June/July 2001
Issue

A Great Time to Welcome New Members
"When all the summer applications were totaled we had increased our membership by over 15 percent all in one day."

More and more chapters are taking advantage of the summer months to induct new members into Phi Theta Kappa. And with good reason...summer inductions may be more laid-back than formal spring affairs, but they infuse the chapter with enthusiastic new members who help jumpstart the chapter’s academic year.

Adding another induction to your chapter’s calendar also helps your chapter meet its goal in the Pinnacle Scholarship Award Program. This new program, modeled after the successful Journey Challenge Program, rewards chapters with scholarship stipends for achieving a 10 percent membership increase over the preceding year. Dates for inducting and reporting new members will be January 1 - December 31 every year. Successful chapters receive a certificate at their regional awards ceremony and a $100 scholarship to be used at their discretion.

We recently asked one advisor to share her chapter’s success story with summer inductions. Below is an excerpt of Advisor Services Coordinator Kathy Hayes’ conversation with chapter advisor Debbie Proctor of St. Petersburg Junior College’s Clearwater campus in Florida.

Did you begin holding summer inductions to meet the Journey Challenge (the membership recruitment program initiated by the 1998-99 International Officers)?
When the Journey Challenge was announced, the Tau Zeta Chapter began to look at ways we could increase the number of students that accept membership into Phi Theta Kappa. Immediately we recognized that there were a significant amount of students that were eligible for membership during the summer session. These students fell into one of two groups — brand new students who had just earned enough credit hours and the grade point average for membership or students eligible for quite some time who were graduating during the summer, but had never accepted membership.

Did summer inductions ultimately help you meet the Journey Challenge?
Having the summer inductions definitely helped to alleviate concerns as to whether or not we could meet the Journey Challenge. Since the chapter already had an induction process in place for the fall and spring, it was relatively easy to add one in the summer. When all the summer applications were totaled we had increased our membership by over 15 percent all in one day. This allowed the officers to take the time to formulate new ideas to recruit members in the fall semester while feeling that they had a greater chance of meeting the Journey Challenge. I am proud to say that the Tau Zeta Chapter met the Journey Challenge in 1999 and 2000!

How does your summer induction differ from your other inductions?
Living in Florida, we are really in heated competition for students’ time with the beaches, water sports, and summer attractions all minutes away. (And in this weather, no one wants to get all dressed up!)

Therefore, while we still give out all the same information during our inductions, we have made the mood more festive and casual to continue with the summer frame of mind. Last year, we held a picnic at the beach and went swimming and watched the sunset afterwards. We also removed trash from the beach area and our guest speaker presented an issue from the Honors Study Topic

"In the Midst of Water: Origin and Destiny of Life" so our members felt this was a "big" event and significant of their time. We have found that when we incorporate several events/projects into one big event then we get a better turnout.

Does your chapter plan summer fellowship activities for your new members?
Summer is a great time to plan and train for the next year, and we take full advantage of this time period. However, we definitely want to keep the students thinking about Phi Theta Kappa in the summer and there’s no better way to do it than with activities.

What are some of the activities you have planned?
The Tau Zeta Chapter stays active in the summer by scheduling events such as leadership training, picnics, museum trips, and movie nights. Tau Zeta reaffirms their presence on campus by volunteering during open houses, assisting new students with registration, and serving on campus and college -- wide committees.

In the community, Tau Zeta maintains its strong connection by continuing to work with the Youth Engineering Society, a mentoring program with local middle school children as a part of America’s Promise; building houses with Habitat for Humanity; removing debris from our Adopt-a-Street; and cleaning up the area piers and beaches.

Within the region, Tau Zeta networks with other Florida chapters at their events and attends the Regional Honors Institute. At the international level, Tau Zeta members keep in touch with new friends made at the International Convention, and we attend the International Honors Institute. We are also preparing for the satellite seminars this fall on the Honors Study Topic.

Do you find that your summer inductees come back in the fall as active members?
Not only do approximately half of our students come back in the fall, but we usually get several students so "hooked" on Phi Theta Kappa that they end up becoming officers. We also invite all the students who are showing some interest in becoming further involved to participate in our officer training and planning sessions in the summer. We’re pretty optimistic that we can keep the students coming once we’ve gotten them involved!

Advisor questions and concerns? Contact Advisor Services Coordinator Kathy Hayes at 601.957.2241, ext. 522.

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