Sven Alskog
Staff Writer
On Sept. 19, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) held its annual induction ceremony in the Little Wood River Room of the Pond Student Union Building.
The ISU chapter of the national group is led by second year President Tynan O’Neil.
The easiest way to know you are talking to a member of the chapter is by their wardrobe, best displayed by T-shirts and sweatshirts donning the slogan “Talk Nerdy to Me.”
Being active on-campus is reportedly essential for the club. Vice President of Community Service Hailey Hudson has led efforts to partner with the Student Activities Board (SAB) for Service Saturday events. With that, Hudson and the NSCS chapter typically make breakfast and volunteer their time to help out around campus along with the Pocatello community for various service projects.
“I think this club strives to encourage the members and those around us to have a higher level of integrity both at a personal level and at the universal level,” said Hudson.
Recent projects for the chapter include becoming active with the Idaho Meth Project, aiming to inform students not to try the drug even once. In the future, NSCS will become even more active by making trips to local high schools for the meth project and adding a new section to the club called PACE, or Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence. The PACE program is led by Matt Tan and Lynze Franko. The program has plans to go to local high schools throughout the year to express to students the importance of furthering their education.
The success of the chapter has not gone unnoticed.
“Last year at nationals we got a gold star status award,” said O’Neil. “This year we are shooting for platinum. That is the highest honor for NSCS and is only given to 10 universities in the nation.”
Former Bengal football player and current Assistant Director of Admissions Craig Joseph was honored during the induction ceremony. The former star running back was selected as a distinguished member by the chapter.
Being a former football player, Joseph had the perfect words to motivate the group of new inductees.
“A lot of students come to ISU with the idea of one day becoming significant,” Joseph said. “[NSCS members] are seeking to be significant right now.”
In order to receive an invitation to join NSCS, students must first earn a 3.4 GPA at some point during their first two years of attendance at ISU, along with being in a top percentage of their class. Currently the club has over 300 members.
NSCS adviser Alan Crandall wants members of the club to become as active as possible in the club’s three pillars ,which are leadership, scholarship and service. Service is the area that the group tries to focus on as much as possible.
“Everyone should look for the little tiny spots of service that they can take part in during everyday life,” Crandall said.
By being involved in such an active club like NSCS, members reportedly have the opportunity to create a more valuable college experience for themselves by focusing on the three pillars that the organization stands by. It helps when the members of the club get along so well.
“I love the people the best in all honesty,” said new inductee Amanda Miller. “The benefits rock but the people are what it make enjoyable to be an active part of NSCS. The humor and upbeat attitudes while volunteering or at a meeting, the willingness to give something a shot and the general friendliness. That’s something inactive members miss out on.”
The organization focuses on personal growth for each individual, doing so in a variety of ways including the volunteering and commitment to academic excellence.
“My favorite part of NSCS is the opportunities that it has given me to grow, both as an individual and as a leader,” said O’Neil.
Those opportunities now extend to newly inducted NSCS members as they join over one million members striving to take part in service, leadership and academic achievement.
