus on five major components: academic excellence, advocacy in our communities, career development, leadership development, and research. The goal of this conference is to provide resources that will promote excellence in every member and that will ultimately provide Continuity in Leadership focused on developing the SNMA members of today into the physician leaders of tomorrow.

We heartily welcome your participation in fabulous New York City, one of the nation’s most exciting and vibrant meeting venues. The SNMA medical student chapters at the SUNY Downstate, Cornell, NYU and other area schools will host this annual organizational event, with assistance provided from leaders throughout the SNMA network. Our conference program will include all of these traditional annual events, plus some other special features, the plans for which are still developing:

• House of Delegates sessions and election of National Officers

• A dynamic exhibit hall…peer and professional networking

• Insightful and provocative workshops

• Opportunity to sit for mock MCAT, USMLE, and COMLEX exams

• Dr. Wilbert C. Jordan Annual Research Forum, displaying the academic and service excellence of our members

• Pre-medical Forum (PmF) and Recruitment Fair, designed just for our pre-medical members

• The new SNMA President’s Installation Ceremony and the Board of Directors Banquet and Ball, where we will celebrate the hard work and achievements of the SNMA nationwide

• A Community Service Event designed to excite youngsters about medical careers and coach them in following a correct path to attainment

• The SNMA Graduation and Match Celebration, our newest tradition, to celebrate our emerging physicians.

• Inspirational and informative speakers and presenters in plenary sessions and our workshop program

• The wonderful sights, sounds and tastes of Times Square in The City That Never Sleeps!

Watch the SNMA website for program and schedule details!

Exciting offerings are ever present in the incomparable Big Apple - and most are just minutes away from our host hotel, the Marriott Marquis. Everything else is easily reached by New York’s renowned subway system. Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District, the Marriott Marquis is steps away from great stage performances, specialty restaurants, and an assortment of unique boutiques and curiosities. With so much to do, New York is sure to make an indelible impression on all those who come to be a part of this awesome conference, so plan to add an extra day or two to your trip so that you can see more of this phenomenal city.

The SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference held anywhere is a program that it is hard to pass up, but you especially will not want to miss this year’s meeting in New York City.

Conference Schedule

Initial schedule, subject to changes. PRI = Physician-Research Initiative; includes Satcher Fellows training. Pre-meds are welcomed to attend PRI sessions.

PMF Medical School Tours will be arranged on a first come, first serve basis. Sign up for these tours will take place at Conference.

Hotel Accommodations And Reservations

The site and host hotel for the conference is the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square hotel, at 1535 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036. Check here to view

the hotel’s photo tour: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis-times-square/.

The Marriott Marquis is offering the phenomenal group rate of $169.00 per night for single/double accommodations and $179 per night for triple/quadruple occupancy for all SNMA conference attendees. A 13.625% local tax, plus $2.00 occupancy per room per night is not included in the published room rate and is applicable to each room night reserved. Check-in time is 3:00 pm; check-out time is 12:00 Noon.

All participants—students and non-students alike—are to make their own hotel reservations. A deposit equal to the room rate, plus tax, for one room night will be required to guarantee the reservation. February 28, 2008 is the hotel's deadline for guaranteeing reservations at the SNMA group rate. Deposits may be made by check or by using a major credit card and must be received by the hotel’s cut off date. The availability of rooms and/or the rate are subject to availability. When making reservation at the hotel, be sure and confirm the last date on which a no-penalty cancellation can be made. Also make note of the hotel’s check-in and check-out time, since this this information will be particularly useful to those traveling to New York City from the West Coast.


Make room reservations at the Marriott Marquis by telephone, toll free, by calling 1-800-843-4898 or call the local number, 1-212-398-1900. Be sure to ask for the SNMA group rate. A deposit equal to the room rate, plus tax, for one room night will be required to guarantee the reservation. You can make a reservation online through the SNMA website, www.snma.org.

Reserve rooms now, even if your travel plans are uncertain; you can always call and change or cancel the reservation at a later time, if you need to.

The SNMA room block frequently sells out well before the established deadline and rooms in the block could be quickly exhausted in this popular destination. Once rooms in the SNMA block are gone, SNMA will have little control over the availability and pricing of additional rooms. We assure you, hotel rooms at the same or a lower rate will not be found in Manhattan through the usual published sources.

You are advised also that the hotel is entitled to charge its standard room rates to anyone whose registration for the conference cannot be confirmed by the SNMA Headquarters! It is important, therefore, that all persons on the hotel’s reservations list are also registered to attend the conference. Lists are crosschecked.

Travel

There are several travel options to New York City. You should investigate all of the following for obtaining the most inexpensive fares. Above all, book your travel early. Whatever your means of travel, the earlier you can secure a ticket, the greater the likelihood of being able to obtain the most economical fare.

Motor Travel

Individuals are advised to work within their chapters, their SNMA region, and their local schools to arrange car sharing. Chapters may wish to consider for instance employing a bus company to transport a number of their members to New York City. Group travel can, in the long run, prove to be a cost efficient means of reducing overall conference expenses for many people. Check with your chapter officers to see what might be organized locally, through individuals sharing a ride and by chartered motor coach lines.

Rail Travel

Many find the train the most convenient means of traveling into New York City. Depending on the time you have available, many cities in the Northeastern corridor are within three or four hours distance of Pennsylvania Station, which is located about ten (short) blocks from the host hotel. Check AmTrak rail schedule and fares by visiting www.amtrak.com.

Air Travel

The New York area is served by three major airports, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, and Newark.

LaGuardia is the nearest to the city (9 miles), while the other two are about 15 miles distance. To assist you with arranging for air travel, the SNMA has selected American Airlines to be an official airline for the New York City program. American flies in and out of all three area airports and offers SNMA travelers percentage discounts off of their already competitive fares. Discounts apply to American Airlines and affiliated partners and are applicable to base fares only and total ticket sales may also include taxes or other local fees, to which this agreement does not apply.

To take advantage of the group fares offered on American, you must register online at American’s website, www.aa.com, applying the SNMA Promotion Code to the online reservation. The code for the SNMA Group is: A9638AG. There is no charge for online bookings. Or, you may call American’s Meeting Services Desk at 1-800-433-1790 and refer to the Group Name (SNMA Conference) or the Group number assigned to this event. A $10 fee will be charged for ticket orders placed by telephone. These instructions apply to individual travelers. Travel agents must call SNMA to receive a special code for their bookings under this agreement.

Local Travel

Shuttle service as well as the New York City subway system (MTA) is available throughout Manhattan, the boroughs of Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island and Queens, as well as parts of New Jersey. Pay $10 for a MetroCard, which will cover most of your local travel. Good sources for checking on local travel options are found below. Information will also be posted on the SNMA website.

Parking

Parking at the hotel costs $50 per day, with a $10 surcharge for in/out access to the garage, which is on the property. This may not be practical unless you are sharing the costs with other riders. An option may be to drive to one of the area airports, park there and take the subway or shuttle into the city.

Registration Fees And Inclusions

The fees posted in this publication cover admission to exhibits, plenary sessions, workshops and/or delegate sessions on all three days. Also included in this price are tickets to some special events: a Social Event (to be determined), the President’s Luncheon and Installation and the BOD Banquet and Ball. Various handouts and gifts are also given to attendees.

Pre-medical Forum attendees receive a ticket to the PMF Luncheon. Traditional meals (like breakfast, lunch and dinner) are not furnished, but we are able to secure some meals through sponsorships and these will be posted at the conference. Light refreshments are generally available in the exhibit halls and at sponsored events on each day.

No guest registration fee has been established for the 2008 conference. All persons who are registering are required be current SNMA members in an appropriate member category. A new or renewed membership must be postmarked by February 1, 2008, in order to not incur a late fee for conference registration!

Fees for the conference registration and other program components are below. For your information, five dollars of every conference registration is allocated to the SNMA permanent Building Fund, by authority of the SNMA House of Delegates. Persons registering at the early registration discounted fee must have their forms and payment in by November 1, 2007. Members who are attending their SNMA Regional Coference/Meeting have until December 15, 2007 to also register for the New York AMEC at the discounted rate; they must be properly certified by their Regional Director. Regular registration fees are applicable from November 2, 2007, through to February 1, 2008 (except for those extensions allowed for attendees at SNMA Regional Conferences/Meetings. All registrations must be completed online or mailed and postmarked by February 1, 2008. Persons who cannot meet the February 1 deadline must pay on site in New York City, paying the on site fees specified.

After you have registered (and prior to the conference), you will be sent an electronic confirmation of your registration. Please bring a valid photo ID for registration as well as your confirmation e-message with you to the New York site in order to obtain your name badge, tickets, and other meeting materials. Further details needed for your arrival and registration at the site, if appropriate, will be furnished along with the confirmation.

  1. General Registration

                             






  Note: *This category also applies to Life and Institutional Members.

2. Extra Event Tickets:

Tickets that are given as part of the registration cost (three per individual) will be issued on site to each registered individual. Additional event tickets should be purchased in advance, but will also be available on site at a higher cost.

 3. Diagnostic Exams:                                                                                                    
                               

Registration Instructions

Payment of Fees

 
If not completed online, payment must accompany an individual’s conference registration form. The SNMA National Headquarters will accept payment in the form of a check, money order, credit card charge to a VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover account, or through a school’s purchase order. You may fax a registration form only if payment is being made by credit card or purchase order. If you fax your registration form using a credit card as a payment option, do not also send the "original" copy in the mail. This may result in duplication of charges, discrepancies in payment documentation, and inconvenience to both you and the SNMA staff. No registration form will be processed until the required payment has been identified and/or has been received at SNMA Headquarters.

Please note …

• If you send in your form, but the payment is not included, your check bounced, or your credit card was declined, you are not registered for the conference. You may complete your registration on site, but late fees will apply.

• If you send in your registration form, but your school does not send in the payment for your attendance or has not furnished some other form of guaranteed payment, you are not registered for the conference.

• If you send in your conference registration form and payment, but your membership has not been paid by February 1st, you are not registered for the conference. You can pay your membership online or on site. If you pay on site, you will also be required to pay the late fee for the registration category.

Especially since the annual meeting in 2008 is earlier than usual, we strongly recommend that you emphasize to the appropriate persons (or offices) at your school who will be paying the registration fees for you that there is a registration deadline and that late fees are assessed to any individual whose payment (or payment guarantee) is not received by the deadline. SNMA will not invoice schools for late fees. Rather, you will be expected to pay these on site, in New York City. Neither do we expect that schools will know an individual’s membership status; we hold you responsible for your own SNMA membership fees.

The National Headquarters staff is the final determiner of when registrations are received or postmarked. Registration and/or membership applications received after February 1 will be taken to the conference site and processed as on site registrations.

We strongly recommend that you emphasize to the appropriate persons (or offices) at your school who will be paying the registration fees for you that there is a registration deadline and that late fees are assessed to any individual whose payment (or payment guarantee) is not received by the deadline.

Group Payments

The Headquarters will accept a single payment from an SNMA chapter or school office, which total payment covers a group of individuals, but separate registration forms for each student covered must accompany that payment. Where applicable and to the extent possible, please stress the importance of meeting the deadline to your school’s official or your chapter’s Treasurer.  Ask your school now to make preparations for your attendance and ask that they do not send applications separate from the payment unless the applications are accompanied by a purchase order or some other official document guaranteeing payment.

DETAILED TERMS AND CONDITIONS GOVERNING PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION AT THE SNMA’S ANNUAL MEDICAL EDUCATION CONFERENCES ARE PART OF THESE REGISTRATION GUIDELINES. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ THEM! YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE TERMS IS REQUIRED ON THE REGISTRATION FORM.

Other Registration Advisories

• When preparing to register, do so in a timely manner in order to meet the February 1, 2008 (or earlier) postmark deadline and allowing for possible mail delays or other mishaps.

• The staff will not process nor will we hold registration forms that are received (by fax or by mail) without an accompanying payment, unless the form is accompanied by a copy of a school’s/organization’s check, purchase order or other official evidence of committed payment.

• The Headquarters staff will be absent from SNMA offices about one week prior to the meeting’s starting date in order to handle set up requirements at the hotel. Any communication sent to the Headquarters after March 14 most likely cannot be addressed in a timely manner or not at all.

Terms And Conditions For Conference Participantion

The SNMA Conference Program

The SNMA annual conference is not a public offering. It is designed especially for SNMA members and promoted as a complete package. Total conference costs are supported through sponsorship and other revenue-generating methods, so that fees can be discounted for SNMA members. Therefore, SNMA’s registration requirements and fees may be somewhat more inflexible than those of other national meetings. The conference package includes some activities and meal functions that are ticketed and some which are not. Because of our agreements with certain sponsors and service providers, we are not able to sell pieces or one day segments of the conference. Please do not call the National Headquarters asking for special rates to attend on one day or another or for other exceptions because your personal schedule restricts your attendance in some way. This brochure pertains to "Participant Registration" for the annual conference and not to any exhibit component. Visit the SNMA web site or contact the National Headquarters to obtain information about exhibiting (and related fees).

Membership Status

Know your membership status! You must be a current SNMA member to register for the conference program. Non-students, undergraduate advisors, or chaperones who attend must also obtain a membership, if they do not already have one. You may apply for and pay a SNMA membership along with your conference registration or you can send them separately. To take advantage of the discounted pre-registration rates, though, a membership application and payment must be postmarked by February 1, 2008. If you are just now paying a membership, you will be paying in the administrative year that begins in November 2008, so you will become a current member for the 2007-2008 membership year, which ends in November 2008.

"Is my membership current?" Typically, if you have received this brochure in the mail, you are already a current SNMA member. However, if you have downloaded this registration brochure from the SNMA web site or have had to ask our National Headquarters to mail you a copy, very likely your membership has recently expired or the office has not received your member application and payment at all. First year medical students and undergraduates who must renew their membership annually are most often the ones for whom the National Headquarters office must collect dues concurrent with conference registration fees.

If you have questions about your member status, look on your membership card for the expiration date, check with your SNMA chapter officer or email the Headquarters office at memberinfo@snma.org. Do this before completing and sending your registration form, so that you may be certain of paying the correct fees and are not inconvenienced when you arrive in San Francisco. Remember, your membership must be postmarked by February 1, 2008, in order not to incur a late fee.

Membership Definitions

For purposes of establishing this conference’s participation criteria, active members are medical students who are currently enrolled in an allopathic or osteopathic medical teaching program and who have paid SNMA’s standard four-year membership fee of $60 (or a $20 annual payment allowed for students continuing beyond the first four years). Associate members are college students in pre-medical programs, high school students or those enrolled in health related, non medicine professional programs who have paid the SNMA annual membership fee of $15 or a two year fee of $25. Non student registration embraces our professional members who are physicians, patrons, educators, and other supporters of SNMA programs. Physician/patron membership requires an annual payment of $30.

Delegate Status

Any current SNMA member may attend the Annual Medical Education Conference and participate fully in conference events, including the House of Delegates (HOD). However, not every attendee is a Delegate. Delegates have voting privileges in the HOD and are selected by each SNMA chapter in accordance with delegate apportionment guidelines, as determined each year by the SNMA Membership and Credentials Committee. Check with your chapter officers if you are interested in Delegate status. Some HOD sessions are closed to non-Delegates. Closed sessions are announced in advance.

Registration Allowances

Conference admission is restricted to those whose registration forms and fees have been received and processed by the SNMA National Headquarters, and who have been given the appropriate credentials. Only registered individuals holding badges may attend all conference events. This restriction is imposed to protect the integrity and exclusivity of the annual event, as well as to meet our security, insurance, and contractual obligations. A spouse or friend who may be sharing a hotel room with a registered individual need not register for the entire conference program, but may purchase separate tickets for certain events. However, they will not be issued name badges and, therefore will be prohibited from attending all other component activities.

Pre-medical students and their advisors or chaperones are encouraged to attend all aspects of the medical conference, not just those specifically designated as "PmF" in the schedule, unless there is a specific ticket requirement for admission. The Pre-medical Forum Recruitment Fair is a component of the SNMA conference requiring a separate application form and fees for the medical school offices that participate. These offices must register in advance. Do not assume that because you have registered for the conference as a medical student participant, that you are automatically entitled to represent your medical school in the Pre-medical Forum Recruitment Fair. You are not! If this activity is of interest to you, have an administrator at your school download the 2008 AMEC Prospectus from our website or request that an application be sent in the mail.

Substitutions

Participants who have registered for the conference, but find that they are unable to attend may have someone else use their registration. Written notification and authorization to the Headquarters must be furnished in order for our staff to transfer one person’s registration and payment to another individual. Notification (email is acceptable) should originate from the original applicant or entity that has paid the fee. The name and other contact information of the substitute person must be included in the communication. The person substituted must also be an SNMA member or he/she will need to pay a membership fee and late fees, if applicable. Notification about a substitution may be at no additional charge up until March 1, 2008. After March 1, if you have registered but find that you are unable to attend the conference and you have not named a substitute, you will be deemed a no show. Any fees paid for the registration will be treated as a cancellation and the fees paid forfeited.

Settling Prior Debt

Persons with outstanding balances from a previous SNMA annual conference will not be registered for the New York City program until the prior debt is reconciled. Persons owing any outstanding balance must settle any prior conference debt prior to registering for the 2008 AMEC. This is an SNMA Board policy, which is strictly applied.

Cancellations/Refunds

You may cancel and expect a full refund up until February 15, 2008. Notice of a cancellation must be sent in writing to the National Headquarters (this includes email messages). Persons canceling after the February 15th deadline will forfeit the conference registration fee, since certain costs for participants will already have been committed or paid. Allowable refunds are not made until after SNMA has settled all accounts and obligations, usually after about 90 days following the close of the conference.

Distribution/Availability of Materials

One reason for urging as many people as possible to pre-register early is to assure that we have provided for adequate supplies for participants at the conference. We make every effort to stock supplies for all conference attendees. However, we only guarantee conference kits to those who have pre-registered by the deadline. Although we try to accurately predict the number of persons who will register on site, this is a matter over which we have no control. There have been instances where there were unusually large numbers of on site registrations, materials have run out. Help us to avoid this inconvenience and disservice to others by registering early!

Late Arrivals at the Conference

We will "hold" conference materials for pre-registered attendees who may be arriving late at the conference site. If you find that your arrival in New York will be significantly late, after the program has gotten underway, let us know. Email us by March 10 and we will list you as a late arrival, holding your materials for you until you arrive. After that time, any uncollected conference materials may be given to on-site registrants who might not have received conference packets. We will not mail conference kits to pre-registered no shows.

We make no such provisions about the availability of conference materials to those registering on site! Although every effort is made to assure that all those who register complete conference packages, some or all materials could be exhausted if there are large numbers of on-site registrations. In the event of a shortage of complete conference kits, on-site registrants will be given a rain check to receive--after 10:00 am Saturday--any conference kits that remain.

Availability and Management of Event Tickets

Event tickets are not refundable, nor will lost tickets be replaced. You are also forewarned that, in some conference locations, the hotel and/or local ordinance may set strict limits on seating at certain events, and we can only seat those persons who are holding pre sold tickets. If on site registration numbers at the conference are unusually high, it could mean that certain event tickets may be limited and/or for which late registration could result in diminished services or materials. If such is the case, the ability for the Headquarters to extend reduced rates or to allow alternate accommodations for those registering on-site is based strictly upon decisions made by the SNMA Executive Committee at the time. To get the benefit of complete, unencumbered conference participation, register early!

Limits of Liability

With the cooperation of the host hotel, SNMA prepares a conference program that is designed to enhance students’ academic and career pursuits and to afford them opportunities for beneficial networking with other students and career professionals. In addition, on-site accommodations (including provisions for registration and daily administration of the conference) are arranged in compliance with contractual obligations and/or legal requirements to ensure the reasonable convenience, comfort, and safety for all attendees. Accordingly, the SNMA interprets that an individual from whom a Participant Registration form has been received has read and understands the Terms and Conditions stated herein, they agree to SNMA’s policies and procedures, and they have therefore registered for the annual meeting as a matter of choice.

In registering for the annual conference, the applicant agrees to exempt SNMA and the host hotel from liability for inconvenience, illness, injury, or loss of property he/she may experience while in attendance at the conference, at either on or off site events, whether he/she is officially registered for the conference or not or is merely a ticket holder or casual observer. We expect that students who are under the age of legal consent will ask a parent or representative authority to sign or co-sign the registration form. SNMA shall interpret upon receipt of the signed form that a parent or representative authority has fully read and agrees with the provisions of Participant Registration, as described throughout this brochure, and that they are consenting to the registration of a non adult for whom they may be responsible, including making arrangements for safe travel, suitable accommodations, and appropriate supervision at the conference location.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Any special conditions or extenuating circumstances that are incompatible with these policies and instructions should be put in writing and communicated to the SNMA National Headquarters as soon as possible, but no later than March 1, 2008. Any exceptions or allowances will be made only at the discretion of SNMA’s executive officers.