Fayetteville State University (NC)
Southeastern Region (small school)

Northern Kentucky University
Southeastern Region (large school)--tie

Rutgers University Camden (NJ)
Eastern Region (large school)

University of Miami (FL)
Southeastern Region (large school)--tie

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Midwestern Region (large school)

|| WINNING CHAPTERS

Fayetteville State University Chapter of Psi Chi has been energetically involved in campus activities, both academic and social. During the first two years, the chapter focused on service activities such as providing clothes to a family whose home had burned down. The chapter more recently has taken the initiative to sponsor the Scholarly Lecture Series on campus. Last fall the series featured Dr. Duane Jackson of Morehouse College, who talked about insect aggression to a group of students and faculty from psychology and the natural sciences. The second session featured a dynamic and entertaining lecture by Dr. James Kalat of North Carolina State University, who spoke about "The Temptations of Uncritical Thinking: Errors We All Make." This lecture was attended by students and faculty from psychology, sociology, criminal justice, education, and other departments. The chapter is continuing this lecture series throughout the spring.
     The chapter has also taken the initiative to form the Sandhills Regional Psi Chi (SRPC), a loose confederation of Psi Chi chapters and psychology clubs from schools located in the Sandhills region of the southeast corner of North Carolina. Member institutions of this regional group are Fayetteville State University, Methodist College, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and St. Andrews College. The SRPC is sponsoring a psychology conference this spring to give students an opportunity to present research projects. In conjunction with this conference, a refereed electronic journal, The Proceedings of the Sandhills Regional Psychology Conference, will publish papers presented at the conference.
     During the month of October 2001, the chapter sponsored a workshop to assist current students with the graduate school application process. The workshop was open to all psychology majors. Members of the SRPC, both faculty and students, also attended. The chapter also planned a spring "Psychology Fair" featuring representatives from several mental health care services and providers. This event is intended to educate and inform students regarding services available in the area, give them the opportunity to network with psychology professionals, and heighten awareness of employment opportunities for graduates with a BS in psychology.
     The chapter plans to use the award money to continue to support their many scholarly and enriching events on campus that facilitate the academic growth and achievement of their students.
     PICTURE CAPTIONS (above) - Image 1: Officers of the Fayetteville State University Psi Chi Chapter. Image 2: New members of the Faytetteville State University Psi Chi Chapter are inducted at a candlelight ceremony.

Since its beginning, the Northern Kentucky University Psi Chi Chapter has kept its promise to stimulate and maintain scholarship in psychology and to advance psychology as a science. Eighty-one members have been inducted into their chapter over the past three years, and all have demonstrated academic excellence and service. Most members participate in faculty-led research and chapter events and also show leadership in other groups on campus.
     The NKU Chapter has also participated in numerous volunteer projects to help their community. This past semester 15 members volunteered at a soup kitchen during an event designed to increase awareness about homelessness. According to the chapter, the members find such experiences to be very rewarding and educational. The chapter also has sponsored social events to bring members and faculty together, to attract new members, and to facilitate their visibility within the university community. These events have resulted in their Psi Chi chapter being one of the most well-known, active, and respected student organizations on campus.
     In addition to serving the community and hosting social events, all of the members of the NKU Chapter are committed to academic scholarship. Members demonstrate their scholarship in a variety of ways: (a) maintaining high grade point averages, (b) belonging to other organizations such as ODK (National Leadership Society), the NKU Honor's program, Sigma Xi, and Golden Key National Honor Society, (c) participating on the department's championship Psychbowl team, and (d) attending and participating in local, regional, and national conferences.
     The NKU Psi Chi Chapter plans to use the money to fund student travel to Chicago in May 2002 to attend the MPA convention, where student members can expand their knowledge of psychology. Last year, the chapter was able to help over 20 members attend the conference for a nominal fee. This year they expect the same number of students, if not more. The chapter reports that most students who attend present posters or give presentations, but some students just want to experience a psychology conference.
     PICTURE CAPTIONS (above) - Image 1: Officers of the Northern Kentucky University Psi Chi Chapter are pictured with James Randi of the James Randi Educational Foundation. In front, from left: Tracy Haddix, Kelley Wcisel, Melanie Grindle, James Randi, and Elizabeth Dennemann. In back: Aaron Hamlin and Christina Massie. Image 2: Officers of the Northern Kentucky University Psi Chi Chapter.

Psi Chi at Rutgers University Camden has become increasingly more active on campus over the past few years. Following the tragedies of September 11, the chapter held a bake sale to raise money for the victims of the attack. In addition, they have worked with numerous other charities and have sponsored several activities that keep them in regular contact with the rest of the campus. In all of their activities and events, they try to incorporate the rest of the campus so as not to convey an exclusionary impression. Other planned events include a lecture on forensic psychology by David DeMatteo, a former Rutgers University Camden Psi Chi chapter president, and a Valentine's Day lecture on flirting by Dr. Timothy Perper.
     The chapter's plans for using the award money include adopting a family for the holiday season and holding a formal, catered induction ceremony. Adopting a family will include buying gifts and other needed items for an underprivileged family so that the family can experience the holiday season. The chapter feels that this is a good way to give back to the community because their campus is located in an urban setting with many disadvantaged families living in the surrounding communities. The formal spring induction ceremony, to be held in a catering hall, will include having a guest speaker as well as inviting the inductees' family and friends.

Over the last several years the Psi Chi Chapter at the University of Miami has been avidly dedicated to achieving Psi Chi's purpose. For the past three years, the chapter has had increasingly effective programming in three distinct areas: scholastics, service, and social. Scholastically, the chapter has sponsored graduate school admission workshops, mock GRE test drives, research and career panels, and resume-writing seminars, and has invited numerous guest speakers to discuss the opportunities available in the field of psychology. The chapter's service-oriented programs have included the Switchboard of Miami crisis hotline, Miami Children's Hospital, the Rape Counseling Center, and school-sponsored activities such as Hurricanes Help the Hometown and Fun Day. Socially, the chapter has planned movie nights and barbecues to encourage members to learn more about one another. While improving in these areas, they have upheld the national bylaws in their membership selection and initiation procedures. The officers have also abided by their responsibilities as outlined in national policies. The chapter has been able to fund their programs while still maintaining a strong financial status. For the past three years, they have budgeted efficiently and have held fundraisers to raise money for their activities, guest speakers, banquets, and even to provide food at every meeting. The success of the chapter's events have been due, in part, to effective public relations and advertising campaigns on campus, which have included everything from banners and flyers to e-mails and bulletin boards as a way of making students aware of chapter events. In addition, the chapter's own publication, The Psi Chi Connection, is part of the Psychology Department's newsletter, which is mailed to all psychology and psychobiology majors at the University of Miami. A second reason for the success of their programming is because the chapter cares about its members and their interests. They pass out questionnaires and activities surveys to determine the students' interests and then tailor their programming accordingly. This year, the chapter obtained a Kaplan sponsorship to provide more opportunities for Psi Chi members interested in graduate school. Kaplan provided $1,200 in scholarship money and offered discounts on the price of its course to chapter members. As an incentive to increase chapter participation, the chapter implemented a point system and grants this money in the form of two $600 scholarships to the members who accumulate the most points. With all of these efforts, the chapter has doubled chapter attendance at meetings and activities since last year.
     The University of Miami Psi Chi Chapter plans to use the award money to sponsor attendance at a national or regional Psi Chi research conference for the winner of the Florida Undergraduate Research Fair held by the University of Miami. Psychology students present posters and give oral presentations explaining their research projects during this annual event. The research fair is judged by a large number of university faculty who choose the winner with the highest levels of scientific merit.
     PICTURE CAPTION (above): Members of the University of Miami (FL) Psi Chi Chapter.

The Psi Chi Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is very active and visible within their large Psychology Department. All Psi Chi activities are open to all majors and not just to members of the organization. As a result, the chapter activities, such as faculty research talks, fundraising activities, and the annual research symposium, make this a very prominent chapter among the university's 1,000 majors.
     The chapter sponsors for all students three faculty research talks with free pizza. These are held in November, February, and early April. A committee chooses the speakers on the basis of their presentation style and research area, striving to appeal to a broad audience. These talks draw an average of between 40 and 60 attendees and are held in the faculty meeting room rather than a sterile classroom. In addition, each April the chapter organizes and sponsors a regional research symposium, at which up to 40 refereed research papers are presented by psychology students from some 20 regional campuses. Attendance for the day, which includes various other activities, is around 300.
     For several years, the chapter has maintained an office with afternoon walk-in hours staffed by all the members (this duty is required, two hours per semester). Potential or current majors may drop in to ask questions about requirements, course content, and difficulty while planning a course schedule. They can also discuss plans to apply to graduate school. In addition, the chapter offers a free tutoring service, and tutors use the Psi Chi office to meet with students in need of help. Until now this office was on the main floor of the building, which has a great deal of traffic from the many classrooms on that floor. However, the Psi Chi chapter was asked to give up the office and move to a much smaller space on the fourth floor. The chapter plans to use the award money to do a thorough advertising job with posters and materials produced by a printer, rather than just photocopied flyers. The furniture they had does not fit in the new space, and they need to search in the university surplus for pieces to serve their needs. They plan to use the award money for this as well.
     PICTURE CAPTIONS (above) - Image 1: Members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Psi Chi Chapter work with a faculty committee on education issues. Image 2: A member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Psi Chi Chapter scores data in the school's Emotions/Twins research laboratory.

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