Week after week, college students get barraged with piles of junk mail-credit card offers, cheap magazine subscriptions, get-rich-quick scams, etc. Add to that list letters from honor societies. Chances are that if you are smart enough to find your way to the post office, you will have one waiting in your box when you get there. Rummaging through these letters is enough to get you a minor in foreign language, as most don some Greek title.
Most of these organizations claim to be the largest of some category. Here are the lines from some unnamed societies.
Society No. 1: “nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society.”
Society No. 2: “largest and most active international honor society.”
Seems ironic that large size is the common boasting factor of these “selective” groups.
Boasts of size are not the leading common factor, however. Money is. These non-profit organizations will cost you an arm and a leg to join. Of the three letters I saw this week, the cheapest fee was $55. That is, unless you wanted to wear the “formal bronze graduation medallion and black ribbon.” It costs an extra $28.50.
The money grab is disgusting. On the Golden Key International Honour Society’s site, potential members are made aware that their $60 fee is payable by MasterCard or Visa. If you did not catch that written in the big box at the top of the page, then it is printed again in a big box at the bottom of the page. The first item mentioned on this academic honor society’s membership acceptance form does not ask for your name, your GPA or your major, but instead is a reminder of the $60 membership fee. I’d like a golden key to their safety deposit box.
Granted, much of this money probably goes to scholarship funds, yet none of these honor societies inform you of this. The worst deal for your dollar comes from Phi Kappa Phi. The initiation fee is $70, and subsequent annual national dues are $25. Chapter dues are $12. Even if you were fortunate enough to be awarded one of their scholarships, you could have invested the amount of money the membership would have cost and easily beaten the amount the scholarships offer.
All societies inform the members-elect that placement in their society will strengthen their resumZs. This appears to be the main motivation for joining any of these clubs. If all of these clubs are based upon academic success, then can’t the employer simply look at your academic record himself? I certainly hope that the major employers of this world do not rely on the paid membership fee of an honor society to hire employees.
Service projects are a goal of most every society, and praise in this area is due to those societies that have added a helping hand to their communities. However, volunteering is something readily available through other organizations free of charge. These honor clubs do a disservice to those students who cannot afford the highly priced dues. These organizations discriminate based on the pocketbook.
Consider yourself blessed if you are academically successful enough to be recognized by one of these societies. But good grades, good character and good leadership are not enough to meet the requirements. You better have money as well.
Michael Stewart is a junior philosophy and religion major.