Honorary Membership

There are many ways in which a chapter may chose to honor or reward someone who has assisted or helped the chapter. A thank you letter or card, an invitation to dinner where they can be presented with a plaque of appreciation, or any form of public recognition are common and certainly appropriate. Honorary membership in Theta Tau, however, is not to be considered merely a form of thanks or award. The following words of Founder Schrader are designed to provide guidance in the selection of honorary members: "The chief qualifications of one otherwise eligible is service to Theta Tau. One should never be elected simply because he is a great scientist, because he is a fine teacher, because he is a prominent engineer, but because...he is interested in Theta Tau, that he believes in and will foster its ideals, that he will take an active and personal interest in the undergraduates as well as alumni, and will act as their adviser and older brother. There are numerous organizations that honor a person for his professorial, his scientific, his engineering accomplishments. Honorary membership in Theta Tau is something more than that. It is the recognition of the individual who, by his past or his possible future accomplishments, is recognized as one who by precept and example can point the way for his younger brothers in Theta Tau.

"Many of the qualifications...for active candidates apply equally well to honorary members. Of his personal and professional integrity there must be no question. Do not select a faculty member who will regard this simply as another honor due his position, but carrying no duties and very light obligations. Choose as honorary members those who will take an active interest in the Fraternity, will help in the selection of new members, will supervise chapters in their internal affairs, and who will give as well as receive from their brothers that cooperation and respect which is inherent in membership."

Procedure is detailed in the Constitution, Article V, Sections 6 and 7; and in the Bylaws, Chapter II, Part A. This procedure must be followed carefully each time a chapter desires to initiate an honorary member. Note especially that a chapter may initiate but one honorary member for each fifty student or alumnus initiates, or fraction thereof, on its chapter roll (Bylaws, Chapter II, Part A, Section 1). This ratio applies regardless of whether previous honorary initiates are still nearby or whether they are still living. Therefore each chapter should keep a list of all those it has initiated as honorary members on an introductory page in the roll book. Since a vote of the chapter's alumnus and honorary members must be solicited whenever an honorary initiate is proposed, the chapter should utilize information available from the Central Office. In the letter to alumni and others, the chapter must include all information cited in Bylaws, Chapter II, Part A, Section 4, clearly stating that the list of memberships includes all Greek letter organizations to which he belongs, quote pertinent sections from the laws, and clearly state the way in which he fulfills the eligibility requirements stated in Constitution, Article V, Section 6.

Past experience shows that a chapter wishing to initiate an honorary member should not discuss this with a prospect until the sixty-day period allowed for alumnus votes has elapsed. The chapter should also alert its alumni by letter not to discuss this with the one proposed until after the chapter has reported that the alumnus vote is favorable.

After approval, the candidate should complete the Honorary Pledge Form before initiation, and be given a Membership Manual to keep. Before initiation, the candidate should pass the Honorary Pledge Test (provided by the Central Office). This test covers material in the Pledge and Membership Manual, but is somewhat easier than the one given to student candidates. The individual or the chapter pays pledging fee, badge cost, and initiation fee for honorary initiate (Bylaws, Chap. V, Sec. 4 & 5); and the Treasurer sends Initiation Report along with payment of these costs to the Central Office promptly after initiation. An Honorary initiate assumes status as any other alumnus member of the chapter in the Fraternity.