Honor society’s ceremony interrupted by tornado sirens
By: RYAN COYLE
Staff Writer
In the STLCC-Meramec cafeteria, on Thursday, April 3, Phi Theta Kappa attempted to induct its new members amid tornado sirens and trips to safe areas. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the world’s oldest and largest honor society for junior colleges. Kay Blalock, Meramec history professor is the Interim Advisor for PTK’s Meramec chapter, Xi Lambda.
“Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for two-year college students. It provides opportunities for motivated students to network, locate scholarship opportunities and meet like-minded individuals for intellectual discourse,” Blalock said.
Students may be intimidated by the term “honor society,” but according to Blalock, the selection process is based on students who have taken 12 credit hours that can be applied to a degree program (Courses 100+) and hold a cumulative 3.5 GPA.
There is however, a one-time entry fee of $90. “Compare the costs, whether that is money, time, effort, again it comes down to the benefits, like you do when you purchase anything. Weigh the pros and cons; for some students, it is worth more than others,” Blalock said.
Xi Lambda Officer Lillian Pride said she believes joining was well worth it. “When I began as a student, I was demoralized. I dropped out of the nursing program at a four-year university because I was overwhelmed. PTK helped me focus and helped me succeed … I wouldn’t have done the campus garden initiative (referring to a development project Pride founded at Meramec) if I didn’t have PTK backing me. It gave me any success I end up with and it gave me a career path,” Pride said.
