Phi Alpha - Beta Epsilon Chapter
Social Work Honor Society
2017-2018Membership
Application
Please read the following information and send any questions to
Laurel Bidwell ().
BetaEpsilon, the St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas School of Social Work Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, recognizes and encourages superior academic achievement among undergraduate social work students, service to the community, advancement in scholarship, and social justice while promoting humanitarian goals and ideals.BetaEpsilon fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.Beta Epsilon is a student-led organization with faculty advisement. Each year, students participate in service to the community and engage in scholarship activities.
Expectations of members:
- To participate in a fall chapter retreat (takes place the first weekend of the fall semester - TBA)
- To participate in a spring chapter meeting (takes place in late February/early March - TBA)
- To take part in one sub-committee/work group (meeting times and dates are decided upon by that group)
Applications will be reviewed on Monday, January 8th, 2018 andmust be received on or before Sunday, January 7th, 2018 to be considered for membership in the Spring of 2018. The upcoming induction ceremony for the 2017-2018 academic year will take place on Sunday, February 11,2018.This is a one-time application. If you are already a Beta Epsilon member, you do not need to resubmit an application at this time.
An undergraduate student is eligible to applyfor Beta Epsilon membership after achieving the following requirements:
- Has declared or plans to declare Social Work as a major in the
St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas Bachelor of Social Work Program
- Has completed at least 8 semester hours ofrequired social work coursesand has achieved sophomore status (SSW courses only - this does not include supporting courses or transfer social work courses)
- Has achieved an overall GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
- Has achieved a 3.5 GPA in social work courses(SSW courses only - this does not include supporting courses or transfer social work courses).
To apply for membership, please emaila Word file or PDF with the following information to Laurel Bidwell (faculty advisor to Beta Epsilon, ) on or before January 7, 2018:
- Name:
- Student ID#:
- Address:
- Phone:
- Email:
- Cumulative Institutional GPA:
- Social Work only GPA (doesn’t include supporting SW courses):
- University: St. Kate’s _____ St. Thomas____ (please check one)
- Expected Graduation Date:
- A copy of your unofficial transcript (including fall, 2017 grades)
- A2 to 3 page personal essay describing:
a)Your volunteer work experience
b)Your employmentexperience
c)Your internship experience
d)Your leadership activities
e)Why you want to be a member of the social work honor’s society
Students are selected on the basis of both academic excellence and evidence of initiative in social service practice.
Note: At this time there is a $30 one-time/lifetime membership fee* that is required by the National Phi Alpha Honors Society for Social Work( Students accepted into Beta Epsilon will be sent membership information with their acceptance letter. Our annual Induction ceremony for new members, friends and family will take place on Sunday,February 11, 2018 from 3:00-5:00pm at St. Catherine University.
* If you are experiencing financial hardship at the time of acceptance to Beta Epsilon, please notify Laurel of your situation. We do not want to allow financial hardship to become a barrier to anyone’s membership.