Looking around, one cannot help but notice how Quinnipiac continues to grow each year, both in student population and in academic opportunities. One of the newest organizations to spread its roots on campus is the communication studies honor society, titled Lambda Pi Eta.
Lisa Burns, assistant professor of media studies and public relations, is credited with doing the leg work to get the organization off the ground.
Lambda Pi Eta [LPH] is the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association [NCA]. Founded in 1985 at the University of Arkansas, LPH is an accredited member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has nearly 420 chapters at universities and colleges all over the world.
According to the Quinnipiac chapter’s information page, LPH represents what Aristotle described in his book, “Rhetoric,” as the three ingredients of persuasion: Logos [Lambda], meaning logic, Pathos [Pi], relating to emotion and Ethos [Eta] ,defined as character credibility and ethics.
In order to become a member of LPH, a student must have completed 60 semester credit-hours, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all courses taken and have at least a 3.25 GPA for all communication studies courses.
A student must complete 12 credit hours of communication courses and must currently be in “good standing” with the university. There is also a membership fee of $38.
The Quinnipiac chapter consists of approximately 100 members and is planning two events before the end of this semester.
One is a fundraiser in conjunction with Order of Omega, the Greek Honor Society, which will be held April 11 through April 15. The second is an internship informational panel which will be held April 13 where students who have had positive internship experiences will share their stories and some tips for acquiring the best internship possible. The panel will be open to all mass communications students.
LPH is planning a formal induction ceremony for all members on Saturday, May 7th where the dean of communications, David Donnelly, and Russell Barclay, an associate professor of communications, are scheduled to speak.
“Lambda Pi Eta has a big and bright future ahead,” Kate Corcoran, the recently elected senior co-president of LPH, said. “I think we have the right members to take this honor society in a very positive direction.”
Corcoran believes that as the organization grows it will become an even more prestigious and sought-after group on campus in the future.
Any questions about LPH can be directed to Professor Lisa Burns at [email protected].
