\nOXFORD, Miss. \u2013 The Tassels chapter of Mortar Board at the University of Mississippi recently received the Silver Torch Award at the 2009 Mortar Board National Conference.\n<\/p>\n
\nMortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for outstanding achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. The Tassels chapter was chartered at the University of Mississippi in 1942 and currently has 50 members.\n<\/p>\n
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\nThe Silver Torch Award is presented to Mortar Board chapters executing timeliness and dedication while exemplifying the principles of the society. The Tassels chapter was one of 67 chapters nationwide to receive the award. Recipients are selected based on a review of national records, requiring that the chapter meet all national minimum standards and deadlines.\n<\/p>\n
\nCatherine Black, UM graduate and former president of the Tassels chapter, worked on numerous projects that contributed to winning the award, including a blood drive for Mississippi Blood Services and a book drive for the Boys and Girls Club.\n<\/p>\n
\n“This award shows our members’ commitment to serving the community and how they shared their time and talent with other people,” Black said. “They always took time out of their busy schedules to stay involved.”\n<\/p>\n
\nClaire Graves, senior business major from Ackerman, is the Tassels chapter incoming president and was at the national conference to accept the award.\n<\/p>\n
\n“To be presented with this award recognizes Ole Miss’ contribution to the principles of Mortar Board: leadership, service and scholarship,” Graves said. “It was a real honor, because we not only want to represent our chapter well but also our university. It was nice to have that kind of public recognition.”\n<\/p>\n
\nThe Tassels chapter plans to continue striving for national recognition.\n<\/p>\n
\n“The award is actually given to chapters for meeting minimal chapter standards, so of course, we would like to do more than that \u2013 to build upon what we’ve been given,” Graves said.\n<\/p>\n
\nGraves plans to focus upcoming service projects around the Mortar Board national project, “Reading is Leading.” The chapter would like to work with local elementary and high schools to stress the importance of literacy and learning in general.\n<\/p>\n
\nAnother chapter goal is to promote its own initiative: “Building Scholarship in Others While Building Leadership in Ourselves.” Many of the fall projects will build on that theme, Graves said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"