Greek Letter Organizations and Societies is in the process of implementing a new national Greek honor society, Gamma Sigma Alpha, according to director Wes Schaub. Membership is limited to affiliated juniors and seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.5.
Students meeting the minimum requirements have been extended an invitation to join the honor society and, thus far, 70 students have accepted, according to Schaub.
GLOS expects Gamma Sigma Alpha membership to grow because it is a recognition society with no real commitments attached.
"A lot of people worry when they join an organization that they are going to have more to do and it's going to put more on their plate," Schuab said. "Because this is a recognition society, really its purpose is to recognize those people who have already done things. This is their congratulations."
To join, potential members must pay a one-time induction fee of $60 to cover the cost of graduation cords and an induction ceremony, Schaub said. At the induction ceremony, members will have the option to invite faculty members to discuss academic issues and scholarly pursuits. Benefits will include the potential for future scholarships and leadership opportunities, he said.
Schuab said there will be opportunity for those interested to become more involved and create a group identity. Mostly, however, the honor society can serve as a resume item for students to highlight their academic achievements.
What the organization does for the College will be largely decided once members are inducted, Schuab said. Inducted members will likely elect a governing body, according to Greek Leadership Council moderator Duncan Hall '13.
Phillip Gordon '13, a member of Chi Heorot fraternity, accepted the invitation to join Gamma Sigma Alpha, but said he does not know what the society will bring to campus.
"It's kind of vague what this society does other than say, Congratulations, you're an honor student,' so it's hard to say what opportunities will come from this," Gordon said.
Gordon is also a member of the Order of Omega, another Greek honor society on campus, which focuses more on community service, he said.
Hall, who is in charge of coordinating membership, said he hopes the Gamma Sigma Alpha will come to recognize high-achieving Greek members on campus. The honor society will aim to bring relevant programming to campus as it gains momentum, he said.
The society will likely raise GPA requirements as it continues to recruit in subsequent years, but, for its inaugural class, Gamma Sigma Alpha will maintain the requirement of 3.5, Schaub said.
GLOS hopes to keep the recruitment process "low key" for the present, and once Gamma Sigma Alpha is chartered and fully functional at the College, society members will try to recruit more members.
Dartmouth will be the second Ivy League institution after the University of Pennsylvania to bring Gamma Sigma Alpha to campus.
Other universities, including Northwestern University, Ohio State University, the University of California, Los Angeles and the College of William and Mary, have also established chapters of Gamma Sigma Alpha.
