Tau Sigma Harvest
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From the Executive Director
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Note from
Dr. Lee Colquitt
1
University of
North Carolina Wilmington
1
Building Relationships
As a Cornerstone...
2
East Stroudsburg
3
SUNY Cortland
3
Leadership
Conference 2016
3
Northern Illinois
University
4
Welcome New
Chapters and
Advisors
4
Happy Holidays!
It’s been a great year for Tau Sigma! First among the list of things to celebrate was the
first full year using our new online membership system! We are excited to make the
process of joining Tau Sigma even easier than it was before. We are also in the process
of updating our website and are excited to roll it out in the coming weeks!
We also enjoyed a few noteworthy milestones…
We established our 150th chapter!!!
We inducted our 50,000th member!!!
We awarded $75,000 in scholarships to bring our
total to over $350,000!!!
We celebrated Melanie’s 10-year anniversary
with Tau Sigma!!!
We are so excited about each of these milestones
and we look forward to many more years of success.
The strength of our organization is the awesome
group of advisors that work very hard to make their
chapters strong and to provide their members the
opportunity to thrive at their new academic home.
Lee Colquitt
University of North Carolina - Wilmington
As part of our philanthropy efforts, the Tau Sigma Beta Kappa chapter participated in
the Be #UnSelfie campaign for the Good Shepherd Center of Wilmington at our November meeting. The Good Shepherd Center of Wilmington helps
to support the hungry and homeless in our community. They are
asking for $5 donations between November 1 and December 1 as
part of the national Giving Tuesday initiative. They are also asking
that people help spread the word by taking an “UnSelfie”, posting
it on social media, and tagging 5 of their friends in addition to
sending in the $5 donation. The Beta Kappa chapter took this
#UnSelfie at their November meeting, and will be tagging 5 other
organizations on campus in addition to sending in a $5 donation to
Good Shepherd Center. Members were also encouraged to make
their own donation and post their own individual “UnSelfie”. This
is just one way our Tau Sigma Beta Kappa members are helping to
give back to our community this holiday season!
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Building Relationships as a Cornerstone to a Better Chapter
The Zeta Chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society at
the University of Central Florida (UCF) has taken on the
challenge of engaging the growing population of transfer
students at the 2nd largest university in the United States.
Transfer students are a majority when it comes to enrollment at UCF and despite their numbers, they are lacking
when it comes to campus involvement. Regardless, the
Zeta Chapter has found some success with reaching these
students through strategic efforts. Recently, 173 new members were inducted into the chapter during the fall and the
previous spring had 286 new members inducted. Much of this success is attributed to the character of
the executive board and their commitment to relationship building. In order to begin building a
strong chapter, the newly-elected executive board needed to build a strong foundation. This meant bi
-weekly meetings over the summer with the goal to develop a plan of action as well as to grow together as a team. This was not an easy process because as transfer students, the officers had classes,
jobs, family life, and other extracurricular responsibilities necessitating a balanced-out approach. Adjustment took time with the executive board members, but addressing conflicting tactics and outlooks during the summer avoided additional challenges with fall implementation. Communication
training and conflict management helped to get the team on the same page as well as teach them
about the importance of effective, interpersonal communication. Toward the end of the summer, not
only did the officers have a well-thought out schedule of events for members, but they also learned
how to work with each other. The success of summer planning and team building helped to set a
solid foundation for the chapter that extended to membership. The officers took their relationship
building strategies and started implementing activities not only showcasing the academic achievements of members, but also forging social bonds with them as well. At each meeting, the officers facilitate and participate in member networking as well as activities that assist with acquainting each
member with others in the group. Activities like “get to know you bingo” and “two truths and a lie”
have proven effective with engaging members and connecting them to the chapter. One of the
monthly activities further establishing the commitment to relationship building is the volunteer project. Each month around 20 Tau Sigma members participate together in a project that gives back to
the community and also allows for continued membership networking. Whether it is volunteering at
the local animal shelter, helping create food packages for the homeless, or coming together to recognize veterans during November, these students have made it clear that this is a popular signature program for member bonding. Tau Sigma National Honor Society at UCF was chartered back in 2002
and has since become a tradition of excellence for transfer students. In addition to excellence, an executive position on the board of this organization offers an opportunity not only to lead but also to
collaborate, work in a team, and ultimately form meaningful connections with peers. These are the
connections that impact the transition for transfer students and ultimately lead to an enriched transfer
experience.
Sharisse Kenney
Zeta Chapter Advisor, Tau Sigma National Honor Society
University of Central Florida
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East Stroudsburg University
Tau Sigma National Honor Society Newsletter
By Tori France - President of East Stroudsburg University’s Chapter of Tau Sigma
East Stroudsburg University's (ESU) chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society has expanded since it began only a few
years ago. New members were inducted in April 2015, and another induction ceremony will be held spring 2016. The
chapter is actively involved with the community and transfer students at ESU. Currently, Tau Sigma is coordinating their
efforts with the Transfer Student Union that was formed in order to network and assist transfer students who are not members of Tau Sigma. This allows all incoming transfer students to get involved and to obtain help from Tau Sigma members.
In addition to working with the new Transfer Student Union organization, Tau Sigma members are posting events and fundraising opportunities on FaceBook and other social media sites in order to emphasize the impact transfer students can make
around campus. New committees such as an Event Committee and Social Media Committee have been formed giving members the power to choose volunteer and fundraising opportunities. The chapter is presently selling Gertrude Hawk candy
bars to raise money for a variety of chapter initiatives. We also are currently holding can food drives to donate food items to
those in need. Members also participate in Transfer Days and campus tours in order to aid incoming transfer students. Additionally, members are actively involved in bake sales and fundraising around campus. Recently, active board members
have become certified student mentors who assist students throughout campus with transitioning into the university community. As the honor society continues to grow, the chapter hopes to continue getting its members actively involved in order to
enhance the transfer student’s experience at ESU.
SUNY CORTLAND
I’m excited to share that this will be the third year that the SUNY Cortland Chapter of Tau Sigma has had a surplus
of funds and are able to again offer a $250.00 chapter scholarship to a deserving member. The students who are
awarded the scholarship have been dedicated to assisting new transfer students by participating in the Transfer
Buddy program, new transfer welcome events and activities, and have been committed to the chapter.
This fall our chapter is also sponsoring a donation drive for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Elise Sedlacek, a
recent inductee, is leading the initiative to provide children who are going through chemo, surgeries, and other procedures with small items such as nail polish, puzzle books, small toys, journals, etc. Members most recently volunteered to attend the New Transfer Welcome BBQ to socialize and welcome new transfer to Cortland this fall.
Also a number of Tau Sigma members have volunteered to help with set-up, teardown, kids games, and hayrides at
the Cortland Pumpkinfest. This is a community festival that takes place the first weekend in October each fall. So
happy that Tau Sigma’s name is getting out in the community!
Tau Sigma Leadership Conference-2016-Orlando, Florida
It’s official! The 2016 Tau Sigma Leadership Conference
will be in sunny Orlando, Florida on October 7-9!
Be on the lookout for more details in the coming months!
We hope to see many of you there!
Contact us:
Tau Sigma National Honor Society
318 North College Street, Suite G
Auburn, AL 36830
Phone: 334-826-1071
Email: tausigma@bellsouth.net
www.tausigmanhs.org
Northern Illinois University
We recently had a bowling night at the NIU Huskies Den, where we had about
fifteen students pop through during the two hour event. Our students are also excited about promoting Engineers without Borders, a campus organization that uses
engineering to benefit people in disadvantaged countries. They have been posting
about those great opportunities which we hope to bring up during our upcoming
meetings.
WELCOME New Tau Sigma Chapters and Advisors:
William Paterson University-Keyana Darby
University of Illinois-Springfield-Lori Giordano
University of Indiana-Bloomington-Jessa Trimble
SUNY Buffalo State-Maria L. Kendzierski
Millersville University-Kyki Bobotas
Shepherd University-Shannon Holliday
Florida Atlantic University-Ashley Haynie
University of Washington-Bothell-Dan Scheuler
Monmouth University-Jean Judge
Lynchburg College-Jonathan Fries
Long Island University Post-Tyler Dukes
Coastal Carolina University-Susannah Marshman
University of Arkansas-Teresa Scott
Morehead State University-Jen Timmermann
Saint Xavier University- Eileen T. Luce
Cleveland State-Adam Sikula