ISU students have not been targeted by fraudulent honor societies, but officials said continued awareness is important.

Students at many colleges and universities around the country have been receiving invitations to join honor societies via e-mail and postal mail. These organizations charge a nominal rate to join their “prestigious” ranks, usually around $50, promising to help students polish their resumes. The problem is that many don’t exist.

“I don’t believe ISU has a problem. We haven’t been targeted,” said Liz Beck, executive secretary for the National Collegiate Honors Council.

The council may play a key role in insulating Iowa State from fraudulent honor societies. It is based in Ames and works with many of the legitimate honors societies around the country.

Any fraudulent society soliciting ISU students would stick out from the rest, Beck said.

“They wouldn’t have been approved by the Association of College Honor Societies,” she said. “We would know that right away.”

Although Iowa State has not been targeted, that doesn’t mean students are completely safe from fraudulent organizations.

“We work with the provost’s office and the honors program to ensure that students aren’t taken advantage of,” said Pete Englin, dean of students. “That’s not to say it isn’t happening; we’ve just heard nothing in the last 15 to 18 months.”

Ricki Shine, program coordinator for the honors program, agreed.

“I’ve had students come in questioning a particular society, but we’ve been lucky and they’ve all checked out,” she said.

Fraudulent societies prey on students who might not qualify for the well-known honor societies such as Phi Beta Kappa or Golden Key.

Legitimate honor societies require grade point averages of 3.3 or above, community service and extracurricular activities, according to the Web site of the Association of College Honor Societies. Fake honor societies don’t have such stringent requirements, luring students who are worried about the depth of their resume.

“Many ISU students don’t collect things for their resume,” Beck said. “They have to see a clear reason for joining. They want to be participants.”

Students with any questions about the legitimacy of an organization should contact the honors program, the National Collegiate Honors Council or the dean of students office before committing to join.