The Psychology Club at John Brown University is undergoing some organizational changes to improve its activity on campus. The Student Government Association approved the proposal last week.
The University’s chapter of Psi Chi, an international psychology honor society, will be taking over the functions of the club.
Rick Froman, the chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences division, said the change should have a positive impact on the activities and events for students.
While the honors organization chapter has existed on campus for some time, it has primarily provided psychology students with graduation honors, Froman said.
Senior Austin McCullough, the president of the club, presented the change request to the Student Government Association. He said the Psi Chi chapter would be able to bring the benefits of an international organization to the campus club.
Froman said that national office for Psi Chi requires the presence of an active club in order to offer a chapter of the organization.
“We want to continue offering this honor to students but not in a way that will have two competing organizations: Psych Club and Psi Chi,” Froman said.
In the past, the Psi Chi chapter has been inactive with all events being carried out through the Psychology Club, Froman said. But the Psychology Club was also frequently inactive, “due to transitions in leadership.”
“The change allows for us to have a group of individuals that can be regularly counted on for leadership to run the club and plan events,” Froman said. “The club will be more organized with the constitution provided, with some modifications for JBU, from the international office.”
Now, with the approval of the reorganization, Psi Chi will receive the official University club label and the funding that goes with it.
Senior Kelsey Daugherty, president of the Student Government Association, said the change would be good for the psychology department.
“The Psychology Club had not been very effective recently,” she said. “Revamping it with Psi Chi will be a positive change. The new leadership is very committed to this.”
Academic clubs provide a good way for students to have community outside of their shared classes while still learning and growing, Daugherty added. It also provides a way for smaller departments to become more involved in campus as a whole.
Froman said the change should mean students will see more activities and events from the psychology department, partly based on ideas provided by the international organization.
“This semester is the time we are making the transition, with the induction of new members into Psi Chi,” Froman said. “We should be able to hit the ground running in the fall.”