By Samantha Ortiz
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The honors society Phi Theta Kappa held a new member orientation Dec. 8 in the Forum at Camden County College.
Chris Carroll, the president of Phi Theta Kappa, speaks at the new member orientation. By Samantha Ortiz, CCC Journalism Program
Adviser Daniel Flisser said this meeting occurs every fall, with this one being the second, even though Phi Theta Kappa has been offered at Camden County College for years. Seventy members were invited, but around 30 members attended.
Raise your hand if you thought Phi Theta Kappa was a sorority or a fraternity. Many people tend to think that, including the president, Chris Carroll, so do not feel foolish if your hand was raised.
The new member orientation was a way to inform new members of what Phi Theta Kappa is truly about.
“The purpose of the orientation is to instill a desire in our new members to become active in the organization,” said Carroll.
At the orientation, Carroll discussed how PTK is a service-based honors society. This means everyone involved in the society engages in helpful services in the community, having the opportunity to feel good doing so. Past service events include tree planting in Camden and adopting a family. A turkey drive and book drive are planned for the near future.
Several members at the orientation confirmed they did “feel good” after participating in past services.
Carroll and the vice president, Delithea Evans, informed the meeting attendees feeling good can also be accomplished in another important way besides being active in the services. Being a member of PTK is automatically recognized as being a successful enough student to have at least a 3.5 GPA and being in the top 10 percent of the student body.
In addition, belonging to PTK helps members become more eligible for scholarships. It was said at the orientation $36 million worth of scholarships have been given out because of PTK. It sure would feel good to be rewarded for being an intelligent student by getting scholarships for college.
Emily Coates, a CCC student and new PTK member, said because of attending the new member orientation, she plans on volunteering and getting scholarship opportunities.