A new honors group on campus, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, provides students with the opportunity to participate in community service projects in the Bowling Green area.

“The National Society of Collegiate Scholars at WKU is an honors organization that recognizes and elevates high achievers,” NSCS vice president and Pineville native Jared Sizemore said. 

The chapter, which was reinstated just last year, plans a different service project within the community every month.  

For the month of November, the group is working on a blanket drive for rescued animals at the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society.

“NSCS strives to be a large part of the local community,” Sizemore said. 

The chapter participates in community outreach programs in local elementary and middle schools. The group provides tutoring once a week to elementary and middle school students.

They also host a March to Campus in which middle school students come to experience campus life.

“[Students] come to campus to see what it’s like to be a college student,” Brittany Kaatz, NSCS member and Elizabethtown sophomore, said. “It’s like a tour but with extra involvement on campus.”

The chapter received STAR status by the national organization for an outstanding display of community service and demonstrating the ideals of the organization. 

Grand Rapids, Michigan, junior Luke Headley, the NSCS chapter president, said recognition after just one year of service is pretty rare. 

“It’s like getting the gold medal at the Olympics,” Headley said. 

WKU students who have retained at least a 3.4 GPA between their freshman and sophomore years receive an invitation to join the group. Students may also request membership in the society by contacting the group’s faculty adviser Leslie North, assistant professor of geography.

Members of NSCS are expected to complete at least 10 service hours per semester.

Currently, a penal process is in place for members who do not meet the requirement. 

However, Headley said the group is looking into rewriting the bylaws surrounding the penal process.

“Most of our members have other obligations,” he said. “We need to take a step back and realize that our members have other obligations with other groups.”

The NSCS group provides service to the community, but it can also give many benefits to its members. 

“[Students] benefit by getting a lot of leadership opportunities and being involved in the community,” Kaatz said.

Headley said students have the opportunity to gain important skills involving business, communication and problem-solving. The national organization also offers students opportunities to make and enhance business connections and to find jobs and internships, Kaatz said.

The WKU chapter of NSCS meets every Monday in Downing Student Union at 7:00 p.m. The group welcomes all students who are eligible to apply.

“Being a campuswide and nationwide society, you get a lot of different backgrounds and different majors,” Headley said. “[Members give] ideas through personal experiences with a wide range of different perspectives.”