Chapter Distinguished Service Key

The Chapter Distinguished Service Key

Description

A chapter's highest distinction it can bestow is the Chapter Distinguished Service Award. This chapter key is given in recognition to members for outstanding service to the fraternity. This key bears the greek letters of the fraternity in gold on a background of black enamel. The Chapter Disguished Service Key was created in 1948.

Within Iota Phi, there is no limit on how many people can recieve the chapter DSK per term, only that the recipient must gain a 3/4 vote of the membership.

History of the DSK at Iota Phi

From 1978 through at least 1986, no Chapter Distinguished Service Keys (DSK) were awarded. One of the reasons offered was that at the time, brothers would use Brother Earle M. Herbert as a benchmark. People would not feel that anyone could compare to Earle, so the chapter was "philosophically opposed" to the Chapter DSK. This trend broke some time in the late 1980s, with the first known recipients being John W. Jones and Doreen Brown.

Another reason for the lack of DSKs is that the chapter was very small and intimate until the late 1980s. With the group of brothers being so small and doing virtually every project together, it was difficult to single someone out as distinct in their service. There were also many other awards available for the brothers of the time such as the BASOOS or Ugly Mug. Moreover, the DSK had a steep price tag. The chapter did not have the budget for DSKs back then, so the keys given to John Jones and Doreen Brown came out of Brother Rich Hale's checking account.

In the 1990s, DSKs were still relatively rare, as only six keys were offered throughout the entire decade. The award was considered such a high honor that, presumably, not a single person was given the award between 1992 and 1995. According to Anthony Toy, it was held in such high esteem that the chapter was almost "scared" to award it. While the distribution increased in the 1990s compared to the 1980s, it increased even more in the following decade.

From 2000 to 2010, thirteen DSKs were awarded. One explanation for the increase is that there may have been less stigma in awarding the DSK compared to the past. Another possibility is that the chapter had substantially grown in size over the past couple decades, so students may have felt there were many more exceptional individuals to honor.

Past Recipients of Iota Phi's Chapter DSK

Year	Recipient
1988	John W. Jones
1988 (?)	Doreen Brown
Fall 1989	Chuck Dullum
Fall 1989	Rich Hale
Fall 1989	Teri (Grimm) Sheets
1990	Dave Emery
Spring 1991	Bella Fong
1996	Scott A. Maase
1996	Tony Wan
1998	Mimi Huang
Fall 1999	Anna Gin
Fall 2001	Milly Shiu
Spring 2002	Will Warriner
Spring 2004	Andy McClelland
Spring 2004	Anthony Toy
Fall 2004	Minh Tran
Spring 2005	Erik Staab
Fall 2005	Gina Lee
Fall 2006	Aaron Lipton
Spring 2007	Krista Fong
Fall 2007	Drew Mayen
Fall 2008	Joseph Milligan
Spring 2009	Dinh Luong
Spring 2010	Michelle Jaromay