Communications honor society inducts new members

​Sixty-one new members were inducted into the Elon University School of Communications chapter of Lambda Pi Eta (LPE) at a May 11 ceremony in Lakeside.

It was the 17th annual induction ceremony for the communications honor society. Photos of the ceremony are available on the school’s Flickr page.

Adviser and communications associate department chair Frances Ward-Johnson introduced chapter president Ciara’ Dixon and her fellow officers Daniel Sheehan, Emily Hines, Victoria Selover and Emily Drago. They led all new LPE students through the induction ritual. Of the 61 who were inducted, 46 were on hand for the ceremony.

Keynote speaker Rich Landesberg, an associate professor in the School of Communications, used the platform to touch on several of his lifelong friendships, and how he’s bonded with individuals who often have different backgrounds and opinions but share core values. The topic played into his speech’s charge that Elon’s community should embrace diversity not just for the good of campus, but also for the benefit of one’s own life.

​“So why take this trip down memory lane? Why would you possibly care who my friends might be?” Landesberg asked. “Here is my point: My friends are like me at the core, but very different at the margins. We can argue about the way things are, and the way they should be, and how to best get there. And we can disagree about it all. But … every time they challenge my assumptions I grow stronger. I see different sides to the argument. I see a richer world.”

At the end of the ceremony, the new LPE officers were announced. Dixon will serve a second term as president, and Kristen DeMaria was elected as vice president. Audrey Engelman was named administrative coordinator, Becca Johnson will be the scholarship chair, Mary-Catherine Freeman was appointed social media coordinator, and Caela Shay will serve as event coordinator.

Senior strategic communications major Madeline Monaco was named the winner of the Outstanding Honor Society Graduating Senior Award. She is an account supervisor for Live Oak Communications and was selected as the student-run communications agency’s fall 2014 Most Valuable Player. Additionally, Monaco is a resident assistant for Residence Life and a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Elon University.

​The Elon chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, an organization affiliated with the National Communication Association, got its start in 1998. Any School of Communications student is eligible for membership when he or she has completed at least 60 hours of university credit, with at least 12 of those hours in the School of Communications. Members must possess no less than a 3.0 overall GPA, and a GPA of at least 3.25 in the School of Communications.

In 2013, the National Communication Association named Elon’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta the national Chapter of the Year and Ward-Johnson the Adviser of the Year.

The new inductees are:

Grace Ahlering
Sophia Asmuth
Sarah Baydush
Allison Bennett
Justin Biegel
Kathryn Buckingham
Liesl Chapin
Skyler Cowans
Alexandra Daigle
Christina Daniels-Freeman
Danielle Deavens
Kristen DeMaria
Haley Durr
Lauren Eckstrom
Audrey Engelman
Monica Evans
Caroline Fernandez
Lauryl Fischer
Allison Forhan
Claire Fox
Ingrid Frahm
Mary-Catherine Freeman
Amanda Garrity
Kirby Gilbert
Megan Gravley
Caroline Grell
Taylor Hoerr
Margaret Holland
Kimberly Honiball
Hattie Hoskins
Paige Hullett
Corinne James
Simon Jasper
Rebecca Johnson
William Kelley
Kathryn Klochany
Matthew Krause
Lindsey Lanquist
Caroline Leonard
Joshua Markowitz
Devin Mehra
Alexandra Nick
Megan Oliver
Jennifer Osborne
Nicole Petrosino
Marika Rafte
Rebecca Rosenblat
Katrine Ryan
Lawrence Salvucc
Kailyn Schmidt
Maryclaire Schulz
Julie Segerdahl
Caela Shay
Elizabeth Sheer
Meredith Stutz
Lindsey Tipps
Catherine Van Eyck
Noelle Walser
Janabeth Ward
Emma Warman
Aleksandra Zayac