WDL 3 Phi Theta Kappa

One of the greatest blessings of my early years at COCC was Steve Ball and J. J. Howard's invitation to be the faculty adviser to Phi Theta Kappa.  Although it was a ton of work that took time from my dissertation and other academic activities, it was also a lot of fun and I could depend on getting many hugs every quarter.

You see, PTK's secret handshake was a hug.  When new students were initiated at a lovely ceremony I would hand them a rose and give them a hug.  I always wound up crying at the initiation ceremonies. 

PTK is the honor society for community colleges.  During the time that I was adviser I helped the students invite new members, run meetings, run a couple of conferences, and do a whole variety of activities.  I traveled often around the state with students to various meetings.  I worked with them on fundraising as well.  I once actually baked ten dozen chocolate chip cookies so that PTK students could sell them at the (pre-Gesme) symphony concerts.  It was when I was selling cookies that the newly hired President Barber saw me and thought it was undignified for a faculty member to be shilling for a student group and so by executive decree put a line item in the college budget to support the organization.

I probably gave from two to five hours a week to PTK during the school years that I was adviser.  But I was happy to do so.  While most of the rewards were personal and emotional, there were some financial as well.  In my first year I actually got money from the school above and beyond my regular travel money to spend a week on Long Island at Adelphi at a workshop for PTK advisers.  I just went to President Boyle and asked for it (on the urging of I don't quite remember who on the faculty -- someone who said, "they've got money lying around for things like that.")

It was wonderful while it lasted and before I lost my belief in the value of the organization.  After awhile it began to seem less like fun and more like a struggle to do activities and mark them off just for the sake of getting rewards from nationals for a few people.  I lost my delight in all the cheering at state and national conferences when I knew that some of the work was just checked off, fulfilling the letter but not a spirit.

By the mid-90s I got tired of the constant push for members and dealing with all the odd rules and demands of the national organization.  I was ready for other things and so turned the advising job over to other people.  Some time in the late nineties or early part of this century COCC's chapter disbanded.