College students across the country are faced with hundreds of options when it comes to getting involved outside the classroom, from clubs and competitive team sports to volunteer organizations and academic groups.

Honor societies specifically bring a certain reputation with their name, usually known for their elite standings, community service and dedicated students. But what do honor societies here at Binghamton University really do to live up to the prestige? Between entrance fees, invitations and internal organization, the honor societies represent a complicated aspect of student life.

BU offers students 22 options when it comes to choosing a society. Some of the more prominent organizations include Phi Beta Kappa, of which graduating seniors and select juniors are invited, based on their status as students in the top 10 percent of their class, as well as Golden Key International Honour Society and the Binghamton Scholars Program.

Certain honor societies require a fee of new members. Sigma Tau Delta, an international society designed for students interested in English, charges new members a $70 fee.

“All organizations have dues,” said Sigma Tau Delta’s faculty advisor Professor Donette Francis. “In this case, it’s a one-time membership fee.”

Half of the fee is sent to the organization’s international headquarters, while the other half is used for local events, such as the induction ceremony.

Sigma Alpha Lambda, an honor society open to all majors, employs similar processes when recruiting new members. The organization charges the new members a $58 fee, which goes directly to the international office. The local group at BU depends on their own fundraisers for their budget.

“Once the money reaches nationals, the initiation fee covers the design and personalization of membership materials, various chapter support materials as well as scholarships and awards,” said Nicole Lean, student president of BU’s Sigma Alpha Lambda. “Fees are also used for community service projects, leadership development opportunities and research and development of new nationally organized membership program opportunities.”

The competitiveness of these organizations varies between societies, some using GPAs as their criteria, while others take into consideration work load, a student’s rank and subject-specific grades.

“Our chapter is based on honors. You need a 3.0 to be considered,” Lean said.

The way these societies coordinate with their members also varies between organizations. Sigma Alpha Lambda relies on e-mails for the majority of the time to inform members of upcoming community service events and meetings that go along with those events.

Some organizations face issues when it comes to internal organization and communication with members. Sigma Tau Delta has recently appointed a new student president and vice president to tackle communication obstacles. After paying the $70 fee this summer, members didn’t hear back from the society until this October. The problem was caused by a leadership transition, according to Francis.

“Since this is a student-run organization, it depends heavily on student leadership, which means students carving out time within their busy academic schedules,” Francis said. “We also experience turn around with our seniors leaving each year, so there are some inevitable reorganization gaps.”

New president Dayna Moses is looking to hold a general body meeting within the upcoming weeks and has sent out an e-mail to the members explaining the executive board change.

And, while honor societies are often cited on student resumes, some faculty members suggest it’s the whole of your extracurricular activities that matter rather than just the name of one specific society.

“To me the bigger question is what do you want on your resume? The kind of events a student experiences should reflect their skills, knowledge and abilities.” said Bill McCarthy of the Career Development Center. “There are so many things that students can get involved in, and honor societies are just one of them.”