- Email: [email protected]
The new member and the American Association of Orthodontists
EDITORIAL
The new member and the American Association of Orthodontists
I
t is at the fall meetings of the eight AA0 constituent societies that recent graduates are elected to membership in the American Association of Orthodontists. Once again, there will be several hundred during the next three months. It will be a new experience and a new step in their development, and most of them will wonder about the purposes and structure of the organization they are now entering. It is as a graduate student that a potential member first becomes a part of the orthodontic community. During this period, he receives preliminary indoctrination regarding the Association, but his student membership terminates when he completes his graduate training. He then becomes eligible to apply for associate membership prior to final enrollment as an active member some two years later. Not many AA0 members, old as well as new, realize that in planning its Diamond Anniversary next year the Association has a longer historical background than other specialty organizations in dentistry and, surprisingly, in many of the medical specialties as well. The first steps in organizing the Association took place in June, 1900, when the five founding orthodontists laid the foundation for “a Society whose chief aim should be the advancement of orthodontia.” Their By-Laws called for the first of a series of annual meetings to be held in June, 1901-even though the Society then consisted of only thirteen members. It took 49 years to pass the 1,000 mark. Today, only 25 years later, the total is not far from 8,000 AA0 members. During the intervening seventy-odd years, the original Constitution and By-Laws have been revised and rewritten several times to fit the needs of a growing organization. It does not take much imagination to realize that these changes were made by men just as devoted to the future progress of orthodontics as is characteristic of responsible AA0 leaders today. In the early days, the Association’s affairs were conducted by a few elected officers and several appointed committees. It was organized on a “town meeting” basis, with all business conducted by a general assembly of regular members. It worked well and they accomplished much-as long as the membership remained small. The increase in size was accompanied by an increase in responsibility-to the specialty, to the profession, and to the public to be served. The time had come when the general assemblies were no longer capable of solving the new 333
soGal. fOJVJl~Y1
wmomic. @‘lJ(‘Yill
illlcl
politic.i1l
JlJ~~lJJh‘l~S,
il
issurs
SlJJ~lll~~l~
firYil1g the 1mtio11. Insteat I)Otl>-
of partly infully informr~(1, clect(+l rcprwcntai11telligc11tly the wursf the Association o-1’
tivcs was indicatccl i1r ortlci~ to tl(~twniinc \VilS to fOllO\\-. It was tlurii~p tllc> iilitltll~~ 1 NO’s thl 11tw’. tl1oroughl~rcvisctl By-IJaws \vcrt’ atloptctl for the govcrnn1twt of the dsswiation. For the last w~w1 years, the Association has lw11 opcwting uirclrr a i,cprcsctrtati\t~ i’orm of goveritmclrt ii1 wliicdh a House of I)rlcgatcs has hccir 1wponsil~lc for clt%xniining dsswiation policy and conduct. So far, it has worked esceptionally well, with the principal rcslwiisil~ilit~fallin, 0. OIJ fifty tlclcgatcs frwl;\- c‘lwtc(l l1y the Asso&ition’s tight w11stituciit swictiw. I’t~rhaps it has work~~tl too ~11, i’or the regular mcmhcrs of tl1c Xssoc*iatiotl ~~111 ;I littlo too cw11tct1t to let the tlcltyatw makca all thr ticvisions. This is not as it should be, for in a frrc society NJ A4ssociatio11’s mc~ml~rs still hay9 ill1 Ol)ligiltiot1 to partieipatc~ acti\.cly in srttiii g the l)olic*its tllwt ill’t’ t0 tleternii1w i1 SlWc’iillt!-‘S i’uturc~. ~~ltl1011gl1 tl1(’ XL~C) B>--lda\vs ~l~‘ak of’ tl1c HOIISC~ils the “supreme anthoritativc! hdy Of tllc ASSo~iiltiOll.” tliey :tlso provitle, ii1 thtl best of tlrmocratic tratlitions. :I, w;1y fo1, tl1(~ ta(‘g11lat’ t11emlwr to 1~ hc:;11~l. It is tl0~1~ through Houw-~I)poi11tctl rcfcwnw ~on~mitttw that holtl regular hearings for frw ant1 O~CIJ tliscussion on 111>itttlrs of (~onwr11 to the specialty. Tlw ETouse listens, for CL-N~ tlclcgatc~ wants to rcpreseiit his “coiistit~1t~i1~?-” in the> lwst possible IJJalJllc’r. Not gcncrally realixctl is tl1;1t hc is i’ull>. it1formctl 011 most 01’ the problc~ms, for ht: spcncls IWIll!long hours stutlyin g the \olun1i11ons an111lal reports that :1w sent to him I17 the Boartl of Trustws ant1 tlw various (‘ouncdls ancl (‘ommittccs tl1at arc a part of the Association’s gowrtinic~iital strwt~irc. LZ rcfercn~c c~onimittcc acats as it sontitling l)o;1rtl to tl~tcrminc the n-ishcs Of XssocGition 1iicml1crs, W~)(YiillI~ on cw1trovc~rsial issuw lwiiig c~onsitlered I)!- the House. Owasionally, ~2iZ0 nicmlwrs Iwing out points th;lt IlilVC? 1Jbt !-c‘t h?lJ (‘OIJsidcrecl by the House, the Bo;1r(l, ant1 the (‘ouncils. Thtw arc then reported hack to the House of I)clegates prior to any final action that might 1~ taken. ()nw tlctt~rnii11c~~l ly tlic IIousc, AA() politics arc put iirto efGct I)>- clect(Yl officers, a sistctwman Boartl of Trustees, olwcn cwuncds, ant1 fi\-c wmmittcwcarefully sclcctccl to rc~prcsctrt tl1c wgiotral if 1331s co\-cretl l)y tlw =\ssociatioll’s eight constituent swictics. .\lI of thrsc offiicials, cwunc*ils, illltl wtnmitttw arty listctl on the last throc test I)iJRt’S of this issw of tl1r .101711S.\1,. Orcli11arily,., it is in his wt1stitncnt swirty that thus 11o\v memlwr first participates in orthodontic affairs. No one shoultl UllclWri~t~ this rrsponsihility; the day will soon come when his generation mill tlctcrminc Association policy, hut hc a11tl his wllcapws must first 1rar11 \vhat has got~c OIJ lwforc. A good plaw 1-O start l)articipatillg is in the activities oi’ tl1:l liong Range Study (:omn1ittcc--a committee cwmposed of younger men whose purposes are well defined in the wmmittw’s tit~lcl. It. is, moreover, the cwilstituc11t swic~tic3 that tlrt~~rniiiic~ ~110 is to set iiatioiial policies, for the Xmcrican Association of Orthodontists is so structurctl that both its IEousc of J)elrgates a11cl its Board of’ Trustees arc wmposctl of 11~~11t~lwtetl by the wiistitucnt so&dcs. ‘I’hcg arc tlicl onw who cl~~tc~rniine 11ational policies,
Editorid
335
and it is well that they are heltl rcsponsiblc for their actions by their colleagues 1)ac.k home. Selecting delegates ailtl trustees. therefore, is one of the most important responsil)ilities facing each of the Association’s eight constituent so&ties, for these cltdrcl ofirials will 1~ setting the course for orthodontics to follow for years to conic-in ctluc2tioli, ill rcsearvh, ill illtcrprofcssional and international relations, ill ethics and personal von(luct, anal in the all-important scientific 1)ul)lications ant1 library services that arc the hallmark of every scient,i& tlispipline. The Association will ccl&rate ii-s I)iamond Anniversary during its seventyfifth annual session in Las Vegas next April. Men elected to membership this fall will attend their first AA0 meeting in 1!37S, and most of them will participate ad\-eI,v in the Association’s Centcnuial in the year 2000. ITntlouhtcdl~-, they will eontinur to maintain the Association’s principal objectives “to advance the science and art of orthodontics, to encourage research, to promote high standards in ort~liotlontiv etlucation ant1 l)ractic*c, and to cvntrihutc its part to mankind’s hralth and wolfare.” K. If’. I).
The new member and the American Association of Orthodontists
I
t is at the fall meetings of the eight AA0 constituent societies that recent graduates are elected to membership in the American Association of Orthodontists. Once again, there will be several hundred during the next three months. It will be a new experience and a new step in their development, and most of them will wonder about the purposes and structure of the organization they are now entering. It is as a graduate student that a potential member first becomes a part of the orthodontic community. During this period, he receives preliminary indoctrination regarding the Association, but his student membership terminates when he completes his graduate training. He then becomes eligible to apply for associate membership prior to final enrollment as an active member some two years later. Not many AA0 members, old as well as new, realize that in planning its Diamond Anniversary next year the Association has a longer historical background than other specialty organizations in dentistry and, surprisingly, in many of the medical specialties as well. The first steps in organizing the Association took place in June, 1900, when the five founding orthodontists laid the foundation for “a Society whose chief aim should be the advancement of orthodontia.” Their By-Laws called for the first of a series of annual meetings to be held in June, 1901-even though the Society then consisted of only thirteen members. It took 49 years to pass the 1,000 mark. Today, only 25 years later, the total is not far from 8,000 AA0 members. During the intervening seventy-odd years, the original Constitution and By-Laws have been revised and rewritten several times to fit the needs of a growing organization. It does not take much imagination to realize that these changes were made by men just as devoted to the future progress of orthodontics as is characteristic of responsible AA0 leaders today. In the early days, the Association’s affairs were conducted by a few elected officers and several appointed committees. It was organized on a “town meeting” basis, with all business conducted by a general assembly of regular members. It worked well and they accomplished much-as long as the membership remained small. The increase in size was accompanied by an increase in responsibility-to the specialty, to the profession, and to the public to be served. The time had come when the general assemblies were no longer capable of solving the new 333
soGal. fOJVJl~Y1
wmomic. @‘lJ(‘Yill
illlcl
politic.i1l
JlJ~~lJJh‘l~S,
il
issurs
SlJJ~lll~~l~
firYil1g the 1mtio11. Insteat I)Otl>-
of partly infully informr~(1, clect(+l rcprwcntai11telligc11tly the wursf the Association o-1’
tivcs was indicatccl i1r ortlci~ to tl(~twniinc \VilS to fOllO\\-. It was tlurii~p tllc> iilitltll~~ 1 NO’s thl 11tw’. tl1oroughl~rcvisctl By-IJaws \vcrt’ atloptctl for the govcrnn1twt of the dsswiation. For the last w~w1 years, the Association has lw11 opcwting uirclrr a i,cprcsctrtati\t~ i’orm of goveritmclrt ii1 wliicdh a House of I)rlcgatcs has hccir 1wponsil~lc for clt%xniining dsswiation policy and conduct. So far, it has worked esceptionally well, with the principal rcslwiisil~ilit~fallin, 0. OIJ fifty tlclcgatcs frwl;\- c‘lwtc(l l1y the Asso&ition’s tight w11stituciit swictiw. I’t~rhaps it has work~~tl too ~11, i’or the regular mcmhcrs of tl1c Xssoc*iatiotl ~~111 ;I littlo too cw11tct1t to let the tlcltyatw makca all thr ticvisions. This is not as it should be, for in a frrc society NJ A4ssociatio11’s mc~ml~rs still hay9 ill1 Ol)ligiltiot1 to partieipatc~ acti\.cly in srttiii g the l)olic*its tllwt ill’t’ t0 tleternii1w i1 SlWc’iillt!-‘S i’uturc~. ~~ltl1011gl1 tl1(’ XL~C) B>--lda\vs ~l~‘ak of’ tl1c HOIISC~ils the “supreme anthoritativc! hdy Of tllc ASSo~iiltiOll.” tliey :tlso provitle, ii1 thtl best of tlrmocratic tratlitions. :I, w;1y fo1, tl1(~ ta(‘g11lat’ t11emlwr to 1~ hc:;11~l. It is tl0~1~ through Houw-~I)poi11tctl rcfcwnw ~on~mitttw that holtl regular hearings for frw ant1 O~CIJ tliscussion on 111>itttlrs of (~onwr11 to the specialty. Tlw ETouse listens, for CL-N~ tlclcgatc~ wants to rcpreseiit his “coiistit~1t~i1~?-” in the> lwst possible IJJalJllc’r. Not gcncrally realixctl is tl1;1t hc is i’ull>. it1formctl 011 most 01’ the problc~ms, for ht: spcncls IWIll!long hours stutlyin g the \olun1i11ons an111lal reports that :1w sent to him I17 the Boartl of Trustws ant1 tlw various (‘ouncdls ancl (‘ommittccs tl1at arc a part of the Association’s gowrtinic~iital strwt~irc. LZ rcfercn~c c~onimittcc acats as it sontitling l)o;1rtl to tl~tcrminc the n-ishcs Of XssocGition 1iicml1crs, W~)(YiillI~ on cw1trovc~rsial issuw lwiiig c~onsitlered I)!- the House. Owasionally, ~2iZ0 nicmlwrs Iwing out points th;lt IlilVC? 1Jbt !-c‘t h?lJ (‘OIJsidcrecl by the House, the Bo;1r(l, ant1 the (‘ouncils. Thtw arc then reported hack to the House of I)clegates prior to any final action that might 1~ taken. ()nw tlctt~rnii11c~~l ly tlic IIousc, AA() politics arc put iirto efGct I)>- clect(Yl officers, a sistctwman Boartl of Trustees, olwcn cwuncds, ant1 fi\-c wmmittcwcarefully sclcctccl to rc~prcsctrt tl1c wgiotral if 1331s co\-cretl l)y tlw =\ssociatioll’s eight constituent swictics. .\lI of thrsc offiicials, cwunc*ils, illltl wtnmitttw arty listctl on the last throc test I)iJRt’S of this issw of tl1r .101711S.\1,. Orcli11arily,., it is in his wt1stitncnt swirty that thus 11o\v memlwr first participates in orthodontic affairs. No one shoultl UllclWri~t~ this rrsponsihility; the day will soon come when his generation mill tlctcrminc Association policy, hut hc a11tl his wllcapws must first 1rar11 \vhat has got~c OIJ lwforc. A good plaw 1-O start l)articipatillg is in the activities oi’ tl1:l liong Range Study (:omn1ittcc--a committee cwmposed of younger men whose purposes are well defined in the wmmittw’s tit~lcl. It. is, moreover, the cwilstituc11t swic~tic3 that tlrt~~rniiiic~ ~110 is to set iiatioiial policies, for the Xmcrican Association of Orthodontists is so structurctl that both its IEousc of J)elrgates a11cl its Board of’ Trustees arc wmposctl of 11~~11t~lwtetl by the wiistitucnt so&dcs. ‘I’hcg arc tlicl onw who cl~~tc~rniine 11ational policies,
Editorid
335
and it is well that they are heltl rcsponsiblc for their actions by their colleagues 1)ac.k home. Selecting delegates ailtl trustees. therefore, is one of the most important responsil)ilities facing each of the Association’s eight constituent so&ties, for these cltdrcl ofirials will 1~ setting the course for orthodontics to follow for years to conic-in ctluc2tioli, ill rcsearvh, ill illtcrprofcssional and international relations, ill ethics and personal von(luct, anal in the all-important scientific 1)ul)lications ant1 library services that arc the hallmark of every scient,i& tlispipline. The Association will ccl&rate ii-s I)iamond Anniversary during its seventyfifth annual session in Las Vegas next April. Men elected to membership this fall will attend their first AA0 meeting in 1!37S, and most of them will participate ad\-eI,v in the Association’s Centcnuial in the year 2000. ITntlouhtcdl~-, they will eontinur to maintain the Association’s principal objectives “to advance the science and art of orthodontics, to encourage research, to promote high standards in ort~liotlontiv etlucation ant1 l)ractic*c, and to cvntrihutc its part to mankind’s hralth and wolfare.” K. If’. I).