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Helping hand
Faculty members, departments help students with Phi Beta Kappa initiation
fees.
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When Peter Orazem was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a college student
he didn't have to pay a fee to join.
So when the University Professor of economics became involved in Iowa
State's Phi Beta Kappa chapter, he was surprised to learn there was a
$25 initiation fee.
But when that fee jumped to $60, he and other Iowa State faculty members
of Phi Beta Kappa decided to do something about it.
"For years the membership cost $25," Orazem said. "Then they raised it
to $40 before it went up to $60 a few years ago.
"For us to say here's this fabulous honor and oh, by the way, you
have to pay $60 to join is ridiculous."
Based on a suggestion by Madeleine Henry, professor of foreign languages
and literatures, Orazem has coordinated a program encouraging current
and retired faculty members and academic departments in the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences to pay for student memberships. The first year,
nine students were sponsored. That increased to 17 the next year and 29
last spring.
Orazem already knows that they are going to dramatically surpass that
figure this year.
Thirty-one students in the biological sciences will be sponsored via contributions
from departments and faculty from the Department of Ecology, Evolution
and Organismal Biology, the Department of Genetics Development and Cell
Biology, the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology,
and the BEST (Biology Education Success Team) learning community.
"It's one way that departments and faculty members can, at a modest
cost, recognize our best students," Orazem said. "This is a
way to have faculty and staff make an individual connection with a student."
Other departments have agreed to sponsor at least some of their majors
including psychology, statistics, chemistry, music, anthropology, physics
and economics.
A total of 87 sponsorships have already been collected and Orazem has
hopes of collecting even more.
"There are a few others that have sponsored students in the past
that are planning to sponsor at least some of their majors again this
year," Orazem said. "We have also had faculty members who say
they didn't have this student as a major, but had them in a general education
class and they really enjoyed having them in their class and want to recognize
them."
The Iowa State program has become such a success that the national Phi
Beta Kappa office has touted the program to other chapters across the
nation.
This year, 25 juniors and 99 seniors have been invited to join.
Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is given annually to students who are outstanding
members of the oldest national honorary society majoring in the disciplines
based in the sciences, humanities and social sciences.
There are Phi Beta Kappa chapters at 249 higher education institutions.
No college or university may induct more than two percent of the junior
class or more than ten percent of the senior graduating class including
those selected as juniors.
"Everyone recognizes Phi Beta Kappa. It's a household word that is
a mark of intellectual distinction," says Patricia Thiel, Distinguished
Professor of liberal arts and sciences and professor of chemistry, who
is the president of the Iowa State Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
"We would love to be able to sponsor everybody and hopefully one
day that will happen," Orazem said. "But until then it's nice
to be able to say to some students that we recognize you for your achievements
and not charge them for that recognition."
Around LAS
April 11-24, 2005
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