Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are freshman honor societies at UW-Platteville who honor outstanding academic achievement in the freshman year for students at UW-P. ALD and PES are two separate organizations, but they work as a team for the activities they do. The only things that are separate are the scholarships that are provided through the societies.

PES was first established at Platteville in 1960 as a men’s honor society. It was founded on three main objectives: academic achievement, recognition and service. It is a society that has deep roots which first originated in 1923 at the University of Illinois, and it’s the third oldest member of the Association of College Honor Societies. There are 900,000 members nationwide in PES.

ALD was also founded at the U of I, a year after PES in 1924, as a women’s honor society. It joined PES on the UW-P campus in 1970. ALD focuses on students practicing scholarship and it puts an emphasis on enjoying learning. There are around 600,000 members nationwide.

Both groups operated as single-sex organizations until the mid-70s when they both became co-educational in response to Title IX, the discimination and harassment policy.

“It is a great opportunity to get involved with campus and community service,” Wendy Stankovich, adviser for ALD and biology professor, said.

Both organizations work together to promote academic excellence on campus. They reward people during midterms and finals if they are “caught studying.” They also provide “study breaks,” where they serve refreshments to students. ALD and PES also provide pamphlets to students full of study tips.

These groups also do many community service activities. Lindsey Langer, president of PES, said that they participate in “Trick or Treat for Things to Eat,” calling Bingo at Heartland Healthcare Center and a “Stuff Drive” where students donate any items they do not want to take home with them before the summer. These items will be donated to Family Advocates in Platteville. They are also planning to collect toiletry items from professors and students that traveled over spring break. These items will also be donated to Family Advocates.

“It’s silly not to join if you’re eligible,” Wayne Weber, the adviser for PES and biology department chair, said. To become eligible, you need to earn a 3.5 GPA during your freshman year at UW-P.

“PES and ALD are worthwhile organizations for freshmen to get involved with because they have life-long benefits,” Kalee Crist, president of ALD, said.

Crist said that she has gained many leadership abilities from being involved with the societies. Crist got the opportunity to travel to Anaheim, California for the ALD National Leadership Workshop with Langer this past fall. At the conference they met with other chapters from all of the United States and shared ideas on how to better each other’s chapters.

“ALD and PES provide an excellent opportunity for students to meet people from other majors,” Langer said. “I have met people in the societies that I love working with and would have never met otherwise.”

“It’s a great way to meet people who have the same work ethic and goals as you,” Crist said.

Not only can a student gain many great personal attributes and meet many new people by being involved in these societies, they also have the opportunity to win scholarships. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $10,000 are awarded each year on a local and national level.

For more information or to get involved with these societies contact Weber for PES at 342-1611 or Stankovich for ALD 342-1663.