BRIEF: New honor society taking shape at U.

The University's chapter, Alpha Omicron, is currently accepting applications through September 20 for founding members from those foreign or University students, faculty and staff with significant foreign educational experience. Phi Beta Delta, which originated at California State University at Long Beach in 1986, is the first national honor society dedicated to recognizing the scholarly acheivements of international students. According to their charter, the organization's objectives are to recognize achievement in international education, heighten awareness of achievements in international programs, create a forum in which students with international experiences can discuss these experiences, and promote international education. The honor society came to the University partly as a result of the Provost's Planning Committee on International Dimensions December 1989 report, which enumerated the University's extensive dealings in international education while also criticizing the absence of an organization to coordinate University programs. The report recommended among other things that an organization such as Phi Beta Delta, which brings undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff together be formed. The Office of International Programs has begun sending out applications to potential students and is pleased with the response. "We have had over 20 applications from people who were abroad last year and 10 applications from international students at Penn," said Margaret Gilligan, foreign student advisor. "We expect ten times as many [applicants] by next week," Gilligan said. "It's just been hard to contact everyone." --Ed Miller

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