Mortar Board Pallas Chapter
Orientation 2016-2017
Mortar Board???
 What makes people do THIS?
What I am getting into?
 It’s a family.
National Information
 Founded in 1918, originally for senior women
 Scholarship, Leadership, Service
 250000 alumni and >200 chapters, nationwide!
 www.mortarboard.org -- has LOTS of
informationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V7BPPh7d-E
National Project
 “Reading is Leading”
 Made the permanent national project in 2002.
 Goal is to get people back into books by advocating
reading.
 Virtual Book Drive: Fundraising challenge in which
chapters compete to raise funds to bring new books to
local programs serving children from low-income
families. Visit: www.firstbook.org/mortarboard
Louisville Mortar Board
 Since 1947; descended from Pallas Honorary 1932
 Around 1500 chapter alumni
 Put out Official UL Planner c. 1979-2010
 Lots of work – we’d need help
 Can revive it – IU has great sales with alumni
 Time window will close if we don’t take action
Service projects: help with soup kitchens, book drives, on
campus lectures, advertise public talks, work with
children’s homes, Academic Hall of Fame, etc.
Officers
 EVERYONE has a job and should lead something
 Usual: President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer
 Others: Service, Social (build the group!), Recruitment,
Alumni, Tapping, Orientation, Planner (when we do
it), Webmaster, Fundraising (important!) See next
slides for details.
 We’re free to set up as we like
 We usually have many co-chairs
 Everyone should write an annual report for chapter
Officers
 President: sets agenda, meets regularly with advisor(s),
usually attends national conference, fills in reports for
national office, delegates, leads both by example and
by encouraging others to be leaders, annual report for
national office
 VP: helps President as needed, often takes charge of a
few key projects; takes over if President gets ill etc.
 Treasurer: handles bank account, writes checks (cosigned by advisor), writes financial reports for national
office, keeps accurate financial records, annual report
for national office
Some office descriptions – cochairs, multiple jobs possible
 Secretary: get people’s schedules before the semester starts, put
up electronic polls for meeting times if they’re not at regular
times, call meetings (the more advance, the better)
 Flower Chair: organize flower sales, enlist other members to
help
 Recruitment/membership Chair: advertise annual application
time - newspaper, e-mail blitzes, writing to RSOs, collect
applications, ensure they’re complete
 Tapping Chair: organize tapping, keep track of who is tapped
(can be shared with another position)
Some Office Descriptions
 Service Chair: think up, plan, run service projects (with all
members) – MOST important!
 Orientation/Induction Chair: plan and run these two crucial
early events (can be shared with another position)
 Alumni Chair: correspond with alumni, work with UL Alumni
Association
 Fundraising Chair: think up, plan and organize fundraising
events for Chapter expenses or charity
 Social Chair: think up, plan, run social events (with all
members) – very important!
Some office descriptions
 Historian: attend events, take pictures, generate
document at end of year with photos (at least a couple
of pages), liaise with previous historians to put together
chapter history
 Communication/Social Media/PR: head up
communications with other RSOs (joint service
projects, social events etc.), general public, advertising,
Facebook etc.
 Webmaster: keep up website
Some office descriptions
 Special Projects: Academic Hall of Fame – maintain
lists, research history of national scholarship winners
(after earning Bachelor’s or above)
 Special Projects: Annual Lecture – coordinate search
for a speaker, work with partner depts./RSOs, apply
for CPC funds, organize visit and publicity for lecture
 Planner/Calendar: investigate detailed plan how to
revive it for the long term (with alumni help), if
chapter desires
Advantages of Membership
 Prestige and Opportunities
 Career and graduate school networking and assistance
 Access to Mortar Board job search engine and to a
scholarship search engine listing more than $3 billion in
awards
 Alumni networking, training and leadership
opportunities
 Access to internships, scholarships and educational
opportunities
 Portfolium Resumé/CV exchange with Mortar Board
members/alumni
Advantages of Membership
 Discounts and Services
 Special membership discount on GEICO auto insurance
 Kaplan test preparation discounts (15 percent off)
 Tuition insurance from GradGuard, which helps to
cover the non-refunded cost of attendance including
tuition fees, room/board and other legitimate expenses
 Affordable student health insurance and short-term
medical coverage from GradGuard
 Special discounts from T-Mobile
Advantages of Membership
 Postgraduate Fellowships
 Current members and alumni furthering their education
in a postgraduate field are invited to apply for Mortar
Board fellowships.
 Recipients are chosen for academic excellence,
recommendation, promise, financial need and Mortar
Board involvement.
Expectations of Membership
 This is an active service organization. Participation
in meetings and at least 2 service projects/semester are
the goal. Commitment to active participation up to
graduation. Participation in activities
 National fee $80 (one can be waived), local fee $15
 At least one rep to national conference, Atlanta, first
weekend in August (chapter and national office pay),
others encouraged to attend
Induction Information
 Friday, April 15, 4:45pm
 Chao Auditorium
 Dress is business casual
 Family, friends, and other guests are invited and
welcome
Ode

We Mortar Board, receive you

With welcome hearts and hands,

To represent the noble aims

For which our college stands.
 And this, our aim, what e’er befall,

Respond to Alma Mater’s call.

Be honest, loyal, true and strong
 As future Mortar Boards.
Congratulations!
 Welcome to the 2016-2017 Pallas Chapter of Mortar
Board!