Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association’s communication studies honor society, is participating in the Eastern Communication Association’s (ECA) annual convention by hosting a student panel. Temple University’s Alpha Beta Upsilon chapter of the fraternity will be sending its president Max Eagle as a representative on the fraternity’s panel, where he will speak about the initiatives that Temple’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta spearheads for its students and other students interested in learning more about communication.
The ECA convention is set to take place in early April in Baltimore, MD, with select days for undergraduate students to participate. Within that period, there are many events planned for undergraduates to network amongst professionals and peers. The Lambda Pi Eta panel is a chance for student leaders to highlight the ways they are making their campus interconnected and enthusiastic about communication, and Eagle believes that sharing ideas can make the Lambda Pi Eta chapters stronger together.
“I would love to go to not only share all the cool things Temple University is up to but at the same time have the opportunity to listen and learn from what other schools are instituting through their Lambda Pi Eta organizations,” Eagle says.
Eagle has already prepared what he wants to share about the chapter, planning to highlight three initiatives that have made the chapter more well-rounded. The chapter’s mentorship program prepares communication students for potential membership in Lambda Pi Eta. The communication studies club serves as an alternative that does not have the academic requirements of the mentorship program, but works in tandem with that program to further the goals of the communication studies department. Most recently, the communication studies transfer ambassador program began to target the many transfer students who join the department and help ease their transition into Temple and into studying communication through academic, networking and social events.
Eagle also wants to highlight the partnerships that the chapter has been involved in, including the Klein Futures Pathway Partnership and New York City Pride. Communication studies students are all in and ready to participate.
“I have an army of eager, motivated students who are just like ‘How do I do all this stuff? How do I get involved? How do I get my picture here?’” Eagle says. “They’re looking to do stuff, they’re looking to make the most of their college experience, there’s so much to do here. The very least I can do is use my resources and my experience at Temple to reach the lives of others.”
Scott Gratson, director of the Communication Studies Program, believes that Eagle will do an excellent job representing the chapter on the ECA panel because his leadership jumpstarts other students’ enthusiasm about Lambda Pi Eta.
“I am so very proud of [Eagle] for being selected by the national headquarters of Lambda Pi Eta to present his work on our chapter's programming at ECA,” Gratson says. “He has worked tirelessly to create a novel and impressive mentorship program and a series of other initiatives to help his fellow students achieve their academic and leadership goals. His dedication is beyond impressive; it is endless.”
Eagle hopes that Temple’s Lambda Pi Eta initiatives inspire other chapters to brainstorm ways to promote communication education on their campuses. The ECA will serve as a hub for students from schools in nearby areas to come together and implement ways to best serve all of the society’s members in the region.