At the beginning of August, two of Wright State’s own had the opportunity to participate in the biennial convention of the oldest, largest, and most selective university honor society. As active members of Phi Kappa Phi, Alex Wenning, who is Wright State’s chapter’s scholarship and awards officer, and Kelly Hoehne, an accounting graduate student and one of the Vice Presidents of the chapter, were able to attend the society’s convention in St. Louis. Every chapter is encouraged to send a voting representative to the convention, as the society elects its national officers, changes some procedures and offers chapters the opportunity to share activities and goals with one another through workshops. This year, Wright State’s representative was Wenning. Wright State’s participation in Phi Kappa Phi is impressive. Not only is this honor society one that is highly esteemed, but it is one of the only societies that encompasses all scholarly disciplines. “Students struggle,” said Wenning, “They get a lot of invitations from a lot of honors societies, many of which aren’t legitimate or prestigious. Phi Kappa Phi is legitimate and prestigious, and we have our own local chapter.” While students who will be inducted into Phi Kappa Phi in November have already been invited, the opportunity is still open. Since Wright State began its chapter in 1990, 2,878 Raiders have been inducted into the society. The society is prestigious for a reason. For juniors, only the top 7.5% of each college are invited to join. Seniors and graduate students must be in the top 10% of their college. However, with the prestige come benefits. “Phi Kappa Phi has a lot of scholarship benefits,” stated Wenning. The benefits continue past students’ academic careers. “You can be a member through your life, it’s not just students,” said Hoehne. This semester, the society is hoping to kick off the year with some activities to get students more involved in and aware of Phi Kappa Phi. Hoehne stated that she was able to take part in various workshops while at the convention and hopes that Wright State’s chapter will be able to create an event for students in collaboration with another organization.
