I think that a 3.5 GPA may be slightly too low. Although it is commendable in our program, we need to find an agreement that no more than 5% of our students would be able to meet, right? I am not for a 4.0 but maybe something more like 3.7?? Just a thought.
Claudia Miller, OTA Program Chair
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
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When reviewing the reference documents, an undergraduate/specialized honor society would include students in the upper 35% of the class, which comes to a GPA of about 3.2 to 3.3 (from "How to Judge the Credibility..." and "P&P for Establishing..."). This also consistent with information I reviewed from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Ed (CAS), which ACHS references on their site (CAS: https://www.cas.edu/index.html). Any plan that takes a GPA lower than that would be classified as a "recognition" society.
ReplyDeleteThe materials also reference that the national society may have an established standard, but chapters may set higher standards in their criteria if they choose. If here we try to a establish a minimum national standard of a 3.3 to 3.5 GPA, chapters could go higher.
From the perspective of sustainability through dues, we wouldn't want to make the standards so high we wouldn't have many members. In addition, looking at the academic and social backgrounds of many community college students, achieving a 3.3 to 3.5 can be a huge accomplishment.
The "Model Chapter Bylaws" indicate that at minimum we need to establish: number of semester hours completed for eligibility, min. GPA, min. percentage of class ranking, and min. number of semester hours a transfer student must complete. There isn't a service requirement (nor does Pi Theta Epsilon, although they do require a writing sample).
To establish the semesters, the rule of thumb is the number of hours it takes to classify the student as full time. Typically that is 12.
Based on this research, I respectfully submit the following for "Article III - Members" of the national by-laws:
Section 1. Classes of Members. Members shall meet the following minimum criteria for membership. Any chapter, at its discretion, may establish higher criteria.
A. Active Members. Collegiate or professional members who pay annual dues shall be active members of the Society.
1. Collegiate Members. Collegiate members shall be students in good standing, enrolled in an occupational therapy assistant degree program at the time of initiation, and shall meet the following criteria:
a. Complete a minimum of 12 semester hours or its equivalent, in coursework directly related to completion of the final degree (including transfer students).
b. Rank in the top 35% of their class.
c. Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
2. Professional Members. [this is where we establish criteria for alumni members - typically similar, but having earned a degree which enables them to practice]
B. Non-Active Member. [here would be rules for reinstatement - PTE allows reinstatement with current year dues, no additional fee]
C. National Honorary Members. [those outside the field who have made distinctive contributions; not required]
D. [need to develop a ranking for faculty who are honorary members]
Thanks all,
Ada Boone Hoerl
Sacramento City College