About Us
Chimes is K-State's junior class honorary. Our threefold purpose is to promote scholarship, leadership and service. Members are chosen each spring semester on the basis of a 3.0 grade average and past contributions of service and leadership to their fellow students at Kansas State University.
History
In 1917, the women of XIX (that later became Mortar Board), the senior women's honorary of that era, established a junior auxiliary which they named PRIX (possibly signifying Pre-XIX) as a semi-secret stepping stone group. Two Ohio State University coeds began developing the idea of an organization consisting of women with superior potential in scholarship, leadership and service. These two women, Harriet Day (Mrs. Harriet Bricker) and Helen Dustman (Mrs. Helen Evans), along with six other outstanding women, became the eight charter members of Chimes. During one of the initial organizational meetings, the founders selected the name Chimes because they heard the Orton Hall chimes ringing in the background.
In the 1940s, a student leadership society for junior year women was established by representatives from Pennsylvania State, Ohio State, Temple and West Virginia University. They called themselves Chimes, and in 1952, they installed the PRIX women of Kansas State as the group's fourteenth chapter. Until the academic year 1977-1978, Chimes remained a females-only honorary. But in 1977, this changed as three men joined with fifteen women in that spring's new class of initiates. Although the national organization has disbanded, various chapters have retained the name and symbols of Chimes Junior Honor Society.
The Pledge
I do solemnly promise to uphold the high standards of Chimes Honor Society and to keep ever before me its goals. I shall ever strive to further its aims and work in unity with others. My motto as a member of this society shall be to lead with knowledge, to follow with intelligence and to ever strive for the worthwhile in life.
Symbols
Our symbols are the yellow rose, the small golden bell and the colors gold, white and brown. The rose represents freshness in life. The bell has three tiny pearls in the clapper, which stand for the third year in college and are recognized as standing for scholarship, leadership and service. The colors represent the metals gold, silver and bronze. Gold was chosen because of its ability not to tarnish; silver was chosen for its purity; and bronze was chosen for its endurance.
Our Constitution
We, the members of this Junior Class Honorary, in order to promote the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service among the Junior Class of this institution, and to better ourselves as members, do ordain and establish this constitution for the government of our organization.