UCLA Honor Society Students Get Active With Honor
By Caryn R. Karo
Graduate Intern, Office of the Dean of Students

Recently, a group of UCLA honor society students challenged the campus community to think about honor and ethics. On Wednesday, January 19, members of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma, Golden Key, and Mortar Board presented Honors Day, the first event of its kind since 2001. The theme this year was “Get Active with Honor,” and the day consisted of two main events, an honor societies fair and a speakers’ panel on ethics in the academic community.

An incredible collection of students contributed to Honors Day. Lindsay Nicholas, President of Alpha Lambda Delta, Jon Stern, Vice President of Phi Eta Sigma, Jasmine Yamini, President of Golden Key, and Janette Wooldridge, President of Mortar Board, were all heavily involved in developing and implementing the program. Additionally, the honor societies’ advisors were highly supportive, and the Office of the Dean of Students was generous in its sponsorship of Honors Day.

The day began at 10:00 a.m. under the hot sun, when the students set up tables in Bruin Plaza to spread the word about UCLA honor societies. After a couple of hours in the heat, they retreated to a shadier spot to share their stories with interested students. There was a steady flow of students coming by to learn more about joining the honor societies until 2:00 p.m.

At 2:30, we moved into the cooler air of Kerckhoff Grand Salon for the ethics panel. We were thrilled to welcome Glenda Earwood, Executive Director of Alpha Lambda Delta, Lori Vollandt of the Institute of Global Ethics, Tricia Bertram Gallant from the Center for Academic Integrity, and Alexander Tymchuk, Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine. They each shared their thoughts on academic and personal ethics, and then invited the audience to join in a lively question-and-answer period and discussion.

We hope to make Honors Day an annual event, encouraging conversations about academic and personal integrity. Programs of this type foster collaboration among the student honor societies, Student Affairs staff, and faculty in order to promote honor and ethics in the UCLA community. Soon, the whole campus will be getting active with honor!