Lone Star College-CyFair’s Xi Gamma Chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma, the National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society, recently inducted its first 12 members.
Xi Gamma Chapter faculty sponsor and French faculty member Georges Detiveaux welcomed inaugural members including French student Brandon Bourgeois; Spanish student Rhina Cancinos; American Sign Language (ASL) students Kristina Briley, Theresa Gilbert, Leyel Hudson, Leslie Little, Tracilynn Roberts and Cheryl Robertson; and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students Laline Cepeda, Indira Dortolina, Eddie Lanz and Yesul Shin.
The evening’s guest speaker was César Palacio, Manager of Language Assistance at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Presenting the new members with certificates, membership cards, pins, and graduation cords were Dean Anne Albarelli, whose academic division includes ESOL and Claire Phillips, whose division includes world languages and ASL.
The new chapter also inducted its first honorary member, LSC-CyFair’s Vice President for Student Learning Dr. Feleccia Moore-Davis, who has been a longtime advocate of language teaching and learning.
After the ceremony, the members met and elected the chapter’s first slate of officers for the 2011-2012 academic year. Lanz will serve as president, Roberts as vice president, Briley as secretary, Dortolina as treasurer and Bourgeois as historian.
Alpha Mu Gamma, the first and largest national collegiate honor society in the United States, was established in 1931 at Los Angeles City College. There are more than 300 chapters across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands found in state and private universities and in four-year and two-year colleges alike.
The organization’s purpose is to recognize achievement in the field of foreign languages, stimulate a desire for linguistic attainment and encourage an interest in studying foreign languages, literatures, cultures and civilizations as well as foster sympathetic understanding of other peoples and international friendship.
To qualify for membership in the honor society, students must have a B average in all college work and two A’s in world language courses (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish), two A’s in ASL courses or three A’s in ESOL courses. For information on LSC-CyFair’s Xi Gamma Chapter, e-mail Georges.J.Detiveaux@LoneStar.edu. For information on LSC-CyFair, go to LoneStar.edu.