WT Communication Students Inducted into Honor Society

CONTACT: Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Five West Texas A&M University undergraduates have been inducted into the Gamma Phi Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta national communication honor society.

Gabriel Christian Guerrero, a junior digital communication and media major from Hereford; Hekla Sif Magnusdottir, a junior digital communication and media major from Reykjavik, Iceland; Laiken McClure, a senior public relations/advertising/applied communication major from Canon City, Colorado; Jayden Moss, a junior digital communication and media major from Archer City; and Christian Turner, a senior communication studies major from Borger received their honor cords, membership certificates and pins.

The name Lambda Pi Eta represents what Aristotle described in his Rhetoric as the three modes of persuasion: Logos, meaning logic; Pathos, relating to emotion; and Ethos, defined as character credibility and ethics, said chapter adviser Dr. Carolyn Baum, assistant professor in the Department of Communication.

The organization was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1985.

The National Communication Association established Lambda Pi Eta as the official national communication student honorary organization in 1988.

WT’s Gamma Phi chapter, founded by now-retired communication department head Dr. Trudy Hanson, became a chartered student organization in fall 1995. Since that time, the Chapter has inducted 310 students. 

Students must meet several criteria to be nominated for induction, including completion of at least 60 semester credit hours, 12 of which must be in communication; a GPA of 3.0 in all courses taken and a GPA of 3.25 in all of the communication classes taken; a commitment to the field of communication studies; and high standards of personal and professional character.

Each year, the Gamma Phi chapter sponsors various projects and spent this past year bringing students back together after a Covid-19 hiatus. The 2021-22 academic year included a sock drive in which over 200 socks were delivered to Faith City Mission, and a workshop with WT’s Office of Career and Professional Services about the hidden job market.

Recruiting, retaining and rewarding excellent students is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 million.

Photo: Dr. Carolyn Baum inducts students Christian Turner, Laiken McClure, Gabriel Christian Guerrero and Jayden Moss into the Gamma Phi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta honor society. Not pictured is Hekla Magnusdottir.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—