BAP Annual Meeting 2018

On the 5th August 2018, three Beta Alpha Psi (‘BAP’) members were fortunate enough to be chosen to represent Deakin University at BAP’s Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’) in Washington D.C. BAP is an international honours society for finance, accounting and information systems students. In our inaugural year, we have run an array of high quality events, including networking and community service events, to increase the professional and personal development of all our members. These have included unparalleled exposure with Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse Coopers, and IPA Australia to name a few.

This year’s AGM in Washington D.C. marked our official introduction into the global BAP sphere. Whilst also representing our transition from a petitioning chapter to a fully recognised, award seeking chapter within the BAP society.

The AGM consisted of multiple events and gave each of us an opportunity to experience American culture, strengthen our ties with fellow Australian chapters and build crucial networks with American chapters. We learnt critical information and strategies which we hope to implement within Deakin’s Chapter over the next year.

Our secretary, Bethanie Ferraro, was fortunate enough to have been chosen to compete in BAP’s Project Run With It. She was placed in a team with 3 other people and was given a problem to solve for a local not-for-profit organisation, Maryland CPA. Over the course of 36 hours, she had to overcome cultural differences and working styles to solve a problem and deliver a presentation with 3 others who were strangers a day and half prior. Through this experience she built crucial connections with students all over the USA, increased her professional development and oral skills in this exhilarating but rewarding situation.

Whilst our secretary was hidden away formulating her presentation with her team, the rest of our BAP members, Stephanie Kyrou, Justin Tout and our faculty advisor Dr Siew Mee Barton were volunteering at a local school for International Literacy Day. This involved running a range of simple, yet engaging activities aimed at improving the literacy and numeracy skills of the children. Each child received a book to keep, encouraging them to continue reading after the day had concluded. This was a highly enjoyable day for all involved and more importantly represented a terrific opportunity to give back to the community.

Over the course of the AGM, we listened to several presentations given by BAP staff, Universities and motivational speakers. The standout was the opening address given by Corey Ciocchetti. He gave a captivating speech about how we as individuals should measure happiness. Unimportant are grades and money next to a smile that you helped produce. It set the tone of the AGM as an opportunity to be embraced and appreciated.

We found it highly beneficial to listen to other Universities’ ‘tricks of the trade’ which we hope to bring to our chapter in the coming year and pass on to our next executive committee. Overall, the AGM proved extremely useful in knowing how to grow our Chapter proactively so as to meet the expectations of our members and the BAP Board.

Fellow Australian BAP chapters won a number of awards at this year’s AGM, including Monash University winning best practices, and Sydney University winning Gold Status. We look forward to partaking in the regional meeting in Melbourne and at the AGM i  n Chicago in 2019. We aim to be award seeking at these events to give our fellow Australian chapters a run for their money. 

 

Trimester 2 Highlights 

Deakin Beta Alpha Psi has engaged in various activities in the second half of the year. The following are a few of the Chapter’s highlights from our second trimester:

CPA Professional Session
In August 2018, Beta Alpha Psi attended an event run by CPA at the Burwood Corporate Centre. Members had the opportunity to learn about the future of the accounting industry and the impacts of technology on future careers. They were given a presentation on how to create a professional resume and LinkedIn profile as well as having the opportunity to network with industry professionals.

Ernst & Young (EY) Employability Workshop
The Chapter held an exclusive event with EY at the Burwood Corporate Centre which was very beneficial for our members. The workshop gave an insight into EY and their various divisions. Members were given advice on how to apply for various programs, structuring an appropriate resume and had the opportunity to ask their own questions.

Beta Alpha Psi Annual Meeting (AGM) – Washington D.C.
On the 5th August 2018, our 2018 President (Stephanie Kyrou), Vice-President (Justin Tout) and Secretary (Beth Ferraro) had the opportunity to represent Deakin University at the Beta Alpha Psi AGM in Washington D.C. There were various events which included networking with other chapters, participation in community service and professional development activities.

Project Run With It
Beth was chosen to compete in BAP’s Project Run With It. She was placed in a team with 3 other people and was given a problem to solve for a local not-for-profit organisation, Maryland CPA. She delivered a presentation with 3 others who were strangers a day and half prior. Through this experience she built vital connections with students all over the USA and increased her professional development and oral skills.
Community Engagement
The remaining BAP members, Stephanie Kyrou, Justin Tout and our faculty advisor Dr Siew Mee Barton volunteered at a local school for International Literacy Day. This involved running a range of activities aimed at improving the literacy and numeracy skills of the children. Each child received a book to keep, encouraging them to continue reading after the day had concluded. This was a highly enjoyable day for the team and represented an opportunity to give back to the community.

Other Events
Over the course of the AGM, there were several presentations given by BAP staff, Universities and motivational speakers. The standout was the opening address given by Corey Ciocchetti. He gave a captivating speech about how we as individuals should measure happiness. Unimportant are grades and money next to a smile that you helped produce. It set the tone of the AGM as an opportunity to be embraced and appreciated.

Annual General Meeting & Overview of EQUIS Accreditation
In September 2018, Deakin’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter had an inaugural Annual General Meeting. New associate members to BAP were formally welcomed and we were given an insightful presentation about Deakin’s EQUIS accreditation process from Tristan Krautz. On a sad note, this was a final goodbye to the 2018 Executive Committee. They played a significant role in establishing Deakin’s BAP chapter and we wish all the graduating members the best in their future careers.

 
On a positive note, the AGM concluded with the election of a new Executive Committee for 2019: Edward Lim (President), Samantha Wilkinson (Vice President), David Youren (Secretary/Treasurer), Emma Hoang (Marketing Director) and Arun Elumalai (Membership Director). We look forward to the year ahead in 2019 for Deakin’s BAP chapter.

A note from the Executive Committee
Trimester 2 of Deakin University’s Beta Alpha Psi Chapter has been another rewarding period of further growth and development for our society. Multiple events were held, including networking and professional development events, for the benefit of all our members.
We are very proud of our Chapter’s achievements and look forward to organising more quality events for members in the upcoming year. Thank you to everyone that has contributed to the success of Beta Alpha Psi and we look forward to another prosperous year.

2019 Executive Committee