Membership Recruitment, Selection and Initiation
Each spring, our chapter selects approximately 50 new members to take the reins of the chapter for the following academic year. These members are selected based on very strict qualifications that ensure the most accomplished members of that year's senior class will be recognized for their achievements.
The process begins with our chapter receiving the names and information of all eligible rising juniors. These individuals are then sent a notification of the opportunity to apply for membership, along with applications for membership and the chapter scholarship.
Interested members then complete their applications and return them for review by the entire chapter. The chapter gathers together for a special selection meeting in which the qualifications of all applicants are debated and discussed. 50 members are selected and their information is sent to the national office for confirmation.
Once the applicants' information is confirmed by the national office, the chapter moves forward with 'tapping.' The 'tapping' process is designed to recognize all accepted members to the campus at large. The process changes from year to year, but is always a surprise to the incoming members.
A few weeks after tapping occurs and dues are collected, members of the current and incoming class are invited to an initiation ceremony at which the members of the outgoing class 'pass the torch' to the new members and the year's scholarship recipient is honored.
The final step of the membership process is a series of general meetings at which all members from both classes are present. Elections are held and officer duties are transitioned to the newly elected members. The new class then takes over the meeting process, formally beginning their year of membership.
The two classes join for two more events before the year is over. First, the entire chapter gathers to paint the University's 'spirit rock' in Mortar Board's official colors of gold and silver. Then, all chapter members (and any willing attendees from the University of Toledo Chapter) are invited to the Regional Recognition Formal as a final gesture to close out the academic year.