Get To Know A Club is a weekly
column where students can read
about the different clubs on campus
and what they do.
Although a relatively new club, TU’s
Alpha Chapter of Lambda Alpha offers stu-
dents a chance to engage with and explore
what it means to be human in a variety of
ways through a multitude of events through-
out the semester. While the full name is
the Lambda Alpha National Anthropology
Honor Society, the club does not require stu-
dents to be an anthropology major or minor
to be a part of any activity and encourages
those from all areas of study to take part. We
also encourage those from the greater Tulsa
community to see what Lambda Alpha has
to offer.
One of the highlights of each semester for
the organization is the lecture series which
brings speakers to the TU community from
across the world toshare their work, span-
ning many subjects. Another student fa-
vorite is the annual haunted house which
takes place in Harwell Hall where we do our
best to provide everyone with a memorable
fright. Additionally, Lambda Alpha takes
their work into the community and each
February we take anthropology into a local
school where we engage with elementary students in the study of humans. The club
hosts other events throughout the semester
such as movie nights, anthropology days
and much more.
For those students who are studying an-
thropology, Lambda Alpha offers travel
grants, scholarships and research paper
competitions. Recently, the Alpha Chap-
ter was honored when a graduating senior
won the highest prize offered by Lambda
Alpha for student research. Membership in
Lambda Alpha is open to both graduate and
undergraduate students and our current of-
ficer team consists of both. Our membership
represents a wide diversity of research inter-
ests, personal interests and our members are
also active in many other organizations both
on and off campus.
The Alpha Chapter is sponsored by Dr.
Miriam Belmaker, a paleoanthropologist
and professor in the Department of Anthro-
pology and Sociology. Our current officer
team consists of Madeline Jennings (presi-dent), Molly Gardner (vice president), Patty
Williams (secretary) and Guy Broom (trea-
surer/media). Officer elections are held each
spring and officers serve in their roles for
the following two semesters.
Although I know my own experience
with Lambda Alpha, I wanted to know what
others have experienced during their in-
volvement.
President Madeline Jennings said,
“Lambda Alpha is one of the first clubs I got
involved with here at TU, and it has been a
really rewarding experience. To me, Lamb-
da Alpha is a great way to reach out to peo-
ple who don’t have a lot of experience with
anthropology. A lot of our events are geared
towards engagement with the community
in and outside of TU which means that we
get to enjoy anthropology topics and work
with different people. It’s also a great way
to address special interests in anthropology
through guest lectures and tailored events,
which is another of my favorite parts.”
Vice President Molly Gardner wanted to
share that, “Last year was my first year at
Lambda Alpha, and I felt so welcomed and
comfortable with everyone. My favorite
event was the haunted house during Octo-
ber, where I scared others walking through. I
love the dedication and time officers put into
this organization, and I am excited about
what this year will bring.”
And lastly, Guy Broom, the new trea-
surer and media specialist for Lambda
Alpha shared his thoughts with me. “I am
extremely excited to be a part of Lambda Alpha. They put out some really interesting
presentations last year and since I was in the
Anthropology department I really wanted to
get involved. Overall, with this club, I hope
I am able to get more involved with this de-
partment and see the processes behind these
talks.”
If you would like more information about
joining the Alpha Chapter or any upcoming
events, please contact Dr. Belmaker or any
of the officers, or stop by and see us in Har-
well Hall.
