Chapter Projects

• Voice Your Vote

  • "People who don't vote have no line of credit with people who are elected and thus pose no threat to those who act against our interests."- Edelman, Marian Wright. What is your credit score? This election will mark its place in history and one of the most groundbreaking in our nation’s history. Now is the time for Phi Theta Kappans to not only voice their vote, but to also encourage others to do the same. The benefits are twofold: you will reap the benefits of participating in a Tennessee Region Project, but also leaving your mark on this remarkable election. Begin to plan now on how you will implement this project on your campus. There a variety of ways to implement this project, but here are a few suggestions: offer information about the candidates that are running for office in your local elections, state elections, and the presidential race, or possibly even host a mock debate and election on campus.

• Reflections of Affluence

  • “A picture is worth a thousand words, but actions are priceless”. How many times a day do you walk past something that is a perfect example of the Paradox of Affluence? Now is your chance to not only document the examples in your community, compare them with other communities, but also change the ones that have a negative influence. The region will provide disposable cameras for every chapter in the Tennessee Region for each chapter to come together and document these examples with film. Although the region is providing a disposable camera we encourage each chapter to feel free to use digital cameras as well. Now how do you compare? We will collect all the pictures at the Region’s Honor Institute in the fall, and build a collage of all the photos. We will then compare the photos and discuss ways to impact the negative examples. It does not stop there! The region will provide cameras again in the Spring of 2009 so that we may build another collage at our Regional Convention, and see how much impact the chapters have made on their communities. Although the individual changes may not be large in scale, our collective efforts can change things!

• Embracing Our Troops

  • Imagine for a moment that you are taken away from your everyday life, away from your family and loved ones, and placed in a strange land. Then one day you receive the opportunity to come home from this place, but the challenges of finding employment prove to be more difficult than the time served. This is a reality many of our troops face on a day to day basis. The good news is you can make a soldier’s tour of duty and transition back into society a little bit easier. You can team up with Operation Komando to send some of the comforts of home to the soldiers serving in the armed forces. Our troops need everything from razors to DVDs and video games. For more information on Operation Komando please visit www.komando.com. We have only given one example of how to support your troops. We encourage each of you research and find other ways. For even more ideas please visit www.americasupportsyou.mil. We can help make life a little easier.

• The Paradox of Affluence

  • After much deliberation we came to one conclusion on our regional nickname for the International Honors Study Topic, “The Paradox of Affluence”. This topic needs no catchy nickname, it surrounds everyone on a day to day basis. This is the first year with this new Honors Study Topic and our chance to start with a bang! We encourage every chapter to promote and explore it in depth. There is no set way that this topic must be approached, so the chapters can feel free to make it their own. Anything in today’s world could play into this topic, from the extremely wealthy who are frugal when it comes to sharing wealth to those who may not be as financially well to do who give without hesitation. We encourage each respective chapter to share its ideas with other chapters across the great state. Reach out to other organizations on campus and in your local communities. We encourage each chapter to create new and innovative ways to implement this topic. So take this Honors Study Topic use your creativity and have fun doing it!

• Bring Back the Buzz

  • We are so excited to introduce a new regional program called “Bring Back the Buzz.” This program is an opportunity for us to work together on a National crisis. Honeybees are disappearing by the millions. Various reasons have been given by researchers and there is still ongoing research into this National affliction. Honeybees pollinate one-third of all the foods we eat. Every third bite of food we put in our mouths can be attributed to pollination by the honeybees. The New York Times reported that a Cornell University Study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States. Because nature is being affected, we are being affected economically by this crisis, due to decreasing food sources. We must intervene in this situation and do what we can to help increase the bee population.
    We can help increase the honeybee numbers by providing better habitats for them. It sounds like a simple solution but it is only one part of correcting this growing problem. It will take commitment to make the difference. We will be providing a list of flowering plants and trees that bees are attracted to and are asking every Phi Theta Kappa Chapter to commit to bringing back the buzz by bringing back the honeybees. We wanted to get started on this project right away by giving each chapter a flowering plant to take back to their college/community. We encourage you to plant them and help them grow.
    Brainstorm with your local chapters and see what you can do with your group to create habitats in your community for the honeybees. Get landscaping creative with flowering trees and plants at your colleges, local parks, and even at your homes. Take pictures of your projects and email them to us. We would love to see the new habitats your chapter creates for the honeybees. Let’s “Bring Back the Buzz!”

• Calling All Angels

  • Chances are you walk by someone everyday who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. Most victims feel ashamed and afraid. Those who have just enough courage to reach out for help need to have a support system and resources readily available for them. Unfortunately, children are often caught in the middle of these situations and the fleeing victim is unsure of what is going to happen to them and their children. No one should suffer through life being abused. There are shelters across the State of Tennessee for these victims to escape to. However, these shelters can only provide so much. They need our help. “Calling All Angels” is a way for us to step up and help these victims by finding ways to make sure these shelters have the supplies they need. The main needs of some of the shelters are adult clothing, children’s clothing, food, and baby supplies. Ask someone in your chapter to call your local shelter and find out what is needed most. Your chapter can set out boxes with a list of the needs and collect donations from your college. Please get involved and support you local shelter(s).
    Another way we can help is by promoting domestic violence prevention. Obtain prevention information, get permission from you college to pass out these materials, and distribute them during health fairs, club days, or other special events. Ask a guest speaker to come from a local shelter, crisis center, or police department to speak at your colleges to inform people of what their options are, who they can contact, and what they can do to legally protect themselves. We are calling the Phi Theta Kappa Angels to get involved and help present victims AND prevent future ones.

• Founder’s Day

  • We celebrate Founder’s Day by a full week of celebration. Let’s have fun with it! Phi Theta Kappa was established in 1918 in Missouri. We observe National Founders Day on November 19th because it was on this date in 1929 that Phi Theta Kappa was officially recognized by the American Association of Junior Colleges. This organization of excellence has grown exceedingly since then and continues growing. What an honor it is to be a part of such a wonderful group whose focal point is on higher education.
    During the week surrounding November 19th, we are encouraging Phi Theta Kappa members to show their pride by doing some inventive things. Let other students know who we are, what Phi Theta Kappa is about, and how we have fun being a part of this Honor Society. There are several excellent ideas online of how your chapter can participate (www.ptk.org/society/foundersday.htm). Have some fun dressing up on Founder’s Day like you live in 1918. Celebrate with a birthday cake. Make t-shirts that simply say 1918-PTK and let people be curious enough to ask questions about them. When people start asking questions, it gives us an opportunity to spread the word about this great organization we are a part of.

• Touching the Spirit

  • There is something innately in the majority of us that desires to make a difference in this world. We want to help by making sure others have what they need until they back on their feet, by encouraging them to move forward – regardless of their situation, and by bringing hope. Unfortunately, some people have not had the opportunities that others have in their lives. Sometimes tragedy strikes and suddenly someone’s world is turned upside down. “Touching the Spirit” is a community outreach project that challenges us to touch the spirit of others by doing what we can in our local communities to make a difference; to bring hope. Collect food, paper goods, books, etc. for local shelters and community centers. Call and find out the needs of the organizations in your area so you can center your campaign around their main needs at the present time. We are challenging the Tennessee Chapters to reach out by finding ways to help in your local areas. Get involved and let us know what a difference you and your fellow Phi Theta Kappans can make.
     

~Click on the project to see more information~