Lake Land's Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Reached Five Star Status

(FROM LEFT, SECRETARY KYRA JACKSON, FINDLAY; TREASURER MACY VOGT, TEUTOPOLIS; PRESIDENT TANNER CLARK, STRASBURG; VICE-PRESIDENT TREVOR ELDER, SULLIVAN; AND ADVISOR KRISTA BURRELL, MATTOON)

For the second year in a row, Lake Land College’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter reached Five Star Chapter status. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is an international organization that ranks campus chapters on a five star system. Completion of an Honors in Action project addressing a need in the community and on campus is required as a final step in advancing to five star status distinction.

PTK Vice President and Chair of Honors in Action and College Project Trevor Elder, Sullivan, explained Phi Theta Kappa’s sense of obligation to examine the Lake Land College student body’s mental health, increase mental health awareness and availability of mental health related resources on campus.

“In response to a college student’s post on Twitter regarding college student mental health, PTK created an Honors in Action project that captured the mental health concerns of the student body at Lake Land College. Throughout the fall semester of 2019, our Honors in Action team researched and conducted surveys on multiple platforms that were distributed across campus, and full reports were shared with college administration,” Elder said.

Members of the Honors in Action team also presented their project research to the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) at the ICCTA East Central Regional Meeting held at Lake Land College on Thursday, Feb. 20.

One of several requirements for recognition as a five star status chapter is the submission of at least three entries in the Hallmark Awards Program including the Honors in Action Project Award, College Project Award and at least one other individual award. PTK Advisor and Academic Counselor Krista Burrell also submitted an individual award for the Distinguished Chapter Officer Team Award.

“With each new academic year, we have a new set of students, which means that reaching five stars is not permanent,” Burrell said. “This year, PTK was intentional about making a positive impact on campus through the Honors in Action and college projects first, then meeting submission requirements for five star status second.”

Reaching five star status also includes recognizing academic excellence by creating awareness of PTK among the college community, establishing chapter leadership and engagement, developing an Honors in Action project and a college project such as maintaining a chapter Facebook page, increasing the PTK presence on campus and increasing engagement in the region, and submitting three entries in the Hallmark Awards Program. To top it off, chapters are encouraged to attend the annual catalyst. The Lake Land College PTK chapter will attend the National PTK Catalyst Convention in Grapevine, Texas in early April.

At the national level, the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is divided into geographic regions. The Illinois Region is a Five Star Region and nominations were sent in to the Regional Awards for Excellence in three categories: Fellowship; Chapter Engagement; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Regional award finalists will be announced at the PTK Catalyst Convention.

“Earning five-star status and attending the catalyst convention is not the end of our efforts. We will still be collaborating with SGA and other students to address mental health needs on our campus, namely through the promotion of the upcoming Active Minds chapter,” PTK President Tanner Clark, Strasburg, said.

Coincidently, several student organizations on campus, including the Student Activity Board (SAB) and the Student Government Association (SGA), also focused on the mental health of Lake Land students during the fall semester. SAB coordinated a therapy dog event during finals week for students to decompress between their final exams. Additionally, SGA is currently working toward establishing an Active Minds chapter at Lake Land College. Active Minds is a nonprofit organization that promotes mental health awareness within high schools and college campuses across the nation.

“It’s serendipitous that the U.S. House of Representatives authorized The Higher Education Mental Health Act shortly after PTK had the idea to do the Honors in Action project on college student mental health,” Burrell said. “The students identified the concern concurrently with the lawmakers.”

“I speak for all of my fellow PTK officers when I say that we want to leave a positive impact on this campus. Our chapter wants to set up students for success at Lake Land College, and promoting a healthy mental well-being is key to that success,” Clark said.

PTK sends invitations each year to students who have completed 12 credit hours at the collegiate level with a 3.25 GPA or exceptional high school students passing with a 3.5 GPA.

Members of the Honors in Action team are PTK President Clark, Strasburg; PTK Vice President and Chair of Honors in Action and College Project Elder, Sullivan; PTK Secretary Kyra Jackson, Findlay; PTK Treasurer Macy Vogt, Teutopolis; Tim Lawyer, Mattoon; Lucas Duduit, Pana; and Lauren Hendershot, Windsor.

To view full reports from the PTK 2019 mental health survey and student resources, visit lakelandcollege.edu/institutional-research/#ptk.