McDaniel College is proud to host a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta.
What does AKD mean?
Alpha Kappa Delta derives its name from the first
letters of the three Greek words, "anthropon" (human kind), "katamanthanein"
(to investigate throughly), and "diakonesein" (for the purpose of
service). When this phrase is translated freely, it expresses both the goal and
the method of Alpha Kappa Delta; "To study humankind for the purpose of
service."
Statement of membership eligibility
As stated in the Constitution of the United Chapters of Alpha Kappa
Delta, each candidate for membership in a chapter must be an officially declared
sociology major or demonstrate a serious interest in sociology; must be at least
a junior (third year); must have accumulated the equivalent of an overall grade
point average of 3.0 (by a four point scale); must have maintained the
equivalent of a 3.0 grade point average in sociology courses taken at the host
institution prior to initiation. Election to Alpha Kappa Delta shall be without
regard to race, creed, or national origin. Each initiate shall pay an initiation
fee of $31.00 to the United Chapters, which entitles the initiate to a lifetime
membership in AKD, a membership certificate, and a one-year
subscription to the journal Sociological Inquiry. At McDaniel
College, each spring AKD faculty sponsors screen the pool of sociology majors in
search of candidates who meet these membership criteria.
History of AKD
In the fall of 1920, under the direction of Dr. E. S. Bogardus, 14
graduate students and members of the sociology staff of University of California
organized a society for those who were vitally interested in, and who were doing
outstanding work in, the field of sociology. The society grew out of the feeling
that there was a need for both faculty and students to get together regularly to
discuss the sociological projects that they were undertaking. The society was
named Alpha Kappa Delta. During the following year Dr. Bogardus, Chairman of the
Department of sociology, invited other sociology departments to establish
similar honor societies.
At that time, there were many sociology clubs in many schools, as there still
are, but Alpha Kappa Delta thought it desirable to limit membership in Alpha
Kappa Delta to those students with superior scholarship and serious interest in
sociology.
In 1911, the second chapter was founded at the University of Wisconsin. In
December, 1913, at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association
in Chicago, sociology representatives from the Universities of Southern
California, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Kansas organized the United Chapters of
Alpha Kappa Delta. Thereafter, the roster grew rapidly until there are now
chapters in all parts of the United States and several other countries. Chapters
in each state are named according to the Greek alphabet in the order of their
founding.
To be eligible for a chapter, an institution's sociology department must have at
least two full-time teachers of
sociology, and it must offer 30 semester hours of standard courses of sociology
exclusive of summer sessions and extension teaching offerings. New chapters must
be approved by three-fourths of the council. (Compliments of the
Alpha Kappa Delta Handbook 1992-1993)