Fall 2012 Newsletter, Vol. 1

-->

		AHA! Moments
November 8	Fall, 2012,  VOLUME 1
“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” ― Nelson Mandela “Be happy. It's one way of being wise.” ―Sidonie Gabrielle Colette “It is always good to know, if only in passing, charming human beings. It refreshes one like flowers and woods and clear brooks.” ―George Eliot		According to ptk.org, the Honors in Action program is “informed action designed to make a lasting impact and contribute to the betterment of society”.   The projects undertaken by the chapters are designed to be conducted in a scholarly manner, involving research into an issue, then identifying and implementing a course of action to address that issue. This year, the topic for HIA is The Culture of Competition, and the AHA chapter has chosen to address theme 6, Food Fight!: Competition and Food.  We hope to use this project to make a positive difference in the lives of Rose State College students who may be having difficulty in consistently providing nutritious meals for their families.  If you’d like to officially be part of the HIA committee, contact Deneise Cooley, VP of Service, and she’ll be glad to put you to work! However, whether or not you join the committee, there will be plenty of opportunities to be involved in this project, and we hope to see a lot of participation.  Keep an eye out for announcements on D2L and Facebook.   Welcome New Members President Maryann Scroggins welcomed new Phi Theta Kappans to the society in an induction ceremony November 3, 2012.  The ceremony included remarks from special guest, Matthew Wiedemann, of Redlands College.  Matthew serves as the Western District Vice President for the Oklahoma/Arkansas region of Phi Theta Kappa, and it was an honor to have him join us. Alpha Eta Alpha has welcomed approximately 55 new members this semester; we were pleased to have 16 of them join us for the ceremony.  At the same time, the chapter also inducted six new officers.  The ceremony was attended by members' family and friends, allowing an opportunity to celebrate scholarship and fellowship, two of the foundational hallmarks of our society.  In fact, there was so much fellowship, the ceremony had to be moved from the traditional location of the Student Center Raider Room to the Professional Training and Education Center.  It’s great to see our family growing! The program also provided a chance to exhibit our hallmark of service, as attendees at the ceremony brought donations of non-perishable food items to be used for the chapter Honors in Action project.  The donations will be used to fill the food bags that will be distributed to fellow Rose State students in need of meal assistance. Many thanks to everyone who came out to support our chapter, and welcome to the brand new members! Five Star Update The Five Star Chapter Development plan is explained as follows: "Phi Theta Kappa chapters have five levels of engagement that progress from local, campus involvement to regional involvement to international involvement. . . .This plan, which reflects the scholarly ideals of Phi Theta Kappa, serves as a blueprint for developing a strong chapter and for earning local, regional, and international recognition." The AHA goal is to achieve the Five Star level this semester, and we are on our way.  Before October ended, the chapter had achieved the rank of a Two Star organization.  Successful completion of other tasks throughout the semester, including the HIA project, will ensure that we achieve the Five Star level.   More Fun and Fellowship Saturday, October 6, Rose State College hosted the annual Global Oklahoma Festival. Alpha Eta Alpha was on hand to help celebrate and join in the fun.  The chapter began its fundraising activities to support the Honors in Action project by selling tote bags at the festival.  The weather was not cooperative this year, but the cooler temperatures couldn't keep the members away. Find Us on the WWW                           Image courtesy Danilo Rizzuti via FreeDigitalPhotos.net Alpha Eta Alpha is leveraging the power of the Internet to provide members several different ways of keeping up to date on all chapter activities. For those of you unable to attend our regular meetings, we have begun recording them for archive to YouTube.  For privacy reasons, they are unlisted videos, and can only be accessed by direct link. You can find the link for each session on D2L with the meeting minutes. Also, you can always find up to date information on D2L, Facebook, and our newly created chapter blog, AHA!.

-->-->