Dear Chapter Advisors:

Welcome to another exciting year of Michigan Business Professionals of America! This message serves as your first weekly update for the 2011-2012 school year. Updates--now known as Tuesday Tipster--will be sent on Tuesday of each week.

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO--40 YEARS AND COUNTING…
Michigan BPA is celebrating our 40th anniversary this year and we’re doing it big. You’re going to be glad you’re still around to see all the improvements. You will see so many changes throughout the entire year. The first of the changes is our full throttle jump into social media…Facebook, Twitter, a mobile app, videos, and more.

The state officers and state staff have worked this summer to bring you and your students a wonderful experience this school year. Visit http://www.michiganbpa.org/welcome-to-the-40th-year-of-michigan-bpa to read all about our exciting new plans.

Since we are entering such heavy social media and other forms of technological communication with our students, the News & Notes newsletter is a thing of the past. Readership of that publication had diminished tremendously over the years and our students would much rather communicate and hear our news via Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, make sure your “friend us” and read our “tweets” at:
facebook.com/michiganbpa and twitter.com/michiganbpa. The state officers will be communicating with our members via all technological outlets.

A very special thank you to (alumni volunteer) Technology Coordinator Nate Cradit (yes, notice his new title). He really has been monumental in helping Michigan BPA branch out into these areas.

SHARE TUESDAY TIPSTER WITH NEW ADVISORS
In light of the fact that there are many advisor changes this year, please share this message and future messages with any new co-advisors at your school until we are able to get them into our database. Continue to forward these messages and ask them to let you know when they can stop doing so once they start receiving them from the state director directly.

ADVISOR UPDATES
We are in the process of updating our databases based upon the advisor information forms we have received. If you have not returned your advisor information update form or advisor code of ethics form, please do so as quickly as possible.

Advisors who are retired or are not returning to BPA may still be on our mailing list(s). We will remove your from our lists as soon as possible. Please be understanding with the time it will take to update our information.

2011-2012 STATE SERVICE PROJECT
From: Becca McBryde, State Historian
The State Executive Council is excited to announce that the 2011-2012 State Service Project is the Salvation Army. Please encourage your members to donate money and/or clothing and to help show support. Our goal is to collect 500 pounds of clothing and $1,000.00 to donate by the 2012 State Leadership Conference. Please keep track of any donations until it is time for them to be picked up by the Salvation Army. More details/information will be sent in future Tuesday Tipster updates.

FALL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
In mid-August, we mailed information about the fall conference. Information and registration instructions regarding this event can be found on our Web site at http://www.michiganbpa.org/flc.

URGENT: If you wish to arrive the evening prior to the conference, reservations for the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center must be received no later than this Friday (September 9, 2011). Rates are: $89 (single/double); $99 (triple); and, $109 (quad). A mandatory 7% county tax must be paid. Schools are exempt from the 6% state tax if paying with a school check. Call 1.800.875.5090 and reference the “Business Professionals of America” group name to secure the group rate.

Advisors from Region 5 (the Upper Peninsula) will meet with me via videoconference on Tuesday, October 11, 2011. Information regarding that meeting will be sent from your regional advisor.

COMPETITIVE EVENTS GUIDELINES AVAILABLE
The 2011-2012 Workplace Skills Assessment Program Guidelines are available for download from the National BPA Web site. All chapter advisors MUST download this material because a hard copy will *NOT* be mailed to anyone. Visit www.bpa.org/compete/eventdownload to download the WSAP Guidelines. In addition to the event guidelines, please make sure you download all the ancillary documents as well.

Make sure you download the set of guidelines that is applicable to your division (Postsecondary/College OR Secondary/High School).

Please download the following documents:

• Complete 2012 WSAP Guidelines
• Style and Reference Manual (pdf)
• Individual Event Entry Form and Statement of Originality
• Team Event Entry Form and Statement of Originality
• Release Form
• 2011-2012 HR Manual

NATIONAL BPA UPDATES
Important messages and updates received throughout the year will be posted on the advisors page of our Web site. Many messages sent from National BPA don’t transmit to some advisors. This new advisors’ page will be an important part of your BPA year.

ADVISORS’ CODE OF ETHICS FORMS
All chapter advisors must submit an updated advisor code of ethics form. This form must be signed by the advisor and a school administrator. This form is available for download from the “Documents” page of our Web site. Please send this completed form (page 2 only) to our toll-free fax number located on the form.

ADVISORS' ALTERNATE E-MAIL/DUPLICATE MESSAGES
In addition to everyone's primary e-mail address, some alternate e-mail addresses were put on our main e-mail lists. If you are receiving duplicate messages and do not wish to do so, please let me know and we will remove whichever e-mail address you indicate. We typically request an alternate e-mail address because we know that e-mail systems do go down from time to time. Our apologies if this has become a nuisance to anyone.

Please check with all your fellow chapter advisors to make sure they received this message. If they did not receive this e-mail message, then there is a 99% chance they are not on our mailing list.

PAST TUESDAY TIPSTER E-MAIL UPDATES
Tuesday Tipster advisor e-mail updates will be archived on the Advisors page of our Web site. Similar to previous school years, if you feel that you may have missed any updates, visit that site. Each Tuesday Tipster will be numbered, therefore you will know if you missed any messages.