Alpha Theta Phi Chapter - Phi Theta Kappa - LaGuardia Community College

ALPHA THETA PHI Officer Elections 2011 Dear Phi Theta Kappa members, We will be holding elections for the 2010-2011 Chapter Officer Team on   WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011   at 2:30pm  sharp in  E-216 . The new officer team will begin their term of service after the May 20 Induction and Officer Installation Ceremony.   Serving as a Chapter Officer is a significant commitment. You will learn leadership skills, time-management skills, as well as how to work productively as a team. In addition to these benefits, Officers also have access to resources in Honors House (MB46) to conduct Chapter work.   As many of you know, our Chapter has a high profile at the College, and recently received major awards in recognition of its service to others. Our Chapter has consistently been praised for developing servant-leaders committed to making positive changes in the lives of others. So, Officers are expected to serve as student leaders and role models, setting a high s...

By Charles Adames, The sharp winds of a cold January morning could still be felt in my mind, cutting deep beneath my face, and small pieces of ice were melting beneath the tips of my eyelashes, while a rapid flow of heavy snow, carried by strong winds hit the oily car lot pavement at a New York dealership. It was not the condition of my body that bothered me most, but the view of the disorder surrounding me resembling my life during those days. The hours were long and cruel, and I could still remember some of the things that made me feel helpless, but in short moments I regained strength to continue on, as I remembered the last time I had spoken to my grandfather, those words resonating in my mind, gave me the strength needed to finish that long day.             My grandfather, a man who still remains a mystery to most who knew his name, and even those who knew him, lived in Jarabacoa, a rural town in the city of La Vega in the Do...

By Djene Keita, We live in a diverse country which embraces multiculturalism by welcoming people from different parts of the world. Every day, we have this huge opportunity to expand our knowledge of the multiple cultures existing in the U.S.A. just by the simple fact of being exposed to them at school, the workplace, on the street, train and many other places. Yet, when we make a good observation of the way we interact among each other today, it becomes obvious that many of us today do not realize the grandeur of the chance we have to be exposed to the beautiful cultures which America embodies. The misrepresentation of different countries and cultures on mass media such as TV, Radio and the Internet have created misconceptions which account for the stereotypical and judgmental behavior we have developed toward  those inaccurately represented cultures and countries; and, it also accounts for the way we interact with their people.   Media plays a significant role in sh...

In the aim of planning our college project, we are meeting tomorrow to brainstorm on the college project from 11:00- 12:00 in room E-135 .  We encourage all members to join us for this important meeting.  We hope to see you all.

 After one week of intensive research on the honors in action study question of " How media has affected language and culture around the world", Alpha Theta Phi officers and members will be meeting this coming Wednesday in room E-135 from 11am - 12 pm to draw conclusions from the research  and share needs we have discovered based on the research. We encourage all members to take part in this meeting and to be prepare to discuss ideas about the project we will build based on the needs we have found through research.  We hope to see you all.

Language and Communication Today, after meeting with our advisors, officers of Alpha Theta Phi decided to focus on the study question of “how has media affected language and culture around the world.” For the coming month,we will be conducting research on the issue in the hope to determine needs based on which  we will build honors in action project. We encourage each member to be active and take part in this research. Below are video and a website which will help you start engaged in this research.    Please feel free to comment and suggest ideas. http://globalvoicesonline.org/    

Saturday, August 7th 10am - 5pm The Alpha Theta Phi chapter of LaGuardia Community College and The Xi Kappa chapter of Kingsborough Community College of New York City wish to invite you to a regional informational / networking event. This event is a very promising occasion which involves two of Phi Theta Kappa's favorite’s activities: fun and fellowship. Along with the fun and networking, the learning aspects will be "Honors in Action" and "5 Star Chapter Development." We are striving to have this event proceed without a hitch. We extend our invitation to all members who wish to attend, including advisors and school officials. We will have refreshments and snacks available however we urge you to bring your own set of food and drinks. The main purpose of this event is to help each other investigate the Honors Study Topic: The Democratization of Information- Power, Peril and Promise; and elaborate on the Five Star Chapter Development Plan. This is not going to ...

          In a society of hearing and spoken language there are according to YourDictonary.com, 6800 spoken languages in the 200 countries of the world. So how about those who are hard of hearing of deaf? They have their own language called sign language. This language is considered a foreign language. Sign language is a visual language that is according to ASLinfo.com is comparable in complexity and expressiveness to spoken languages. They go on to say that ASL is capable of conveying subtle, complex, and abstract ideas. Sign language is different in every country. Unlike the similarities of English around the world, sign language that is signed around the world is not a universal language which causes a language barrier when a deaf person travels around the world. It would be beneficial if there were more commonalities in signed languages around the world so that people who use them would be better able to communicate and pass on informatio...

WEDNESDAY JULY 14th, 2010  2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Rm. E-135          Phi Theta Kappa is not an honor society for the sake of being called an honor society. We must conduct research, and according to what we find, we create our events. This term, our Honor Study Topic is “The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril, and Promise" and the Issue we’ve chosen is language and communication. On Wednesday July 14 th , we’ll be setting up 3 research groups; books and journals, media, and experts. This is a meeting for both members and non-members. We encourage all students to participate in the research of our Honor Study Topic; it will culminate in an Honors in Action Project and a College Project which will directly affect the entire student body. Here are a few questions to prepare you for the meeting and guide you in your research. More questions are available in the Issue 4: Language and Communication section of the Honor Study Topic Gu...

Therese Kobanghe S.A.C. Liason Major: Business Administration Dream College: Columbia University Current City: St. Albans, NY

                                     by Djene Keita This is a reflection on the honor study question on the issue of language and communication: To what extent do public figures and celebrities have a right to privacy? To what extent does the media have the right to cover them? Early every morning, we rush to get newspapers to read headlines about public figures, celebrities and recent events that have grasped our attention. We eagerly turn on the cable to watch those news channels such as New York 1, CNN, and Fox News looking forward to watch the latest news about Tiger Woods, Lindsay Lohan, and Lady Gaga etc...These 24 hours news cycles are always available to us. Unfortunately, many of us do not question the source of acquisition of the information provided to us. We just swallow whatever information i...

by Djene Keita, This is my reflection on one of the study questions about" Language and Communication" in the Honors Study Guide.  The Human species develops language to communicate and express thoughts. Among the many ways of communicating such as body language, spoken language is  singularly used by the humans and, that has distinguished our specie from other species living on the earth. The emergence of technology in the 17th century and its ongoing evolution has significantly improved our lifes and the figure of the world.  Thanks to technology, a huge progress has been made in different aspects of life. The creation of Internet, Television, Cell phones, etc… has brought convenience and added luxury to our life style. Consequently, communication has become easier and the use of spoken language has diminished.  Although technology has had a significant impact on our lifes, it is essential to point out that its evolution has also been a drawback in the advanc...

Once every two year, chapters of Phi Theta Kappa are given an Honor Study Topic from which they choose an issue that interests them and build an Honors in Action Project.The 2010-2011 Honor Study Topic  is " The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril and Promise." Tuesday, after a long eight hours of meeting about selecting the best issue. Officers of Alpha Theta Phi assisted by the chapter's advisors unanimously chose the issue on " Language and Communication."  The question of how does language and communication shape information and vice versa  is really interesting given that we are students of one of the most diverse community colleges in the country; LaGuardia Community College. I believe we all have a lot of things to say about this topic. We invite all of you to take part in the upcoming discussions regarding this issue. Here is a link  for more information about this issue. http://www.ptk.org/honors/guide/issue-4-language-and-commu...

Edgar Romero 2009-2010 International President Click on the link below to read Edgar's Bio! http://www.ptk.org/directories/intofficers/bio.php?name=romero .

Click here to listen to Edgar's speech. http://edgareliasrc.blogspot.com/

March Blogger of the Month Sujata Gurung A bright and passionate international nursing student from Nepal with one more year of studies left at LaGuardia Community College who hopes to transfer to Columbia University. Ever since high school, Sujata’s primary concern and passion has been helping others. In her native country, she used to volunteer in orphanages where she was helping in many different ways, including tutoring younger children. After coming to the United States, Sujata—like most of us—was overwhelmed by work and studying, and she found it difficult to find time to volunteer. She stumbled upon our blog and read the story of “How I Got Hooked on Helping Others” which inspired her to seek opportunities. She remembered the exhilarating feeling of helping others and is now determined to get involved in some extracurricular activities. This time, however, she has bigger dreams. She wants to make an impact and make changes in our society’s major issues. We wish Sujata ...

ALPHA THETA PHI Officer Elections 2010 Dear Phi Theta Kappa members, We will be holding elections for the 2010-2011 Chapter Officer Team on WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010 at 2:30pm sharp in E-150 . The new officer team will begin their term of service after the May 12 Induction and Officer Installation Ceremony. Serving as a Chapter Officer is a significant commitment. You will learn leadership skills, time-management skills, as well as how to work productively as a team. In addition to these benefits, Officers also have access to resources in Honors House (MB46) to conduct Chapter work. As many of you know, our Chapter has a high profile at the College, and recently received major awards in recognition of its service to others. Our Chapter has consistently been praised for developing servant-leaders committed to making positive changes in the lives of others. So, Officers are expected to serve as student leaders and role models, setting a high standard for being able to take the init...

Kadin Wisniewski, a 12th grade Renaissance Charter School Student from Jackson Height, is a true pillar of his community. In the summer of 2008 at the age of 14—angered by the slow response of our government to hurricane Katrina—he went to New Orleans with a group of kids his age to help rebuild the city that was devastated by the notorious hurricane. To help fund his trip, Kadin organized a fundraiser in church his family goes to. Two years later, he is gearing up for another summer of humanitarian work in The Big Easy. Kadin’s inspiring work doesn’t stop there. This busy teenager is a very active volunteer, participating in many community events. On top of that, he is a member of a band called “ Once Again ” that had its first CD “11 Hours ” released just last month. That’s right—watch out Jonas Brothers! (You can download Kadin’s amazing music from iTunes.) Kadin may be only 16 years old, yet his Resume is filled with an impressive variety of extracurricular activitie...

By Klara Kang What an experience! I must say I enjoyed the trip very much. We had two buses full of students and staff from all CUNY colleges wanting to make a difference. Our day started bright and early—our buses took off from the city at 7am and our first appointment was scheduled for 11am. There were eight appointments scheduled throughout the day with different senators and assemblymen. Our big group split into three smaller ones, to make sure we didn’t miss any appointments. We visited the offices of the following legislators: Assemblyman Brian Kolb— Assembly Minority Leader Senator Toby Ann Stavisky— Senate Higher Education Committee chair Assemblyman Jose Peralta— Member of the Higher Education Committee Assemblyman Herman Farrell Jr.— Assembly Ways and Means Committee chair Assemblywoman Debra Glick— Assembly Higher Education Committee chair Assemblyman Sheldon Silver— Speaker of the House Assemblyman Ron Canestrari— Majority Leader Assemblyman William Scarborugh— A...

You may soon be paying more for LaGuardia’s subsidized childcare if the newly proposed bill is passed. In efforts to close the state budget gap, Governor Peterson is proposing a $7.4 billion funding cuts that would directly affect the CUNY/SUNY childcare programs. Here are some ways you can help: Go to the ECLC office located in MB-09 and sign a petition telling the Governor that it is not OK to cut funding for the ECLC program. (The petition is also posted on the door in the Honors House - MB-46) Join other CUNY students on March 2nd on a trip to Albany to talk to our legislators. YOU can make a difference!