Meeting Re-Cap 2015/10/07

from ΑΑΞ Reporting Secretary Melissa Savoy

Phi Theta Kappa Meeting Review

Alpha Alpha Xi Chapter - October 7th, 2015

The meeting was called to order at 3:20 p.m.

Jessica, chapter Fellowship officer, opened the meeting with a game as an icebreaker.  The winner received a Katy Trail Ice House gift card.

Leadership announcements from Omar included information about College Project, Recycling Round Up, Campus Clean Up, and the Texas Leadership conference.  College Project will coordinate with the Fall 2015 Recycling Round Up on November 15th, from 9:00 – 1:00 p.m.  Prizes will be awarded and service hours may be earned.  The environmental efforts of this year’s College Project will also work with the Subway bag collection that is stationed in El Paso.  Collections normally take place between 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.and have a goal to collect a certain number of bags.  Volunteers are also needed for the upcoming Campus Clean Up.  Members will be collecting plastics and cans.  Our chapter will be promoting awareness of where and how best to recycle.  Omar reported that the PowerPoint presentations are ready and are great; thanks to those who helped with this effort!  
The Texas Leadership Conference is taking place this week from October 9th – 11th.  Those attending will be meeting at Yegua building at 8:45 a.m.

Jessica invited members to join in the fun on October 15th at 5:00 p.m. after the general meeting in D174.  This fellowship event will have games, pizza, and ice cream  We will be watching a movie.  Get to know your fellow club members and relax for a couple of hours!The next chapter fundraiser will be on Monday, October 26th.  The fundraising event will be Halloween themed, and the chapter will be selling popcorn from 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. in Wichita Hall.  The popcorn machine and supplies are provided by the Office of Student Life.  Students can obtain service hours for volunteering. 

The new Service officer of our chapter, Jay Saadaddin, introduced himself and spoke about volunteering opportunities.   Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of North Texas 5K Walk will take place on October 24th 8:00 a.m.  Kids Kingdom Playground Committee will be building a playground in Rowlett that is wheelchair accessible.  Jay showed the chapter how to navigate to the pages for these opportunities and talked about different areas in which they need help.  Volunteer dates and times will vary depending on what phase of the project you choose to help with.  There are several different options to fit individual interests.  Volunteers can receive service hours.  Visit these links for additional information and to sign up.

https://www.voly.org/opportunities/view.html?id=55709b6577dd245d34054e52

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f054ca9af2babff2-2015

Poppies for Puppies is another opportunity that Jessie mentioned to members.  The proceeds from this project are used to rescue and train service dogs for those in need.  Ceramic poppies created will be displayed on campus in memory of those who died serving in World War I.  Jessie has volunteered and  encouraged other members to do the same.  Students who are interested should meet in F-179 between 10:00 and 2:00 p.m. on Fridays.  For service hours to be counted, students should be registered with Service Learning.  Please contact The Learning Center regarding registration.  

Professor and Phi Theta Kappa advisor, Melanie Pruit, spoke about the All-USA Scholarship.  Professor Pruit was a nominee for this scholarship when she was a student at Richland, and she urged members to apply.  This is a very prestigious scholarship that will look great on student transfer applications.  The time to start working on your application is now!  There is no enrollment key as has been the case in previous years.  With one application, students are submitted for four different scholarships.  An eligibility quiz may be taken to determine if you qualify.  Two leadership recommendation letters and two academic recommendation letters are required.  Citizenship requirements, dollars awarded, recognition for the scholarship, and more was covered.  Up to two applicants are selected to be nominees for Richland College.  The deadline for these scholarships is Friday, November 20th.  For details, and to apply, go to the Phi Theta Kappa website http://ptk.org/ and then to Scholarships.

Omar reminded students of the new merit-based Celia Riddle Millemon Scholarship.  Alpha Alpha Xi advisors will select the winners, and scholarships are awarded in both spring and fall.  More information may be found on the Richland College website.  The next Honors in Action meeting is on Saturday, Oct 17th in the Richland College library at 2:00 p.m.  All members are invited to attend and help with this year’s project. Complete With Me week is coming up soon.  Jessie asked members to volunteer from 10:00 – 2:00 p.m. and represent Phi Theta Kappa.  Complete with Me is an effort to strengthen student’s commitment to complete their degree.  Phi Theta Kappa t-shirts will be given away to volunteers.  Members may sign up through the following link.  http://ptkaax.blogspot.com/2015/10/commit-to-complete-day-volunteer-sign.htmlAdvisor, Dr. Jon Ewing, reported that Phi Theta Kappa invitations have been sent to potential new members within the past two weeks.  Students interested in joining may go to the Phi Theta Kappa website http://ptk.org/ and then to Accept Membership where they can enter a valid email address.  

The Chancellor of our district has new initiatives that include Phi Theta Kappa.  He is an advocate for Phi Theta Kappa and wants to promote and increase membership.  Recent standardization of membership fees for the district has established a uniform fee of $95. The Chancellor does not want potential members to avoid joining because they are hindered by financial issues.  A membership scholarship will be awarded to cover the membership fee.  Students will be required to write an essay to establish that they have financial adversities.  
The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m

Meeting Re-Cap 2015/09/16

from ΑΑΞ Reporting Secretary Melissa Savoy

Phi Theta Kappa Meeting Review

Alpha Alpha Xi Chapter - September 16, 2015

The meeting was called to order at 3:19 p.m.

Today’s meeting began with officer and advisor introductions.  Leadership officer is Omar Demachkie, Jessica Arriaga is the chapter Fellowship officer, and Scholarship officer is Kennedy Agusi.  Alpha Alpha Xi Media Specialist is Forrest Garrett, and chapter Secretary is Melissa Savoy.  Advisor Dr. Jon Ewing was present and gave proxy introductions for advisors Professor Melanie Pruit and Professor Ofori Asante.
Fellowship officer, Jessica, opened with an ice breaker.

Dr. Kathleen Stephens, Honors Academy Coordinator, spoke to the chapter about the Honors Academy and urged students to join.  The Phi Theta Kappa GPA requirement also satisfies the Honors Academy requirement.  Students can apply online and submit a 300-500 word personal statement.  Dr. Stephens provided a list of Honors classes currently available.  Classes are smaller and encourage interaction with professors and peers.  Honors designations available are the Honors Certificate and the Honors Scholar.  The academy works with the honors programs of four-year universities and has reciprocal agreements with a few in the area.  Eight $500 scholarships were awarded this fall, and another eight will be awarded in spring.  The Honors Academy is offering a workshop with The Learning Center on Wednesday, September 23rd at 3:00 and Thursday, September 24th at 3:30.  Workshops are open to everyone, and students may register at M 216. http://richlandcollege.edu/honors-academy/

John Daniels, Community Engagement Programs Coordinator, informed members of the Service Learning program.  The program allows students to become immersed in Richland College and interact with the local community.  Most opportunities are connected with non-profit organizations.  There are many agencies to choose from, both on and off campus.  Students may register by going to the Service Learning page of the Richland College website.  The program helps students develop skills and show potential universities they are engaged in community and service.  Volunteers can qualify for various awards based on their number of service hours. http://richlandcollege.edu/lead/service-learning/

Scholarship officer, Kennedy, informed members of scholarships that opened today.  One of which is the Celia Riddle Millemon scholarship, specific to Richland College Phi Theta Kappa members.  A link on the Alpha Alpha Xi website provides more information.  Ludivina Garcia, the first recipient of this scholarship, thanked the chapter and advisors for the opportunity and for considering her for the award.  Kennedy then navigated students to the Phi Theta Kappa website, went to “Scholarships”, clicked on “Apply” and showed a list of scholarships available. Upcoming workshops will be held to help students complete their fall scholarship application.  The common application, once filled out, will be submitted and will suffice for all of the scholarships available and applicable.  Most of the scholarships are merit based, but a few are need based.  International students may apply.  Forrest advised members to visit the chapter website or Facebook page for GEICO scholarship information.

The first study group for the Honors in Action project is this Saturday, September 19th at 2:00 in 
Sabine.

The election for Service Officer was held to fill the open position.  The floor was opened to candidates who were given two minutes to introduce themselves to the chapter.  Votes were compiled and collected by Dr. Jon Ewing.

Omar, chapter Leadership officer, talked about the upcoming Texas Leadership Conference to be held October 9th-11th and informed members about available spots for the trip.  Email ptkaax@gmail.com if interested

The meeting was adjourned at 4:16 p.m.

Meeting Re-Cap 2015/09/10

from ΑΑΞ Reporting Secretary Melissa Savoy

Phi Theta Kappa Meeting Review

Alpha Alpha Xi Chapter - September 10, 2015

The meeting was called to order at 4:06 p.m.

Officers, staff, and advisors introduced themselves.  Omar Demachkie is Leadership officer, Jessica Arriaga is officer for the Fellowship hallmark, Kennedy Agusi is the Scholarship officer, Forrest Garrett is Media Specialist, and Melissa Savoy is Secretary.  Advisors are Dr. Jon Ewing, Professor Melanie Pruit, and Dr. Ofori Asante.  Dr. Ewing added that our chapter may be adding a fourth advisor soon.

Forrest directed members to the new Facebook page as well as the new website.  Members can go to Facebook and search “ptkaax” for the new page.  Once here, he had members “Like” the page, click “Sign Up” to receive the mailing list, and go to “Events” to subscribe.  Members were shown the new website at www.ptkaax.blogspot.com.

Phi Theta Kappa Awareness Week is next week.  Watch your emails for information and updates and share this with your friends!

There was a show of hands for members who joined Phi Theta Kappa through another chapter.  Dr. Ewing explained that members from other colleges may transfer their membership, but membership should be held at the college from which a student plans to graduate.  Members from other chapters may participate in Alpha Alpha Xi meetings and events without transferring their membership.

The Alpha Alpha Xi chapter has a new scholarship available to Richland Phi Theta Kappa students.  The Celia Riddle Millemon Exemplary Student Scholarship is a $500 scholarship that is merit and need based.  Mr. John Millemon, a previous chapter advisor, was instrumental in establishing this scholarship.  Congratulations to Ludivina Garcia, the first recipient awarded!  The goal is to award at least one scholarship each semester.  Members interested in applying should submit an essay stating their accomplishments and needs.

Omar, officer for the Leadership hallmark, introduced students to the chapter’s College Project for the semester.  The subject of the project will be related to environmental issues and will benefit Richland College, the community, and will enhance student experience while on campus.  The project will involve campus and neighborhood clean-ups, and will teach students and community members how to live a green lifestyle.  A compelling video regarding the need for environmental change was shown to members.  The chapter is looking for members who are interested in working on the project, and details regarding meetings and workshops will follow.  The College Project is submitted each year by chapter and considered for awards. (Click here for College Project Information )

Omar and Jessica provided members with volunteering opportunities, the first of which was Halloween Nights and the Dallas Zoo.  Another service event mentioned was the Heart of Gold 5K Fun Run.  Members can volunteer by going to the website www.voly.org and setting up an account.  Next click “I want to help”.  The website keeps a record of your volunteering events.  Visit www.voly.org  for various opportunities that may fit your interests.  Volunteer work done through Alpha Alpha Xi can also count toward Service Learning volunteer hours with approval. (Click here for information on service projects)

Scholarship officer, Kennedy, advised students that there are several millions of dollars in scholarships and showed members a list of several scholarships that will soon be available.  Those interested may go to ptk.org and click on “Scholarships” to get a complete list of those that are available to continuing and transfer students.  Kennedy urged members to go to College Fish (www.collegefish.org) and explained that Phi Theta Kappa members have free access to this website.  Students may set up an account by filling out some personal information and upon submission the site immediately provides results that are specific to each individual. (Click here for Scholarship information)

The Honors in Action project was mentioned, and members are needed to work on the project.  The topic will be chosen soon, so look for an email for further details and opportunities to volunteer.  If interested, please contact Kennedy. (Click here for Honors In Action Resources).

Jessica, chapter Fellowship officer, has scheduled a bake sale that will take place on Monday September 14th from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  Anyone who can volunteer their baking skills and/or time to sell items is needed.   All food items to be sold must be individually wrapped.  There will be tables at two locations, one in El Paso and the other in Wichita.  A sign-up sheet was provided.  If interested, please contact Jessica.  

Ready for a relaxing time with your fellow friends and students?  A game/movie night is coming up in October.  The date will be announced soon; watch for details!

The Service hallmark officer position is open and available.  Jessica explained that an officer position is a lot of responsibility, and the chapter needs someone with commitment.  The Service officer coordinates service opportunities for the chapter and works with other officers on Phi Theta Kappa yearly projects.  Officers must be able to attend meetings and may often attend conferences.  The officer must be in the position for the year (fall through spring).  RCHS students are unfortunately excluded from officer positions due to their schedules and time constraints.  Interested applicants may contact any board member or advisor.  Applicants will be given the opportunity to introduce themselves to the group and say what they can do for the position in next week’s meeting on Wednesday, September 16th.  Members will vote during the meeting.  Please consider this great opportunity.

A petition for the honors student lounge was passed around for signatures, and chapter t-shirts were sold for $5 each.

Dr. Ewing informed students of a new university program happening this fall.  Classes from top university programs will be offered.  Please check the email that was sent regarding the Honors Certificate Courses for further details.  International students may enroll for these courses.

Jessica talked about upcoming conferences like the Texas Leadership Conference to be held at Texas A&M October 9th – 11th, Texas Regionals to be held at Baylor, and Nerd Nation which will take place in D.C.  Transportation, hotel accommodations, and conference registration are covered for a certain number of students.  The meeting was concluded with a video of the last Nerd Nation held in San Antonio.  

The meeting was adjourned at 5:08 p.m.

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Melissa Savoy

ΑΑΞ Reporting Secretary