ALPHA KAPPA ORIENTATION CEREMONY

Oct. 19-  PTK Alpha Kappa Chapter executives and faculty administrators hosted an orientation ceremony for new members. The goal of the orientation was to explain to inductees that PTK is a prestigious honor society that offers a wide range of benefits, not a sorority or a fraternity. 

Senior PTK members and administrators fielded all questions from new and prospective members and provided anecdotal accounts of how PTK has opened up new opportunities for them. Executive board member Euri Parios stressed the advantage of meeting “like-minded, intelligent, and ambitious people,” and then added “PTK will drive you to the top and make you a better person.”

Ajae Gonzalez, another executive board member, explained to students that PTK has a way of incorporating every member’s unique skill set into the organization. Gonzalez uses his training in photography to take pictures at PTK meetings and events for use on the Alpha Kappa blog.

The goal of the orientation was to get students excited about PTK membership. Present at the meeting was BMCC student Romina Moyano. “I thought I wouldn’t have time for [PTK],” said Moyano, “but the more I looked into the more excited I became. Today I realized it’s a great opportunity.”

HONORS IN ACTION AT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

OCT 9- BMCC hosted the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Leadership Conference over the weekend. The goal of the conference was to educate new members about PTK programs and to foster relationships between NY State chapters.

Regional Secretary Brianna Young hoped to share what she learned about the Honors in Action Program while attending the Honors Institute last summer. The theme of the program is the democratization of information, a topic that challenges students to explore how information is spread during the Twenty-First Century. This subject has been embraced by the members Alpha Gamma Nu from Tompkins Cortland Community College.

“We’re still in the brainstorming stage,” said PTK member Lili Van de Bogart. She and fellow Tompkins student, Deana LeBlanc, were attracted to the Regional Conference in NYC because they hoped to do their Honors Project on the Wall Street protest. Particularly, they wanted to explore how the Internet has attracted supporters and exposed questionable police activity. “When Information can be shared by everyone, then you have power,” added Van de Bogart.

Another PTK member from Tomkins Cortland, Sean Holbert, is interested in doing the Honors project on natural gas mining in his own backyard. “In rural towns it’s more useful to have face to face gatherings for discussion.” Said Holbert. As an environmental studies major, Holbert would like to investigate how energy companies mining the Marcellus Shale are releasing deadly toxins into the environment.

The conference succeeded in bringing the Tompkins Cortland students together with senior PTK members like Brianna Young, who said of the Honors in Action Program, “Democratization of information is how we learn, and as Honor Society members we love to learn.”

Congratulations to our new members

Congratulations!

      As a student in a community, technical, or junior college, you have achieved an outstanding scholastic average, which puts you in the upper 10 percent of all students enrolled in two-year college systems. As you make a decision to accept membership in Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two Year College, we encourage you to use the insights and intellect that have served you well in other important decisions you've made regarding your education. We recognize your individual talents, needs, and aspirations. We also understand that your time is valuable. Your decision to become a member must be based on your own determination that the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society provides you prestigious recognition for your academic excellence and key opportunities for continuous success.