• Your institution should have an ACS-approved chemistry degree program.
2. Install Ten Students as At-large PLU Members within a 2-year Period
• Department Chairs are contacted annually by the National Vice President for PLU At-Large membership nominations. Make sure that your department participates in this program and make sure that those students who are nominated actually do join. Ten nominated students who join within one year also satisfies this requirement. Undergraduates who qualify must be seniors with a GPA of 3.5/4.0, be in the top 20% of the class, and have completed 30 credits of chemistry of applied chemistry. Graduate students must have completed one year of graduate study, have earned 30 credits of graduate and/or undergraduate credit in chemistry or applied chemistry, and a GPA of 3.5/4.0.
3. Form a Chemistry Honor Society
• A preexisting chemistry club, student ACS chapter, or honor society may suffice. Try also to include students who are studying applied chemistry (chemical engineering, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, etc.), perhaps even in other departments. Try to include graduate students. It is best if the members of your honor society all will eventually qualify for PLU membership (see below). Certainly, At-Large PLU members should be included.
4. Prepare a Petition for a Chapter
• The preparation of the petition is intended to be simple. Much of the information may be taken, even photocopied, directly for your institution's catalog or your department's literature. The petition should include:
1. Formal letter of petition signed by each member of your organization.
2. Historical sketch of your institution. Place particular emphasis upon those departments offering basic courses in chemistry.
3. List of other national societies in your institution.
4. List of faculty members in pure and applied chemistry. Include their degrees, where and when granted, and their current academic titles.
5. Names of the petitioners who qualify as PLU members. These people will become charter members of your chapter. This group may include undergraduates, graduate students and post-graduate fellows and faculty members. The requirements are less stringent for at-large membership. For example, for undergraduate students, only 20 chemistry credits and a 3.5 GPA are required; for graduate students, one completed semester and a 3.5 GPA are required.
6. Documentation of activities undertaken by your society to promote excellence in chemistry.
7. On-site visitation report. One of the national officers, or some PLU member designated by the National President, will visit your campus and prepare this report for your petition.
5. Petition Acceptance and Chapter Installation
• Once your petition has been completed and any recommended changes have been included, you will be asked to prepare copies and send them to the National Secretary. A vote will be taken upon your petition by the National Officers, the chapters, and a few others. Assuming a positive vote, the National President will arrange for the installation at your institution. At the installation, the qualified petitioners of your chapter will be installed as charter members, officers of the new chapter will be elected, and the charter will be awarded. Much of the expense of the installation will be borne by the National Society.
© Phi Lambda Upsilon 2005
