After attending Normandale last semester, my grades were high enough to merit a letter in the mail that began with “Dear Honor Student.” I don’t want to just thumb my nose at Alpha Kappa Alpha (Normandale’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa)—I’m sure it’s an outstanding “international honor society for two-year colleges” that will “enrich my life while I attend Normandale and also remain with me as I pursue other educational or career goals.” Whether I want to spend eighty bucks for such an honor… well, that’s not the point. The point is on the third page.
There are a couple initial steps I’d need to take to earn my membership and I’m quoting the first step verbatim:
- Wednesday, September 9, from 5-6 p.m. in S 2320 OR
Thursday, September 10, from 11-12 a.m. in S 2320 OR
Saturday, September 12, from 10-11 a.m. in S 2320 OR
Monday, September 14, from 3-4 p.m. in S 2320 OR
Tuesday, September 15, from 1-2 p.m. in C 1095 OR
Tuesday, September 15, from 5-6 p.m. in S 2320
Look at the list of meetings. The whoooooole list. The list of six meetings. Not five. Six.
Now look at Thursday. The whoooooole length of the meeting. The meeting that apparently runs for 13 hours: 11-12 a.m. That’s a lot of time to be stuck in a room learning about any group, even if it is “one of the most respected organizations on Normandale’s campus.”
Maybe it’s me. Maybe I don’t have the mentality to deserve this kind of membership. Maybe my grades are high enough, but I’m lacking in honor. It could be all of those things, but I just have a problem with an honor society that cares enough to send academically outstanding students a letter of eligibility, but not enough to properly edit the letter itself.
