Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication association, has been reinstated at WKU after nearly three years of inactivity.

WKU’s Lambda Pi Eta section is one of about 500 active chapters across colleges and universities. The chapter became inactive due to leadership changes when the Department of Communication merged with the School of Media, creating the School of Media and Communication.

Josh Gillespie, junior corporate and organizational communication and public relations double major, approached Jennifer Mize Smith, professor and communication programs internship coordinator, about the possibility of reviving Lambda Pi Eta.

“So I just really wanted to kind of have a source of community in communication within the School of Media and Communication,” Gillespie said. “Just because we don’t really have that versed communication students. And just because we take all our classes together because there’s only a few classes in communication so most of us know each other already.”

Mize Smith credits Gillespie to be the one who really began Lambda Pi Eta again.

“He approached me, maybe even twice,” Mize Smith said. “I think it was last semester, I think, because he had seen or heard of it but then he knew it wasn’t around right at the moment so he’s really been the one spearheading and getting some of his friends involved.”

Mize Smith expressed her hope for students to join the society to become more involved within the department. She said the society has three main goals for students.

“One is academic recognition,” Mize Smith said. “And then we want to involve them in the department to some degree so that they get more opportunities, maybe interact with their professors […] Then we also have kind of a social goal in mind as well.”

Students who join Lambda Pi Eta will have opportunities to progress further professionally within their majors that they otherwise might not have had. They will be able to join conferences or become a part of research projects. The different things the society offers are opportunities, not requirements.

The criteria to become a member consists of having a junior or senior status, having completed 60 credit hours, cumulative GPA of 3.0 and having completed at least 12 hours in communication studies or related communication majors. The society is also on an invite-only basis.

Students who meet these requirements should expect to receive an invitation letter this upcoming week with a follow-up email. Those who do not receive an invitation but believe they qualify for a position in Lambda Pi Eta should email Mize Smith, with any questions or concerns as well.

News reporter Shayla Abney can be reached at [email protected]