Coming from as far away as Orem, Utah, members of the international honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, met at the Mt. Hood Community College College Center Oct. 21-23. The three day conference included meetings, seminars and a toga party all hosted by the local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Rho Theta.

The event was attended by members of the Rocky Mountain-Cascade region of PTK, which includes schools from Utah, southern Idaho and Oregon. Also attending was Arthur Vargas, the international president of Phi Theta Kappa, a student at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.

Katelyn, an English literature major from Utah Valley State College was also impressed by the mock chapter setup exercise. “[Fellow UVSC student] Melissa and I are new members so we needed the experience. I now feel confident I can go back and do it,” she said.
The purpose of the mock competition between the chapters was to learn how to get scholarship funds from PTK.

Each year PTK offers $35 million in scholarships. Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year colleges. The organization has 1.5 million members, and adds about 100,000 every year.

Vargas, elected in April to a one-year term, is responsible for presiding over events like the one held at MHCC, and others in the international organization, which include the United States, Canada, Germany, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Speaking of what PTK does for its members, Vargas said, “It encourages them to seek opportunities available to them.”

Nicole Brainard, vice president at the Southwestern Oregon Community College chapter, said PTK helps you step outside yourself, and meet a lot of new people.

The networking will help later on in life. She added, “I like that I’m a leader.” Art Laycock, who flew in from the College of Southern Idaho, said he caught the vision of what it (PTK) is all about. “It’s an organization that encompasses how to have success in life. It’s an important part of my life.”

Another aspect of the organization is its service to the community.

“PTK teaches how to be involved in the community, that’s why it’s so important to be here,” said Frans Bome. This year, the PTK service project theme is: Conquering Cancer: Continuing the Fight.

A silent auction was held at the dinner, and $176 was raised. Internationally, $1.3 million has been raised to date and benefits the American Cancer Society. MHCC President Robert Silverman was a guest speaker on the topic of cancer research. “The students were very responsive,” he said.

Dave Arter, a regional coordinator and adviser at Clackamas Community College, has been involved with Phi Theta Kappa since 1987.

Arter praised the leadership of Rho Theta, who organized the event. “They did a fantastic job,” he said, “it went smoothly.” Amy Bohanon, co-president of Rho Theta, ,said planning for the event began in April and required a lot of “meetings, phone calls, and paperwork.”

At the Sunday morning meeting, the participants looked tired but relaxed as they discussed fund raising strategies to allow more members to attend events like this one and others, including the yearly international conference, set for Seattle next April. To become a member of Phi Theta Kappa at MHCC, one must have a 3.5 GPA, for at least 6 credits, and hold a 3.0 GPA thereafter. The Rho Theta chapter has close to 200 members.