Loyola University has decided to award membership into a national honor society to students who earned at least a 3.5 grade point average during their freshman years since 2006.

Phi Eta Sigma, “a national scholastic honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of high scholarship and service,” has been reactivated at Loyola, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Edward Kvet said in a campus-wide e-mail.

It was deactivated due to Hurricane Katrina, he said.

“We didn’t have the staff to support it and there was a lot of recovery taking place in different areas, so it took us some time before we could start thinking about bringing the honor society back,” said Jo Ann Moran Cruz, dean of the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences.

The 142 students that got in will be recognized Nov. 12 in Roussel Hall, followed by a reception.

“It’s a way of recognizing freshmen, and I would think that a lot of the parents would be very pleased to have their students acknowledged in this way at the end of the freshman year,” Cruz said. “And the students have been very much involved in signing up.”

A total of 364 students were eligible, however, only 149 got in. This total goes back to honor the students who did not have an opportunity to be invited, since it had been deactivated.

Cruz also said she’s happy to see an opportunity for students from different colleges to meet each other and raise awareness of this honor.

Being a part of this society provides students with the opportunity to attend a national conference and take up leadership roles within the organization.

According to Cruz, all these benefits will aide students when they pursue a career and said she believes it’s the university’s responsibility to reactivate the chapter.

“This is something we should be doing,” she said. “It’s something we should be doing on behalf of our students, and the national society was very happy to have us back.”

Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]