Phi Beta Kappa honor society adds student subsidiary
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 12, 1994 9:00 p.m.
Phi Beta Kappa honor society adds student subsidiary
By Ben Gilmore
Undergraduate students inducted into Phi Beta Kappa will now
have a chance to mingle with each other at events designed to
challenge the intellect.
A student subsidiary was added on Oct. 10 to UCLA’s official Phi
Beta Kappa chapter, which currently includes only faculty as
members of the well-known academic honor society.
The student division was the brainchild of fourth-year economics
student June Dash, one of UCLA’s 50 undergraduate students inducted
into the honor society last spring.
"We started this group to act as a liaison between (UCLA’s)
chapter and the Phi Beta Kappa student body," Dash said. Dash added
that student members of the honor society have not been active in
the chapter, which is dominated exclusively by faculty who are Phi
Beta Kappa members.
"We wanted an opportunity to interact with the faculty and
pursue intellectual growth outside the classroom in subjects that
we normally would not be exposed to," she explained.
Dash approached Professor Richard Rouse, a former president of
UCLA’s faculty and alumni chapter. "I told him about my idea and he
was very enthusiastic. He got it approved by the rest of the
faculty on the chapter," she said.
The student group will assist Phi Beta Kappa faculty members at
upcoming group functions, including the annual initiation ceremony
which takes place during spring quarter.
Another goal of the student group is to broaden its members’
academic horizons, according to Dash.
"One main goal of our group is to provide an intellectually
challenging atmosphere in a variety of disciplines," Dash said.
Recently, the group has arranged for political science Professor
Steven Spiegel to hold a panel-style discussion on Oct. 24 about
the Middle East peace talks. Even though some of the group’s
members are studying science-related fields, they said they were
looking forward to discussing politics.
Dispelling stereotypes about its members being only rocket
scientists, Professor Jeanne Erickson, a Phi Beta Kappa faculty
member, said the honor society only admits students who have taken
courses in a wide variety of subjects.
"We want students who seek out a well-rounded liberal
education," Erickson said.
For fifth-year psychobiology student and honor society member
Kristen Lueck, the different topics the student subsidiary group
promises to explore was what drew her to the organization.
"I didn’t just want to be a member of Phi Beta Kappa and not do
anything. I wanted to talk to professors, pursue intellectual
opportunities and get personal contact with students," Lueck
said.
Fourth-year economics student and Phi Beta Kappa member Raymond
Peterson echoed Lueck’s desire to meet people and get involved in
the group’s activities.
"You can’t just be a bookworm all the time and have no real
experience. Meeting people is a big part of the college
experience," he explained.
