Philosophy of Student Chapters

1. Why start a CPFI chapter on your campus?

Christian pharmacy students recognize the common need for support and encouragement during a very important period in their personal and professional development. Students have a need for spiritual stability. As Christians within their profession, they share common needs, goals, and interests. It is very appropriate to form a student organization; a platform on which to build their ministry to each other and the world.

Forming an official organization gives students visibility. Chartered student chapters are recognized as official campus organizations and as such, often qualify for designated monies set aside for all student groups on campus. Scheduled events are given sanctioned visibility by virtue of their formal status on campus. Visibility is useful because it lends credibility to efforts to speak about current issues in pharmacy. With such visibility, student chapters provide a platform from which a witness can be made to others on campus.

2. Chapter Autonomy

To allow chapters to focus on the ministry needs on their campus, each chapter will have total autonomy and will be responsible for all of their activities. Since each chapter is autonomous, each student chapter will be different in structure and activities. Some chapters meet for fellowship as much as once a week and others as little as once a semester. Other activities may include Bible study, prayer, singing, special guest speakers, potlucks and/or discussions of bioethical issues, etc. Groups can range from very informal, such as having an occasional activities/meeting, to a very structured organized group that has officers and a set of by-laws as established by the chapter. Student chapters desiring to raise funds and/or establish a checking account will be responsible for developing its own incorporation. The best source for information on how to accomplish this would be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

3. Finances

Fundraising, managing the chapter treasury, and budgeting shall be done according to the student organization policies of the chapter’s institution, and chapters are financially independent of CPFI. This means that while CPFI does not assist with the chapter expenses, chapters are not expected to make payments to be officially recognized. Also, chapters are not permitted to use the CPFI tax ID number.

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