Member Handbook 2007

A Note from the President
Congratulations, and welcome to a new year with the Presidential Honors Society!

The purpose of this handbook is to provide members with a general outline of the organizational structure and functions of the Presidential Honors Society. Hopefully it will answer many of your questions and provide you with a good overview of the way our Society works.

PHS was founded 16 years ago in 1991, which would put a lot of us right around 3 and 4 years-old. Over the years, our organization has done some extraordinary things for this campus and for the Albany community. Throughout this academic year, my only request is that you help us make this the most extraordinary year yet. We are built on the efforts of our members and each and every one of you is a vital instrument to this group. In other words—we can’t do anything without you. I ask you all to take an active role in PHS, not only as a benefit to the campus and the surrounding community, but as a benefit to yourselves.

Just take a moment to imagine how a membership in a nationally recognized, prestigious society, like this one, could help you in the future. We have some outstanding alumni working as top lawyers in New York City, as magazine owners in Texas, and as remarkable members of their communities across the country. The networking skills that you will learn, the commitment to excellence that you will hone, and the support and knowledge that you will be given are all incredible reasons to become an active member in PHS. I promise that you will change lives and that your own will be changed in the process because of the people you meet and the services that you provide.

Keep all of that in mind as we step into the new year and make it the most extraordinary one yet. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you this semester.

Whitney Sperrazza
President, PHS

Background:

Mission
The mission of the Presidential Honors Society is to bring together a dynamic group of already successful students within the University to promote academic excellence, personal and professional development, and on-going service to the campus and the community.

Goal
PHS was founded as an opportunity to assemble the best and brightest students at the University. As such, even today the Society’s central goal remains the same—community service on campus and within the Albany area. Simultaneously, PHS furthers the academic excellence of its members by providing opportunities for the students to thrive within the academic community on campus.

History
The Presidential Honors Society was founded in 1991 by Kevin McIntyre and Brian Kerr, both juniors at the University at Albany, with the support of Professor Sung Bok Kim, past Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Since its founding, the Society has expanded in both size and scope, inducting more new members each year and expanding the already phenomenal service opportunities for those members. In the past, PHS members have even worked with nationally recognized organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the Ronald McDonald House.

The Presidential Honors Society receives strong support from the President’s Office, the Provost’s office, and many other departments and offices throughout campus.

The Society is widely recognized as the largest and most prestigious honor society and community service organization on campus. PHS members distinguish themselves academically through internships, awards and/or research and are regularly featured in UAlbany print and internet publications as outstanding students and members of the campus community. These achievements are largely due to the fact that the majority of our members hold active roles in other campus organizations in addition to their membership in PHS.

Structure
The Presidential Honors Society is an organization structured on the creative development and collaboration of its members. The executive officers are elected annually at the end of each academic year. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer are elected to serve the members and further the goals of the society. In addition, the core of the Society’s leadership lies in Project Coordinators, who organize volunteer projects for the students, based on a cause they personally believe in. Anyone can be a Project Coordinator and everyone is encouraged to bring forward any ideas regarding service projects. The elected officers, any appointed officers, and the Project Coordinators collectively are the executive board (e-board for short).

Membership:

How do I become a member?
In order to become a member of PHS you must first be invited. Any student that receives at least a 3.75 cumulative GPA will receive an invitation letter following any semester that this cumulative GPA is achieved. This means that you may receive a letter after each semester that you have at least a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

If you receive a letter of invitation you should attend the next PHS mass meeting to learn more about the organization. You’ll also need to subscribe to the listserv (directions are online at http://www.albany.edu/pres_honor/) and pay dues in the PHS office (LC 31). From that point on, you’re a member of the Presidential Honors Society.

What do dues go towards? Why is it $10 a semester?
Dues are the major source of income for our organization. The money is used for projects that PHS organizes, our meetings, workshops, and administrative supplies. In addition, we provide each new dues paying member with a PHS t-shirt to wear on projects.

What if I can't afford dues?
If you can’t afford dues, please set up an appointment to meet with the President by emailing him or her and we may be able to help you.

How do I stay a member?
In order to maintain your status as a member of PHS you must pay dues, maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher, complete 15 hours of community service per semester, and attend all of the projects that you sign up to participate in. If you sign up for a project, and do not show up, or let the Project Coordinator know that you can no longer attend, you will be warned, and removed from PHS if it happens again. The PHS constitution allows a one semester grace period (if your GPA drops below a 3.5, if you don’t pay dues, or if you don’t complete your hours) to remedy this discrepancy.

How do I obtain an elected position?
Elected offices, including President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are voted on by the PHS members after you deliver a speech detailing your intentions for the next semester. Any PHS member can run for office.
Elections will be held at our April meeting, and information will be sent out via the listserv.

Community Service:

How do I find projects?
The projects section of our website is constantly being updated with new and upcoming community service projects that you can participate in, and e-mails are always being sent out by our Project Coordinators as to the dates and times of upcoming events. We post and email two types of projects. First are projects that our Project Coordinators have organized. You should email him or her directly to sign up for the project, volunteer as specified, and the Project Coordinator will record your hours. The second type are projects that the e-board are notified about either through another member or someone not affiliated with PHS. These projects are generally not organized by PHS and you should email the specified contact person to make the arrangements to volunteer. After volunteering, ask your supervisor to visit our website (http://www.albany.edu/pres_honor/) to submit your volunteer hours.

In addition to the above projects you can also volunteer on your own at an event, or for a cause that you have heard about elsewhere and still receive credit for it. Please have your supervisor visit our website (http://www.albany.edu/pres_honor) and submit your volunteer hours.

Lastly, if you are doing volunteer work with another group or organization, that volunteer work can also count for your PHS requirement. In this case, have the group’s volunteer chair/coordinator visit our website (http://www.albany.edu/pres_honor) to submit your volunteer hours.

How do I know if I'm able to volunteer?
You should contact the Project Coordinator or other contact person directly. Every Project Coordinator’s email address is listed on our website (http://www.albany.edu/pres_honor), and typically the contact person’s email address or phone number is listed with the project details. If you’re ever unsure if you signed up, or if a project is cancelled, it’s best to contact the Project Coordinator and ask, or show up and ask if its last minute.

Can I bring non-PHS friends?
This situation depends on the project. In many cases, yes, but in cases where we can only bring a certain number of people, or can only ensure transportation for a certain number of people, we may not be able to accommodate your friends. Contact the Project Coordinator, or the contact person for the project, to find out what the case is for the specific project you’re interested in.

What if I want to volunteer on my own?
That’s great! Go ahead and do it, and then just make sure you submit your hours accordingly and ensure that whoever was in charge of the project will be available to confirm your participation. If you’re having trouble finding an independent project, we announce and list many projects that we don’t organize and that require independent volunteering. In addition, you can also ask around your home community to see where you could help out.

What if I want other members to volunteer with me on my own project?
If this is the case then contact one of the current Project Coordinator s, the President, or Vice-President, and we can send out an e-mail asking for volunteers, or you can speak at one of the meetings to let everyone know what your project is about. And if organizing a project is something you really enjoy, then becoming a Project Coordinator is always an option.

How do I report my hours?
On the PHS website there is now a form under the “Hours” section that your supervisor needs to fill out, which will be submitted directly to our Hours Coordinator. Your participation will be verified by the leader of the project, and then the website will be updated accordingly to show your participation. If it is a PHS organized project, your Project Coordinator will take care of the hour’s submission for you.

What if I fall behind in my hours?
If you fall behind on your participation in volunteer hours, the PHS constitution allows for one semester to remedy the situation. You can volunteer over winter or summer break and have your hours count retroactively, or make up the hours the following semester.

How do I become a Project Coordinator?
If you enjoy volunteering, and have a passion about some cause that you want to get more people involved in, you should consider becoming a Project Coordinator. A Project Coordinator is responsible for planning and operating all aspects of a volunteer project. If you’re interested in becoming a Project Coordinator just let the President know, and arrangements will be made to meet and discuss your ideas for projects.

How else can I become involved?
If being a Project Coordinator, an elected officer, or a member of the Formal Committee doesn’t interest you, but you want to do SOMETHING, contact the President. The President appoints some officers (Webmaster, or Formal Chair, for example) and may have some ideas of things you could do to help the Society and the members.

Other Things:

PHS Meetings
Meetings are not mandatory for members. At meetings the Project Coordinator s will discuss their upcoming projects, and the rest of the e-board will talk about their initiatives. In addition, we will have guest speakers that might talk about their organization and their need for volunteers, or they might speak on a topic that is of interest to members. If there is anyone you would like to see speak at a PHS meeting contact the President to suggest a speaker.

If you attend three PHS meetings, it reduces your volunteer obligation to 12 hours of community service per semester. It does count as hours; rather, it reduces the number of hours you need to complete. Note: Two meetings do not excuse you from two hours of service. You must attend three meetings to get the “discount.”

Tiers of Membership
Every year there are certain PHS members who go above and beyond for our organization and the community. We recognize these individuals by using our membership tier system. At the beginning of each academic year, the e-board members set the tiers for the new year based on the hour’s records from the previous year. For example, 50+ hours for a bronze membership, 75+ hours for a silver membership, and 100+ hours for a gold membership. At the awards banquet in the spring, these members are specifically recognized and given special awards based on their tier.

Workshops / Seminars
We are always working on organizing workshops and seminars based on member feedback. We want to hear from you, the member, regarding what type of programming would be useful to you. Please send any ideas to the President.

PHS Formal / Awards Banquet
At the end of each academic year, we hold a “thank you” formal and awards banquet for our members. This is a chance to relax and have fun with the rest of the group and also to recognize your outstanding achievements for the year. Any member who goes above and beyond with his or her community service will receive a special award (see “Tiers of Membership”).

If you would like to be a part of the Formal Committee, please contact the President; we always use the extra help.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead

To download a digital copy of the handbook in the form of an Microsoft Word document of click here.