Tri-State University mechanical engineering senior Karl Gast and TSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. David Finley attended the 102nd national convention for Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society founded in 1885, in Dearborn, Mich. on Oct. 11-13.

TSU’s chapter, Indiana Epsilon, for which Dr. Finley, Dr. Roger Hawks, Dr. Tim Tyler and Dr. Stan Yoder are advisers, received the Secretary’s Commendation for 2006-07 for the perfection of its reports to the headquarters office. This is the third consecutive year for the TSU chapter to be among those earning the award.

Gast emphasized the importance of the reports. “The reports, in short, are vital to chapter operations and inform the national office about current chapter activities, management, and membership, as well as allow for national approval to carry out certain chapter functions,” he said. Reports are turned in via electronic media and paper mailings on a semester and yearly basis.

Each collegiate chapter must send one voting delegate to the convention. As the supreme governing body of Tau Beta Pi, the convention conducts the business of the association. In that sense, it is the annual stockholders’ meeting of the corporation. The convention alone has the power to grant new chapters, elect a council, and amend the constitution (subject to chapter ratification) and the bylaws.

The convention also serves as a training session for student delegates, most of whom are chapter presidents who will serve this year. The Chapter Development Program, including Interactive Chapter Exchange, Engineering Futures, and District meetings, is designed to achieve this goal.

In addition, the convention provides an opportunity for delegates from all parts of the country to meet each other and to see another major engineering college. National officers are afforded a special opportunity to meet with chapter representatives and to learn first-hand about their problems, solutions, and opinions on the role of Tau Beta Pi on the nation’s campuses.