ALD makes the grade

The GC&SU chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta has made significant increases in membership enrollment in the past two years. In 2004, the organization increased in enrollment 16 percent, and in 2005, the number of members almost doubled. The membership of the organization jumped from 146 members to 260 members last spring.

The main goal this year is to increase enrollment even more.

“We want to give a bigger face to Alpha Lambda Delta and get more students to know what the organization is. Many students receive the letter of admittance in the mail and immediately throw it away because they have no idea what exactly Alpha Lambda Delta is,” said faculty advisor Karen Bendersky.

The organization plans on doing many things to get the word across campus.

“We plan on making Alpha Lambda Delta more recognizable on campus by posting flyers around the residence halls, going to Freshman Seminar classes, talking to freshman about our program and most of all through our film festival in April,” said Student President Devin Vernick.

Alpha Lambda Delta hosted the first annual BALD (Bobcat Alpha Lambda Delta) Short Film Festival last year in April. The film festival seeks short films from university students, staff and faculty from all over the state. The GC&SU chapter hopes that other Alpha Lambda Delta chapters will participate.

Student Vice President Jessica Wehner said,”We have the potential of making this something big on campus. The film festival helps us get more students aware that we exist, and it helps get more members involved in the organization. We hope to turn the film festival into an annual event,” said Student Vice President Jessica Wehner.

Films in the festival should be 10 minutes or less in digital format. Cost per submission is $10. Prizes are given for best overall short, best animated short, best BALD short and funniest short. The festival will be held April 28 this year, and submissions are due by March 1.

“Our goal is to make the BALD Short Film Festival the premier collegiate film festival in the state. We want the students to look forward to it every year,” said Bendersky.

Another goal of the organization this year is to get enrolled members more active. The organization is having an ice cream social this coming Monday. At the social, they will be showing films from last year’s BALD short film festival.

“Many members join, pay their dues and then just disappear. We want to get members more active in the organization,” Bendersky said.

Alpha Lambda Delta recognizes superior academic achievement among first-year college students and is one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the nation. The organization came to GC&SU in 1997 to recognize freshman that work hard and encourage others.

To become a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, students must be registered for a full course of study (at least 12 credit hours per semester) and must rank in the top 20 percent of their freshman class. The minimum scholastic GPA average required for membership is 3.5. National lifetime membership dues are $20, and local chapters charge an additional $15.

“Every year we get an incredible group of students. They teach me things that I didn’t even know about this campus,” Bendersky said.

Once initiated, the student becomes a lifetime member of Alpha Lambda Delta and is eligible for local and national awards and over $100,000 in available scholarships.

“Alpha Lambda Delta has given me great leadership experience. It has forced me to manage my time and to be organized in how I plan and prepare,” said Vernick.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 23 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry