The Syracuse University School of Education's Department of Counseling and Human Services celebrated the opening of the Syracuse University chapter of Chi Sigma Iota-the international honor society of professional counselors-by inducting its first 63 members. Induction of the first members of SU's new Sigma Upsilon chapter was held on April 30 in the Hall of Languages' Kilian Room.
Chi Sigma Iota, with 264 chapters nationwide, is typically affiliated with university counseling departments. Based on her experience with a chapter in Virginia, Janna Scarborough, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Services, took the initiative to open a chapter at Syracuse.
Scarborough enlisted the help of Melissa Jennings, a doctoral candidate, to launch the chapter. Jennings had been a member of another Chi Sigma Iota chapter while working on her master's degree in North Carolina, which made her a perfect candidate to provide student leadership within the SU chapter. "Opening a chapter has to come up through the students to have serious impact," says Scarborough. "I'm glad to be the faculty advisor, but if the students don't want it, it doesn't do any good. Melissa helped facilitate student interest and ownership from the outset."
To qualify for membership in the graduate honor society, candidates must maintain a 3.5 grade point average with no less than nine credit hours. "Over the course of two semesters, we initiated 63 students, faculty and alumni," says Scarborough. "What's exciting is that so many people wanted to be involved in it."
The Sigma Upsilon chapter is moving ahead with its own unique agenda. The chapter already has a professional development committee, which has sponsored two workshops on issues important to students, and a social committee to facilitate students getting together as counselors outside of the classroom.
Forty of the 63 inductees attended the opening ceremony, during which they were presented with membership pins and certificates. Janine Bernard, professor and chair of the Counseling and Human Services Department and a nationally recognized leader in the field, presented the keynote address.
Syracuse University's School of Education, a national leader in improving and informing educational practice for diverse communities, is committed to the principle that diverse learning communities create the conditions that both enrich the educational experience and provide opportunities for all to realize their full potential. The School of Education pioneered the inclusion movement in the United States, making way for all learners to participate fully in mainstream classrooms and other inclusive learning environments.
