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Eligible Information

This page contains all of the information on requirements for eligibles that wish to join Tau Beta Pi. The initition process occurs twice a year, with initiation ceremonies in B and D terms, though the process begins in A and C terms, respectively.

Forms

These forms need to be completed by all eligibles wishing join TBP.

• Community Service Report
• Judicial Consent Form
• Faculty Recommendation Form

Deadlines

All forms need to be into the SAO Mailbox by Wednesday, April 1st at 3PM so that officers will have enough time to sort them by the time that member elections occur. Be sure to check whether faculty recommendations come in on time.

Who's Eligible

Tau Beta Pi inducts students in engineering majors, and that are in the top eighth (for juniors) or to fifth (for seniors) of the engineering majors in their graduating class. The ranking is by GPA based on the grades at the end of the previous semester.

Requirements

Beyond being in the top of one's class, there are a number of other requirements to be completed for those who are eligible.

The requirements for membership have two purposes. One is to demonstrate that initiates have good character. The second is to provide for interaction between initiates and current members. They are as follows:

• Each candidate must complete at least 5 hours of community service. A report for this is available on the website. Recently completed or the commitment to an upcoming service events qualify.
• Each candidate must attend at least 1 Tau Beta Pi social event.
• Each candidate must have a character recommendation filled out by one faculty or staff member at WPI. These reports are available on the web site.
• Each candidate must assist in the “Big Bent” polishing for a period of 30 minutes. A signup sheet will be made available on the web site.
• Candidates may not have any record of academic dishonesty at WPI. A consent form will be provided to you so a check may be run. If you do not wish a check to be run, that is your prerogative; however, you will not be considered for membership.
• Each candidate will construct for himself or herself a custom bent, the symbol of Tau Beta Pi. Be creative! Get started at the Bent making social.

All reports should be placed in the Tau Beta Pi mailbox in SAO. In the case of the recommendations, please address the back of the paper, and allow the faculty or member to mail it him/herself.

Dues

Dues are a one-time payment of $92, which includes dues to national, the chapter, and the cost of the initiation banquet. If you choose not to go to the banquet, the cost is $67. Financial assistance is available through confidential loans on a need-basis. Financial concerns should not be a reason to decline membership in Tau Beta Pi

All dues go to: Tau Beta Pi c/o Student Activities Attn: Brian Janice

All checks should be addressed to Tau Beta Pi. If you cannot pay with a check, please talk to the officers to arrange payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

"How does this whole TBP initiation process work?"

Those eligible for joining are determined based on their class ranking, as provided by the registrar. Students do not need to contact TBP or apply for anything to get on this initial list of eligibles. As an eligible, there are a number of requirements to complete to verify your character and allow the members to get to know you. These requirements are all detailed above. After all of these requirements are complete, the current members will have an election to decide which eligibles who have completed requirements should be admitted into Tau Beta Pi. Those that are elected will attend an initiation ceremony, which will include a banquet afterwards.

"I can't make the informational meeting due to class or some other commitment, am I hosed?"

This is purely an informational meeting, and all of the details you need will be made available online after the meeting. If you have attended one of these meetings in the past, then it is not necessary to attend. This meeting is primarily for those who are unfamiliar with Tau Beta Pi.

"I'm away on project during C term, can I still join?"

We've made sure that those of you away will still be able to complete all of the requirements in the first few weeks of D term.

"I'm away on project during D term, can I still join?"

Unfortunately, because the initiation event itself is during D term, it won't be possible to join if you can't make initiation. If you are a junior, however, you can still complete as many of the requirements as you are able during C term and they will carry over to next year.

"I was away on project B term, but completed some requirements, will those carry over?"

We have all the records from the fall, and those of you with completed requirements will not need to repeat them.

"When do we pay the dues?"

We will not collect dues until after the member elections, to be sure that we don't inadvertently collect dues from someone that will not be attending initiation.