PHI ALPHA HONOR SOCIETY

INITIATION CEREMONY

SECRETARY: Mr. (or Madame) President, I have the honor of presenting to you the following candidates who have earned membership in Phi Alpha Honor Society. As I call your name, please come forward. (The Secretary reads the names of the candidates who come forward taking a position facing the President.)

SECRETARY: These candidates have been examined and found qualified for membership under our Constitution. They have been elected by this society on the basis of their scholarly achievement and interest in social work.

PRESIDENT: I congratulate you and welcome you into ___________Phi Alpha Honor Society. The concept of a National Social Work Honor Society came from a group of undergraduates at Michigan State University. Although local chapters were found to exist at different schools, there was no national organization. These schools indicated a desire to form a national organization and thus in November, 1960, a National Honor Society Committee was formed. For the next two years it worked on the constitution and other administrative problems. Upon approval of the constitution by six chapters in 1962, the society came into being.

VICE-PRESIDENT: The highest honor that one can receive in Social work at ___ (your school’s name) ______________ is being extended to you now because you are a proven candidate for initiation and have met all the requirements of our organization. We have chosen to call this Society Phi Alpha which means “love of humanity,” and we have adopted the colors blue and gold.

You have been selected by the local chapter to become members of the National Social Work Honor Society because you have evidenced an interest in the profession of social work; you have attained academic excellence not only in social work education, but also in all other academic areas; and we believe you are dedicated to the idea of service to humanity. You have also demonstrated a commitment to the standards, ethics, and goals of the social work profession.

PRESIDENT: You have chosen and are now about to be given the charge and purposes of Phi Alpha Honor Society. If you agree to these charges and purposes, please answer “I do” after they have all been read to you.

Do you agree to recognize and encourage scholastic achievement among the students who are majoring in Social Work?

Do you agree to improve and further the goals and objectives of Social Work by:

· Encouraging objectivity and awareness of current developments and practices in the various fields of social work?

· Stimulating research in preparation for a career social work?

INITIATES: I do

PRESIDENT: Will you now as new members light your candles (symbols of love and purity) and repeat this pledge in unison: Now that I ___ (give your name)____ have become an active member of Phi Alpha Honor Society, I will uphold its dignity and promote its goals and high ideals as a student as well as in professional life. I will actively participate in meetings and chapter projects and endeavor to maintain a high scholastic average.

You may now sign the membership book.

PRESIDENT: Congratulations on your newly acquired membership. May you encourage its growth through your continued association and assistance, and may you also uphold the charges and purposes to which you have just agreed.