Xi Sigma Pi

The Forestry Honor Society

Nomination for membership into Xi Sigma Pi, the official Honorary Forestry Fraternity, is based on demonstrated exemplary scholarship, moral character and professionalism. Membership is a high honor bestowed upon only a few select students.

Xi Sigma Pi was founded at the University of Washington in 1908 to:

“maintain a high standard of scholarship in forest resource management education, to work for the improvement of the forest resources management profession, and to promote a fraternal spirit among those engaged in activities related to the forest resources”.

The University of Florida Chapter, the Pi Chapter, was established in 1948. The officers of the chapter consist of a Forester, an Associate Forester, a Secretary-Fiscal Agent, and a Forest Ranger. The Forester serves as executive head of the chapter. The Pi Chapter annually conducts service activities for the benefit of the community and the School of Forest Resources and Conservation. The chapter also holds an annual initiation dinner for new members.

Pi Chapter Officers:

Forester: Brian Roth
Associate Forester: Gregory Parent
Secretary-Fiscal Agent: Ethan Sadowski
Forest Ranger: Sarah Lumban Tobing
Faculty Representative: Taylor Stein

Recent Events

Photos of the 2007 Initiation

Tyler Dreaden selected as 2006 recipient of the Southeastern Xi Sigma Pi Region Scholarship

MEMBERSHIP

Membership in collegiate Chapters shall consist of duly elected faculty and duly elected forestry students in residence at the institution at which the chapter is located, according to the following provisions:

Faculty Members

Any professor or instructor in residence may be elected to active membership provided that he or she is giving instruction in forest resources management subjects or is regularly engaged in research or extension activities directly related to forest resource management.

Student Members

Juniors, Seniors, and transfer students regularly registered in a forest resource management curriculum. To be eligible for election to membership, a candidate must:

1. have completed at least 74 semester hours, or 110 quarter hours of credit;

2. if a transfer student, have been regularly registered in the forest resources management curriculum for at least one semester, or one and one-half quarters;

3. rank scholastically at least in the upper 25 percent of his or her class, or have a 'B' average or better [Local Chapters may impose one or both of these requirements at their discretion]; and

4. have completed at least 10 semester hours or 15 quarter hours of credit in forest resources management courses.

Graduate students regularly registered with major work in a forest resources management curriculum may be elected to membership by a chapter. To be eligible for election to membership, a candidate must meet the following qualifications:

1. A graduate student with 10 or more former semester hours or 15 or more quarter hours of credit in forest resources management courses will become eligible for election to membership after one semester or one and one-half quarters of residence at the institution at which the Chapter is located.

2. A graduate student without 10 or more former semester hours, or 15 or more former quarter hours of forest resources management, courses will become eligible for election to membership upon completing 10 semester hours or 75 quarter hours of credit in forest resources management courses.

3. The graduate student must have an outstanding academic record in his or her graduate work.

Character and Personality Qualifications

An individual's personality and character should be scrutinized no less closely then his or her scholastic rank. Candidates must have shown creditable interest and activity in his or her curriculum, and give promise of attaining high professional achievement. Election to membership should be dependent upon a composite rating rather than upon scholastic achievement alone. To this end, the following list of character and personality traits is offered for consideration when deciding a candidate's suitability:

Honesty

Friendliness

Morality

Dependability

Industry

Leadership

Willingness to cooperate

Frank discussion is urged about each candidate before a vote is taken on his acceptability.

The candidate shall be elected by three-fourths affirmative vote of the members voting.

It shall be the policy of the fraternity, where practical, to select its initiates during the junior year rather than toward the end of the senior year in order to provide, in the greatest possible degree, the benefits of active membership.

QUALITIES OF A FORESTER

Certain well-defined attributes, no one of which is regarded as of more importance than any of the others, have come to be recognized as requisite of every true member of Xi Sigma Pi. Each pledge of the organization should understand the importance of these attributes to true professional practice.

The attributes are:

1. In technical training, members should measure up to the standards set by the best people in the profession.

2. Members must have that peculiar type of honesty which make them demand of themselves a full measure of service even though for days and weeks they might be out of touch with their superior officer.

3. Members must be loyal to their profession, to their fellows, to those who give them orders, and to those whom they direct.

4. Members must have initiative, for their work will frequently place them in situations where they must make their own decisions and formulate their own plans.

5. Members must school themselves in teamwork, for only through whole-hearted cooperation can they be of the greatest service in their profession.

6. Members must have vision and with their vision, faith; for the real fruits of their labor may not mature until years after they has made their exit from this stage of life.

7. Members should unselfishly strive for the betterment of their profession.

8. Members' criticism should be constructive and their judgments withheld until they are in full possession of all the facts.

9. Members should recognize their obligation to the school which made their training possible.

10. Members should be true to their ideals.