Why Join Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society?
Joining a college honor society is a way of acknowledging superior academic achievement. Some honor societies recognize overall student achievement based on cumulative GPA. Other honor societies recognize achievement in specific disciplines or majors, such as Lambda Alpha. Membership in an honor society is a way to emphasize your superior academic performance in your professional credentials. Membership in a college honor society is typically noted on your resume or curriculum vita to demonstrate that you achieved academic excellence while completing your college education. Many potential employers and graduate program admission committees understand and appreciate the distinction accorded by membership in honor societies.
While a primary purpose of Lambda Alpha is to emphasize superior academic performance, this distinction should not be obtained at an unreasonable cost. Over the years Lambda Alpha has maintained a reasonable application fee amount for anthropology students. Applying for membership in Lambda Alpha requires one fee–a lifetime membership fee. Some honor societies require an application fee (often much higher than our one-time membership fee), an application processing fee, and annual dues. The Lambda Alpha lifetime application fee has remained the same for many years–$25– and will remain so for many more years.
General Membership Policy
To become a member in Lambda Alpha, an anthropology major or minor joins an existing chapter in their anthropology department.
Membership requirements consist of a B average or 3.0 GPA in anthropology and no less than a 2.5 cumulative GPA for all coursework. A 3.25 GPA is required for anthropology graduate students. Undergraduate students pursuing a major or minor in anthropology must have completed a minimum of 12 hours of coursework in anthropology to apply for membership.
A complete membership application consist of submitting two items. The two membership application items consist of a 1) a printed copy of your application form submitted to your chapter faculty sponsor for membership approval, and 2) a $25 lifetime membership fee submitted to your chapter faculty sponsor.
To apply for membership, please complete the application form available at the bottom of this section. Please submit a printed copy of the membership application form to your chapter faculty sponsor along with the $25 lifetime membership fee. Please submit to your faculty sponsor a check or money order for the membership fee made payable to Lambda Alpha Honor Society along with your printed application form.
After submitting the membership application form and check or money order, your chapter faculty sponsor will review your application and academic record to confirm that you meet the requirements for membership in Lambda Alpha. The faculty sponsor signs your application form when it is approved. Upon approval by your chapter faculty sponsor, the signed application form and membership fee payment are then forwarded to the Lambda Alpha National Office by your chapter faculty sponsor. Upon receipt of these items, your application information is then recorded in the chapter records at the Lambda Alpha National Office. You are then sent a Lambda Alpha membership certificate from the national office to confirm your acceptance as a member in the honor society.
If a Lambda Alpha chapter does not exist in your anthropology department, then a faculty member interested in sponsoring a chapter would need to be recruited to create a new chapter in your department. See the For Faculty page on this website for information about creating a new Lambda Alpha chapter in your department.
Download Link: Lambda Alpha Membership Application Form
Specific Membership Policy
The following specific membership policy is drawn from the Lambda Alpha National Constitution. Any person who is or was an officer, member of the teaching staff, graduate student, junior or senior in college, university or other institution of higher learning where there is a chapter of Lambda Alpha, may be elected to membership by the chapter faculty sponsor. The chapter faculty sponsor insures that the membership applicant meets the requirements for membership. No person may be denied membership in Lambda Alpha by reason of race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin.
Minimum requirements for active student membership shall be:
Undergraduates must be currently enrolled and have completed not less than twelve (12) semester hours or the equivalent in academic Anthropology. Undergraduates must have an average grade in these courses of not less than “B” or 3.0 and a cumulative GPA average of not less than 2.5. Graduate students must be in good departmental standing with a 3.25 cumulative GPA average.
Faculty members in good standing in the institution, who are connected with the disciplines of Anthropology and/or Sociology are automatically eligible for membership. In those institutions with a joint Sociology/Anthropology department, Sociology courses not to exceed six (6) semester hours may be included for membership qualifications. Alumni of any qualified institution may become members of any such chapter within five (5) years of graduation provided the same qualifications for undergraduate or graduate students, whichever applied, are met. A person so elected shall become a member upon receipt by the National Office of his/her written acceptance, payment of the national fees, and issuance by the National Executive Secretary of the prescribed credentials and not before such action. A chapter may admit to active status anyone who has been a member of any chapter at any time.
Special exemption from the application of any of the above principles of eligibility may be granted only by the National Executive Council on the request of a collegiate chapter showing special circumstances and good reasons for such exemption.
The National Executive Council may, from time to time, recognize distinguished service in Anthropology by-election to honorary membership and granting official credentials to persons who, by their outstanding contributions and achievements in Anthropology, have merited such distinction. These persons shall pay no dues or fees of any kind. Each chapter shall review prospective members to determine their eligibility at least twice during each academic year. Chapter faculty sponsors may submit membership application materials at any time during the year. Application materials for an individual can be submitted by a faculty sponsor or a group of applications can also be sent to the Lambda Alpha National Office.
All persons eligible for initiation shall pay a $25 initiation fee to the National Office. This fee shall constitute a lifetime membership fee and no national dues, fees or other assessments shall hereafter be imposed. The national membership fee shall entitle each member to a certificate of membership.
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