Graduating from college is a great accomplishment, and most students strive to do their best while pursuing their academic dreams.
One of those academic dreams is to graduate with honors.
I’m a recent graduate of MCCC myself, and I worked hard to achieve that dream, as well as becoming a Phi Theta Kappa member.
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is an international honor society for two-year colleges and academic programs. It offers graduates honor stoles, through its web site, to wear on the day of graduation.
The stole is made of gold satin and has the Greek letter logo of PTK on the bottom of the stole, which is worn around your neck.
Unfortunately, MCCC’s policy does not allow students to wear the PTK stole on graduation day. The policy is in place to protect those students that are eligible to become members of PTK but cannot afford the required fee, or who cannot afford the cost of the stole.
In addition to that, the PTK stole is an honor given through PTK and not MCCC.
A possible solution would be for the MCCC Foundation to offer money through its Enhancement Grants Program to help students who can’t afford to become members of PTK or to purchase the stoles.
The Enhancement Grants supports such initiatives as: “the improvement of student services, the learning environment, or any other aspect of student life as it relates to the college.”
The Enhancement Grants program also supports “the development of appropriate vehicles to showcase talents and accomplishments of students.”
I understand that MCCC has put this policy into place to protect the students that cannot afford the membership fee or stole, but there are resources through MCCC to help students with this.
Is it really fair to tell students, who have worked so hard to graduate with honors, that they cannot wear a stole from an international honor society?
MCCC posts the names of students who have become members of PTK during the school year on the wall in the A building and also in the Monroe Evening News.
I do not understand why MCCC would not offer help to students, through such programs as the Foundation, to help them take part in such an outstanding program as PTK.
Being a member of PTK is just another avenue in helping students with their education, as well as to showcase their talents and accomplishments. One of those accomplishments would be to wear the honor stole on the day of graduation.
Apart from this, I must say that being a student at MCCC has enriched my life, not only personally but educationally. MCCC has been a stepping stone in furthering my education and I know that MCCC will also enrich the lives of many more students.
I hope that future students who will be graduating with honors will be allowed to showcase their accomplishments by being allowed to wear the honor stole provided through PTK.
