The University’s charter class of Tau Sigma Honor Society inducted 47 transfer students on Sunday.
Tau Sigma is a nationally recognized honor society created in 1999 at Auburn University specifically for transfer students.
Its goal is to recognize the academic achievements of students who have transferred from other institutions to LSU and to encourage and promote their involvement, said Randy Fontenot, the current chapter adviser.
LSU is the first school in Louisiana to create a chapter for the society.
The First Year Experience department within the Division of Student Life initiated the society, because freshmen are not the only students who experience a first year at LSU, said Darrell Ray, assistant vice chancellor for Student Life.
“We want to make sure they feel a connection to the University and make it their new home,” Ray said.
Chancellor Michael Martin told the transfer students the University wants students to feel at home no matter how they ended up here. He said he wanted them to participate in the University’s goals of education, experimentation and engaging the community.
“It’s harder to be a transfer student and not have the freshman year experience,” said Mary Gaston, who transferred from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ashley Sylestine, communications disorder transfer from LSU-Eunice, said she joined because she wanted to meet other transfer students. Students have a number of reasons for transferring to LSU.
Chelsea Black, kinesiology transfer from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said she transferred for the opportunities from LSU’s Department of Kinesiology.
The students invited to join Tau Sigma must have at least one semester at LSU and two semesters at a prior university.
They must also be full time and in the top 20 percent of transfer students. Ray said the minimum GPA is about a 3.35.
Students will elect officers once the society is fully established at the University and will then have a meeting and an event each semester.
Contact Joanna Zimmerman at [email protected]