Memorable Initiations
Let the Love of Learning Rule Humanity
Memorable Initiations
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Page
Suggestions for a Meaningful Initiation Ceremony ...............................................................2
Essentials for Your Chapter’s Initiation Ceremony ...............................................................3
Explanation of the Phi Kappa Phi Motto .............................................................................4
Notes ................................................................................................................................5
Suggestions for a Memorable Initiation Ceremony
The following suggestions are intended to assist chapter
officers in planning and conducting successful and
memorable initiations.
Initiation into Phi Kappa Phi can and should be a
memorable occasion for new members and their guests.
Š Use appropriate music, such as Phi Kappa Phi’s
Centennial March.
Š Have flowers for decoration.
Š Display the Phi Kappa Phi banner.
Š Wear academic regalia.
Š Have faculty and initiates enter the ceremony facility
in procession.
Š For optimal viewing of the initiation, the audience
should sit, not directly behind the candidates, but
rather in positions flanking them or as nearly frontal
as reasonably possible.
Š Provide programs listing new initiates, award
recipients, special guests, etc. Templates are available
at PhiKappaPhi.org.
Š Invite university administrators, alumni members,
parents, family, and friends.
Š Have a speaker address a subject related to academic
or professional excellence and achievement.
Š Recognize any Fellowship/Award of Excellence,
Scholar/Artist, Study Abroad, or Chapter Award
recipients and explain the significance of the
award(s).
Š Encourage students to purchase stoles, honor cords,
and medallions for use at graduation.
Š Host a reception or dinner after the ceremony. For
many students, cost can be a barrier to accepting
membership. Many chapters have found that a
reception is less expensive than a dinner banquet.
Š Determine what month of the year, day of the week,
and time of day is most conducive for participants
and guests.
Š Consider “tapping” new members. A tapping
ceremony is used on some campuses as a vehicle to
invite new members, including faculty and
administrators. It provides increased visibility and
name recognition for Phi Kappa Phi. For details,
refer to PhiKappaPhi.org or contact the Chapter
Development Department at 1-800-804-9880,
ext. 224 for instructions and a script.
Š Recognize national Board and committee members
when they are in attendance.
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The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Photo courtesy of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas
A presentation related to academic or professional excellence and
achievement engages the audience and conveys the values and traditions
of Phi Kappa Phi.
Recognizing award recipients (national and/or local) from your
chapter with a framed certificate adds a special touch to the ceremony.
Photo courtesy of Florida Atlantic University
Academic regalia adds dignity to the ceremony and conveys to new
initiates and guests the honor of membership in Phi Kappa Phi.
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Essentials for Your Chapter’s Initiation Ceremony
A memorable initiation ceremony involves considerable
planning and attentiveness to detail. Below is a list of things to
do and to consider doing to make the intiation memorable.
SECURING LISTS OF PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS — As soon as
possible after the beginning of the term in which the initiation
is to take place, chapters should:
Š Obtain ranked (“sorted”) lists from the registrar’s office.*
Š Eliminate recent transfer students (less than 24 hours
completed at your institution).
Š Calculate the top percentage groups of second-semester
juniors (7.5%) and seniors, graduate students, and
professional students (10%).
* Chapter officers should refer to the Society Bylaws, Article IV, Sections 3.1 and 3.2
for specific details regarding the undergraduate and graduate/professional school
membership eligibility requirements. Many chapters have found that determining
eligibility separately by using the academic units within the institution (at the
university, college, or program level; e.g. MBA, College of Engineering, etc.)
provides a broader opportunity to reach students across all disciplines.
Section 3.4 of the Society Bylaws provide the explanation for inducting alumni
and faculty/professional staff. Should you have specific questions related to
the election of new members, please contact a member of the Chapter Development
Department for assistance at 1-800-804-9880, ext. 224.
SCHEDULE FOR THE INVITATION-TO-MEMBERSHIP PROCESS
Š Write or e-mail invitees informing them of their election
to membership. Acceptance rates increase when this letter
is from the college/university president/chancellor or the
chief academic officer.
Š Mail invitation packets to prospective members two
months before the initiation.
Š Have prospective members return all materials to a
designated chapter officer one month before the initiation.
Š Place orders for printed certificates and other items with
Society Headquarters no less than three weeks before the
date needed by the chapter.
INVITATION-TO-MEMBERSHIP PACKETS SHOULD INCLUDE,
but are not limited to:
Š Congratulatory letter from chapter president or chair of
the member selection committee. It should contain
detailed instructions on the acceptance procedure. Be
certain to include local chapter contact name, telephone
number, and e-mail address.
Š Phi Kappa Phi information brochures.
Š Permanent Record of Election Form (PRE, Form A-6).
The new initiate should return the PRE form to the
chapter, NOT to Society Headquarters. The chapter will
forward all PREs to Society Headquarters.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Š Self-addressed return envelope to the designated chapter
officer for the return of PRE and other items.
Š Letters from a chapter officer, advisor, president, provost,
dean, or student member to invitee.
FULLFILLMENT AND ONLINE ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS—
Society Headquarters has developed two programs to assist
chapters with the invitation-to-membership process. Please
contact the Chapter Enrollment Coordinator for details at
1-800-804-9880, ext. 220.
PUBLICIZING THE INITIATION — Before and after the
initiation, publicize the event through campus and community
media outlets. Before the initiation, announce the time and
date, along with information regarding the speaker and/or
special guests. After the initiation, provide pictures, a brief
description of the ceremony, and the names of new initiates to
the media, including your college/university news bureau. For
more information, contact the Communications Director at
1-800-804-9880, ext. 218.
MAINTAINING LISTS OF MEMBERS — Chapters are
encouraged to institute a procedure for identifying and
tracking their members. When students, faculty, administrators,
and professional staff are initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, the
chapter secretary is encouraged to contact the registrar's office
that Phi Kappa Phi membership may be added to the initiates'
comments files in the college/university's records. The chapter
is then able to obtain member reports based on various
queries, such as:
Š Current. A list of current Phi Kappa Phi members on
campus.
Š Graduation. A list that contains the names of students
who are both Phi Kappa Phi members and who are
scheduled to graduate. This information enables the
chapter to submit a list of Phi Kappa Phi members for
recognition in the commencement program.
To identify Phi Kappa Phi alumni (members-at-large) in
the surrounding community, contact the Chapter Development
Department at Society Headquarters at 1-800-804-9880, ext.
224.
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EXPLANATION OF THE PHI KAPPA PHI MOTTO
Φιλοσοφια Κρατειτω Φωτωφν
The following may be used in the initiation ritual. It is
printed here to provide a fuller explanation of the motto.
“Let the love of learning rule humanity”
Φ
ι
λ
ο
σ
ο
φ
ι
α
Philosophía
The first word of the motto literally means “love of wisdom”
or “love of knowledge and wisdom,” a Greek word compounded from phílos meaning “loving” or “friendly” and
sophía meaning “wisdom.” However, for historical reasons,
the Society uses the phrase “love of learning” out of respect
for the founders’ English version of the motto that seems to
have preceded the Greek version. Because the founders probably intended to emphasize the value of what is gained
through the process of learning and not merely the process
itself, the original translator (Professor J.H. Huddilston of the
University of Maine) apparently used philosophía rather than
Κρατειτω
philomátheia, the more common way of rendering “love of
learning” in Greek (see Plato’s Republic 499e for a nearly synonymous use of both terms).
The 6th century B.C. Greek sage Pythagoras is traditionally
credited with coining the term philosophía. Pythagoras modestly refused to call himself “wise” as some others did, preferring “lover of wisdom.” Pythagorean doctrines had a strong
influence on Plato who, in the Republic, criticizes the claims of
the sophists (“wise ones”) but advocates the idea of lovers of
wisdom (philósophoi) as rulers of society.
Krateíto
The second word of the motto is a verb in the imperative
mood, meaning “Let...rule.” As a strong imperative, it is an
exhortation to action, not merely a hope or wish, hence “let”
is used rather than “may.” The basic meaning of the word is
the exertion of power and control, derived from the noun
krátos, meaning “strength” or “might.” Krátos is also a source
of the terms “democracy” (rule of the people) and “aristocracy” (rule of the noble).
According to Dr. Edward Schriver, author of the 1972 history of the Society (In Pursuit of Excellence: The Honor Society of
Phi Kappa Phi 1897-1971, p. 10), the original version of the
Greek motto was Philosophía Krateî Photôn (then translated as
“The love of learning rules all mankind”). He notes (p. 21)
that this claim was called a “barefaced lie” in 1962 by Joseph
Wood Krutch, who had been initiated years earlier at the
University of Tennessee. Others, agreeing in the wake of
World War II that the world was, in fact, often ruled by selfishness, brutality, irrationality, and a greed for power, changed
krateî to to krateíto and the English “rules” to “Let...rule” at
the 1969 Special Convention in Los Angeles.
Φωτωφν
Photôn
The third word appears in classical Greek poetry and drama;
for example, in Euripides with the meaning of “mortals” in
contrast to the gods or the “immortals.” The 1995
Convention in St. Louis changed the official wording from
“mankind” to “humanity” on the grounds that the term
“mankind” had come to have sexist connotations alien to the
historically inclusive ideals of Phi Kappa Phi.
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The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
NOTES
This space is provided for you to document new tips and ideas to incorporate in future ceremonies. It also is a place
to make notes for future reference of what may/may not have worked.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
7
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
7576 Goodwood Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
800.804.9880
E-mail: [email protected]
PhiKappaPhi.org
rev. 09/14