More than 100 new members were inducted into the Elon University School of Communications chapter of Lambda Pi Eta at a May 7 ceremony in McKinnon Hall.
Adviser Frances Ward-Johnson introduced chapter president Megan Prilutski and her fellow officers Katherine Berdan, Sana Advani, Gregory Walton and Cole Gorman. They led the new LPE students through the induction ritual.
Keynote speaker Anthony Hatcher, an associate professor in the School of Communications, delivered an inspiring and hopeful speech that charged the students with preserving journalism and society.
“I’m putting a tremendous burden on your shoulders tonight,” Hatcher said. “I want you to save journalism, and in doing so, you’ll save society. You need to undo the damage that’s been done.”
Hatcher said that greed, the Internet and sloppy journalism have all conspired to adversely affect the journalism business. But, still, he said he remains optimistic.
“I just want you to save society,” Hatcher said. “I am hopeful, though, because my hope is in you.”
At the end of the ceremony, the new LPE officers were announced. Prilutski will continue in her role as president, and Advani will move up to vice president. Claire Derreberry will serve as secretary in the fall and Caroline Fox will take over in the spring. Emily Sanner will act as treasurer, and Josh Tate will be the scholarship chair.
Senior journalism and English double major and Keenan Honors Fellow Alyse Knorr was given the Senior Scholarship Award, which provides her with a $500 scholarship. Knorr, who was named the Student Communications Media Award at the annual Omicron Delta Kappa awards ceremony April 30, has worked for The Pendulum all four years of her Elon career.
The Elon chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, an organization affiliated with the National Communication Association, got its start in 1998. Any School of Communications student is eligible for membership when he or she has completed at least 60 hours of university credit, with at least 12 of those hours in the School of Communications. Members must possess no less than a 3.0 overall GPA, and a GPA of at least 3.25 in the School of Communications.
The new inductees were:
Timothy Barber
Mason Barker
Glenn Barnard
Kellie Barth
Carolyn Baumgarten
Roger Black
Katherine Branston
Tricia Bull
Sara Butters
Jaclyn Cabral
William Cahill
Colleen Callahan
Molly Calpin
Ryan Catanese
Casey Catelli
Julie Cerick
Katelin Clark
Kourtney Cloak
Heather Couture
Lesley Cowie
Jeffrey Criswell
Jennifer Cupero
Joseph DeNenno
Claire Derreberry
Jennifer DiVenuti
Andie Diemer
Maureen Donahue
Michael Donovan
Michael Duff
Brandon Echter
Caitlin Edberg
Tracey Evans
Lauren Fellmeth
Lindsay Fendt
Christopher Ford
Caroline Fox
Kelsey Glover
Eryn Gradwell
Christopher Griswold
Allaire Guralnik
Sara Hanson
Erin Harbaugh
David Hardegree
Jonathan Isley
Julia Jacobs
Andrew Johnson
Kyle Johnson
Samantha Jones
Jacquelyn Jorns
Ashley Kiely
Melissa Kobelinski
Bana Kopty
Colleen Kwedor
Mary Landy
Meredith Larkin
Peyton Lea
Daniel Lee
Dannika Lewis
Morgan Little
Heather Lord
Christine Mallia
Jake Martin
Roxanne Mauck
Molly McGowan
Katherine McKee
Katherine Meyer
Casey Mills
Chelsea Moir
Stephen Murray
Elizabeth Napier
Michelle Newman
Anne Nicholson
Sarah Nierste
Shea Northcut
Craig Orsi
Michael Patrick
Michelle Pojasek
Andrew Pressley
Abigail Remein
Susan Rice
Pamela Richter
Jennifer Robb
Catherine Ross
Jessica Rossi
Elizabeth Russell
Katelynn Sachs
Rachel Shaw
Albert Shu
Samuel Simon
Jason Spitzer
Drake Springer
Sadie Stafford
Joshua Tate
Megan Taylor
Alexa Terry
Courtney Turnbull
Kaitlin Ugolik
Carolyn Vanbrocklin
Robin Vance
Zachary Viana
David Vollrath
Shelley Walker
Kate Wikse
Lauren Wisniewski