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.[1] 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 1987, no Chapter Distinguished Service Keys (DSKs) were awarded. One reason 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.[2] 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.[3] 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. Lastly, the chapter had a very hard time voting people in since they could hardly reach the proper quorum. The chapter's membership committee revised the rules to make voting more feasible.
Once the chapter finally began awarding DSKs, it promoted a new tradition. When one would wear their Chapter DSK, they would also wear a pledge pin as a reminder to work hard. Just as one earns their right to wear the Fraternity's letters, so too must one earn their right to wear a DSK. The award was not in recognition for some accomplished goal. Instead, it marked the beginning of a new path of service that the chapter would set a person on.
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.[4] 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 |
|---|---|
| (between 1978-1982) | Earle M. Herbert |
| 1988 | John W. Jones[5] |
| 1988 | Doreen Salazar née Brown |
| Fall 1989 | Chuck Dullum |
| Fall 1989 | Richard A. Hale |
| Fall 1989 | Teri Sheets née Grimm |
| 1990 | David A. Emery |
| Spring 1991 | Bella Cenzano-Fong née Fong |
| 1996 | Scott A. Maase |
| 1996 | Tony C.T. Wan |
| 1998 | Mimi J. Huang |
| Fall 1999 | Anna P. Gin née Ng |
| Fall 2001 | Milly Shiu |
| Spring 2002 | William Warriner |
| Spring 2004 | Andrew C. McClelland |
| Spring 2004 | Anthony Toy |
| Fall 2004 | Minhphuc N. Tran |
| Spring 2005 | Erik S. Staab |
| Fall 2005 | Gina Lee |
| Fall 2006 | Aaron B. Lipton |
| Spring 2007 | Krista A. Fong |
| Fall 2007 | Andrew J. Mayen |
| Fall 2008 | Joseph K. Milligan |
| Spring 2009 | Dinh T. Luong |
| Spring 2010 | Michelle J. Galang née Jaromay |
| Fall 2011 | Elizabeth Tom |
| Spring 2012 | Christopher H. Takemori |
| Spring 2013 | Mika Q. Nishiya |
| Fall 2013 | Derek Ng |
| Spring 2014 | Ashish A. Bhatt |
| Fall 2014 | Alice P. Cheng |
| Spring 2016 | Sophia Chew |
| Fall 2018 | Monlia Wu |
| Fall 2021 | Carmen David |
| Spring 2022 | David Dinh |
| Fall 2022 | Kevin Tran |
| Fall 2022 | Dionysus De La Cruz |
References
- ↑ "[1]." Chapter Distinguished Service Award. Retrieved on April 26, 2010.
- ↑ "Online Interview with Elizabeth Tom." Online interview. 2 May 2011.
- ↑ "Online Interview with Rich Hale." Online interview. 3 May 2011.
- ↑ "Facebook Private Message from Anthony Toy." Online interview. 19 May 2010.
- ↑ [2]." John W. Jones for Congress. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.