The most important task of a 
chapter is to identify eligible students and induct them into membership. It is therefore essential to the vitality of a chapter to publicize both its existence and the benefits of membership as widely as possible within the department.
To make this easier, the National Office provides posters, small enough to be posted on departmental bulletin boards, that describe Pi Sigma Alpha and direct interested students to their chapter advisor or department chair. The National Office also provides student information cards that can be distributed to all likely PSA candidates in a the department as part of a membership drive. Both the poster and information cards are available at no charge from the National Office. Chapters should send a self-addressed mailing label when requesting them. (Samples of the card and poster are included in the back of the Handbook.)
Timing of Membership Drives
Once interested students identify themselves, it is up to the chapters to verify their academic eligibility for membership. Most chapters use questionnaires of their own design on which students list their courses and grades and make their transcripts available to the chapter for verification. Because of the requirement that members have taken at least one upper-division political science course, the best time to conduct a PSA publicity campaign is during the first semester of junior year among students who will become eligible at the end of the semester. They will then be ready to submit their applications as soon as grades come out and can be inducted at a the next chapter meeting or induction ceremony in the spring. It is a very good idea to induct students as soon as they are eligible -- as second-semester juniors -- rather than waiting until their senior year.
Chapter activities often take some time to develop and carry out, and students who won't be around to see the results of their efforts aren't as likely to invest their energies in PSA programs. Potential chapter officers also need to have been a part of the organization for a while if they're to understand what is expected of them when they're in charge and have a sense of commitment to the success of the chapter.
One particularly ambitious chapter has adopted an "affiliate" membership scheme whereby freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are not yet eligible for full PSA membership may affiliate with the chapter, attend its meetings, and take advantage of whatever programs it puts on in anticipation of full membership later on. This scheme has the advantage of familiarizing students with the honor society and its activities very early on so that they are ready and eager to take responsibility when they are eligible. It also gives PSA greater visibility and importance in the life of the department and encourages students to strive to meet the academic requirements for initiation into the honor society. The risk is that students may not understand the distinction between affiliate membership and regular membership, and might think they are members of the national organization when they are in fact not. The advantages outweigh the risks, however, if chapter advisors take care to explain the two classes of membership so that students don't misunderstand their status.
Initiation Ceremony
After new members have been identified, initiation fees collected, etc., they should be formally initiated into the chapter and presented with membership certificates issued by the National Office. This may be done at a regular chapter meeting, at a special initiation reception, at a college honors convocation, or some other suitable department occasion. The National Office needs about two weeks to print the certificates and return them to the chapters, so officers should be sure to send in the forms in plenty of time.
There should be a short, dignified ceremony to mark the significance of initiation of new members into the honor society. The National Office offers an optional initiation ritual, or chapters may devise their own standard ritual. In any case the language and form of the ritual should reflect the serious yet happy tenor of the occasion and the high honor being conferred, and should require initiates to affirm their commitment to scholarship and academic integrity.
Keeping Your Chapter Active - Quicklinks
