Onondaga Community College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) welcomed 134 new students during its fall semester induction ceremony Monday night. Due to COVID-19 the event was virtual.
PTK member Eleanor Petrucco served as the event emcee. Musical performances during the ceremony included student Nova Kowalski singing the National Anthem, and Hadassah Johnson singing the PTK song.
College President Dr. Casey Crabill addressed current and incoming PTK students about the importance of involvement. "There are many opportunities to get involved in Onondaga's chapter even as we live in this virtual world, as well as to get involved in the regional and national levels. Be an active part of this powerful organization. I encourage you to take advantage of all of these opportunities exclusive to PTK members. They'll help you in your academic pursuits, in your professional and personal goals, and in your own development as a leader."
PTK Faculty Adviser Dr. Annie Tuttle spoke next. She began by reviewing the previous year's accomplishments, including OCC's PTK chapter being named in the top five in the world out of more than 1,200 chapters. She also discussed one of this year's projects which focuses on racial justice and includes numerous related initiatives. "Our team created the subtle injustices project where we will be collecting narratives from members of our community to learn about the prevalence of these experiences. We're going to share these anonymous narratives around campus to help raise awareness about these encounters and to get an idea about how we can make our campus and community a more inclusive place."
PTK President Gina Segreti shared brief remarks, welcoming the newest class of PTK inductees. "I always wanted to make the world a better place so others would not have to experience hardships. PTK has given me so many wonderful opportunities to give back to my community. We have done many amazing projects to fight for change. You are joining that fight. We are really glad to have you."
During the ceremony each of the 134 new PTK members was recognized individually with a PowerPoint slide created by PTK Coordinator Jacqueline Barstow. The slide included the student's name, degree program, plans beyond OCC, a fun fact about the student, and a photo.
Also recognized during the event were two College employees who were named PTK Honorary Inductees; Julie Hart, Assistant to OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill, and Roger Mirabito, Executive Director of Communications.
