Honor Society

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Rho Rho Chapter Dalhousie University, School of Nursing

From a Dream to a Reality
Rho Rho Chapter’s Historical Background  

On April 30, 2002, one hundred and twenty five individuals including undergraduate nursing students, faculty and Nurse Leaders from Antigonish, Halifax and Fredericton joined together for Rho Rho chapter’s official Chartering Ceremony. Our Installing Officer was Dr. Heather Clarke, Recording Secretary, Sigma Theta Tau who traveled from Vancouver, British Columbia to join us for this special event. For many of us the Chartering Ceremony transformed a dream into a reality.

The growth of Rho Rho Chapter has progressed quickly from the establishment of the School of Nursing’s Honor Society in January, 1999 to becoming an official chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing on April 30, 2002. The development of Rho Rho is due to the efforts of Dr. Phyllis Stern for bringing forth the suggestion that the School develop an Honor Society, Dr. Margaret Arklie for taking on the responsibility of establishing the School’s Honor Society and applying to Sigma Theta Tau for chapter status, and Dr. Barbara Downe-Wamboldt for supporting the development of an Honor Society of Nursing.

A Steering Committee established in November, 1998 to explore the development of a School of Nursing Honor Society, was the first step toward acquiring Chapter status with STTTI. In January of 1999, the Committee received approval from Eric McKee, Vice-President, Student Services at Dalhousie University to establish an Honor Society.
The First Induction Ceremony was held in February, 1999 and 82 members were inducted. The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Lorna Butler and the title of her presentation was "An Honor Society is about Who You Are"..

In June 1999, the first Board of Directors was elected and standing committees were established. The Board voted in favor of submitting an application to STTI for Chapter Status in October, 2000.

On October 1, 2000, an application for Chapter Status was submitted to STTI by Dr. Margaret Arklie. In early January 2001, the Board received a letter indicating that our application had been accepted. Therefore, we attained the first step toward chapter status. The second step, a site evaluation visit was held on March 30 - March 31, 2002.

Induction Ceremonies

The Second Induction Ceremony of the School’s Honor Society was held on April 27, 2000 and 43 new members were inducted. Dr. Barbara Downe-Wamboldt spoke on the topic of "Community Challenge and Change".

The Third Induction Ceremony took place on April 26, 2001 and 43 new members were inducted. In July 2001, we received the news that our application for Chapter status was recommended for presentation at a meeting of the House of Delegates to be held in Indianapolis on November 14, 2001. Dr Margaret Arklie and Professor Patricia M. Melanson attended the meeting and were presented with the official approval for Chapter status. It was decided that the Chartering Ceremony would be held on April 30, 2002. Following the submission to STTI of the date for the Chartering Ceremony, the Board received confirmation that the Official name of the Chapter would be Rho Rho.  Annual induction ceremonies have continued with great success.


Regional Structure

STTI is the second largest nursing association in the world with over 300,000 active members from 90 countries. Chapters are located on 503 colleges and university campuses in the United States., Canada, Hong Kong, Pakistan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil and the Netherlands. In case you are wondering, Rho Rho has been allocated chapter number 423.

The society is divided into regions and Rho Rho chapter belongs to Region 15 which includes the following States: Massachusetts, New Hamphire; Connecticut; New York State, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont. There are 28 chapters in this region and the Chapter Presidents meet regularly via teleconference calls. Rho Rho is the most junior of the 28 chapters who make up Region 15. It is interesting to note that our issues and concerns are very similar to those of our American counterparts. It appears that our biggest challenge will be sustainability. In the past year, two chapters within Region 15 changed their status from Chapter to Chapter-At-Large. An at-large chapter is comprised of two or more schools that come together to form a single chapter. To maintain our Chapter status, we need to have the continued support of our membership.


Rho Rho Goals

For the past few years, the Executive of Rho Rho Chapter chose as its main goal to raise funds in order to establish a scholarship fund. We want to be able to provide financial support to those members who want to further develop their nursing knowledge in the areas of direct care, education, administration, education, research, or health policy. Further developing the leadership abilities of our members will ultimately ensure better nursing care for Canadians. This goal is congruent with that of STTI which supports the learning and professional development of its members, who strive to improve nursing care worldwide.

Much time and energy has been dedicated to fundraising. Rho Rho Chapter holds the annual yard sale in September. The event is a success and has generated income for scholarships. Silent Auctions at Induction ceremonies have also been a tremendous success.


Highlights of Meetings & Conferences

Rho Rho Chapter held its First Open Meeting on November 20, 2002. The keynote speaker was Dr. Deborah Tamblyn, President-Elect, Canadian Nurses Association and Past Dean, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary. The title of her address was "The Nursing Leadership Imperative". In 2005 our guest speaker was Tammy Murphy, Organ Donor Coordinator for the Capital District. She presented on “The Role of the Organ Donor Coordinator.”

STTI’s 37th Biennium took place in Toronto from November 1 to 5, 2003 and six of our chapter members attended. The 38th Biennium will be in Indianapolis November 2005 and two of our members will be attending as voting delegates.


Our Success & Future

The executive of Rho Ro have worked hard over the past few years to establish financial stability.  We now Merritt a Med-Surg Undergraduate award, one annual scholarship and donate money to our endowment fund annually.