HWS News
4 April 2018 Psi Chi Inducts New Members
The Hobart and William Smith chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, recently elected its leadership team for the year and inducted 11 new members.
Appointed to leadership positions were Sarah Burstein '19, president; Kayla McEachern '19, vice president; Kathryn Oswald '20, secretary; and Spencer Lerner '19, treasurer.
New members included Julia August '19, Megan Blanchfield '19, Elizabeth Gahagan '19, Lerner, Oswald, Dianna Paige '19, Alyssa Sanito '19, Mara Sindoni '19, Mackenzie Tamblin '19, Adrianne Torea '19 and Yuanfei Zhang '20.
To be inducted into Psi Chi, a student must be enrolled as a major or minor in a psychology program; have completed at least three semesters of college courses and at least nine semester hours of psychology courses; earned an overall GPA that is in the top 35 percent of his or her class (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4 point scale); and have a minimum 3.0 GPA in psychology courses.
In 2017, the HWS group was named a Model Chapter by the national organization; one of only 42 out of more than 1,000 chapters to earn this designation. They were chosen for the award based on their commitment to community service as well as their diligence in maintaining an active group with regular meetings and annual induction ceremonies who effectively utilized teamwork within the chapter to accomplish their goals.
"In addition to the ability to engage in regular networking with their peers, membership in Psi Chi holds long-term benefits for its members," says the groups faculty adviser, Associate Professor of Psychology Jamie Bodenlos. "Being a member of Psi Chi can help students get into psychology graduate programs or get jobs in the field," she says. There are also opportunities for members to attain research grants or travel awards through the organization.
Newly-elected president Burstein was the first HWS student to get a Psi Chi research grant. She earned this award last year for a study to examine mindfulness and health in a community sample.
The HWS chapter of Psi Chi was established in 2014. The organization's mission is to produce well-educated, ethical and socially responsible members committed to contributing to the science and profession of psychology and to society in general.