Fifty-four students were inducted Monday night into the UNM chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honors Society in Psychology, at the Continuing Education Building.
"The ceremony gives us a chance to recognize students excelling in psychology here at UNM," said Crystal Aragon, who was recently elected president of the UNM chapter of Psi Chi. "We think it's important to get members personally involved right away, and to make them feel proud of their academic success."
Each new inductee was individually recognized during the biannual ceremony, which was followed by a reception.
Melinda Godinez, the 2001-02 president of Psi Chi at UNM, encouraged the new inductees to take advantage of the wealth of resources and opportunities the group provides its members, as well as to get to know their 50-plus new colleagues.
"I need you to be excited about this, you are already above and beyond the rest and this will help you to stand out in the future," Godinez said.
Aragon said that Psi Chi draws its members from early junior and late sophomore level students either majoring or minoring in psychology. Membership requirements include a 3.0 grade point average, both cumulative and within the Psychology Department.
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"The UNM chapter has really grown over the last two years, not only in terms of activity in the community, but also in sheer numbers," Aragon said. "Last spring we had 25 inductees and that number has more than doubled this time around."
Aragon attributes this growth in membership to an aggressive campaign spearheaded by Angelique Fullilove, Psi Chi's promotions officer. She said that Fullilove and other members of Psi Chi visit classrooms in the Psychology Department at the beginning of each semester to promote interest in the society.
"Prospective members can also find out about us online, and through postings around campus," Aragon said.
Lauren Schmitz, a senior minoring in psychology and new Psi Chi inductee, said that she has been interested in joining the group for a while.
"Ever since I was in junior college up in Santa Fe, I've been told that I should look into joining Psi Chi," Schmitz said. "I'm also interested in the philanthropy, and I've heard that Psi Chi does a lot of good work in the community."
Aragon said that Psi Chi has participated in a number of community service projects during the last two years, including Special Olympics, the Alzheimer's Memory Walk and the Animal Humane Society.
She added that through a national organization like Psi Chi, the UNM chapter is able to expose its members to a broad range of resources such as scholarships, grants and research opportunities.
The society also organizes national and regional conferences each year where members can learn about research award programs and certificate recognition programs, Aragon said.
According to the national charter, the purpose of Psi Chi is to "advance the science of psychology . . . and to encourage, stimulate and maintain scholarship of individual members in all academic fields, particularly psychology."
Aragon said that with its ever-growing membership and progressive community action programs, the UNM chapter is doing its part to continue this tradition.
