100 Seniors Elected to Phi Beta Kappa

One hundred seniors were elected Tuesday to the Harvard chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national academic honor society, in the final round of elections for the Class of 1998.

High academic achievement and recommendations from faculty members form the basis for the selection of new members. Many of this year's inductees were elated by their election.

"I was surprised," said Janet S. Chou 98. "It's a nice honor to get."

"I was really excited," said Cari E. Sietstra '98, who added that she believed the honor was "exceptional...coming from Harvard" because of the general high level of scholarship among students.

The final elections are the result of the third round of a process that begins in a student's junior year. The total number of inductees must not exceed 10 percent of each graduating class, according to the organization's rules.

The induction ceremony will take place at a banquet tomorrow. During the event, new members will receive a keypin and as learn a secret handshake, according to the society's web site. But the most significant benefit, many said, is the prestige of being a winner.

Membership in Phi Beta Kappa "looks prestigious," said John A. Amash '98, who added that the ability to mention it on a resume "is the primary benefit."

Not all were as enthusiastic about their selections, claiming that the requirements were vague.

The election was "a little bit arbitrary," said Jesse A. Sage '98. Referring to the honor of membership, he said "there's really nothing to say."

Sietstra also sought to put her election in perspective.

"Most of the people who know me know me first through the House and activities," she said. "Grades are secondary and do not define or change perspective."

The society raises over one million dollars each year for student scholarships and sponsors a Visiting Scholars program, in which professors visit other institutions with Phi Beta Kappa chapters.

Harvard's Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics Howard Georgi was named one of this year's Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholars.

The society was founded in 1776 by undergraduates at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and is the oldest national honor society.