- All initiates of Pi Tau Sigma, students and honorary, need to attend the initiation ceremony in order to become members. If an initiate for some reason misses the initiation process, a makeup initiation is held.
- Two officers conduct the ceremony reading out their roles from the Rituals handbook. Please note that there are three different versions for the last segment read by the President in closing, marked as yellow -if initiates are all students-, green -if initiates are students and honorary members-, and blue if initiates are only honorary members.
- You will need to project the two PTS insignia on a large screen, the coat of arms and the emplem (the key), one at a time, and have a third person use a pointer to indicate the different parts of each as the vive president describes them.
- The initiates are expected to wear no less than business casual dress code.
- You will need to have your roll book ready with the date of the initiation, positions, names and signatures of the two officers conducting the ceremony on the desk. At the end of the ceremony, each initiate is provided with their certificate and membership card if they have been pre-ordered, enters her/his name and signature on the roll-book is congratulated by the all members. If the Advisor is present she/he enters name and signature at the bottom of the roll book.
- A picture of the roll-book page is taken and is emailed to the Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Arden Moore within 7 days.
- A picture of all of the attendees in the ceremony is taken and is emailed to the Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Ardent Moore within 7 days. This picture also needs to be uploaded with your report to your chapter page before June 30.
Historically, certain formalities and traditions were included in the initiation proceedings. In earlier years, the proceedings were considered secret and only members and new initiates attended. For example, one part was the sharing of a secret handshake. However, the proceedings have been open to guests in recent years. The mechanics of the initiation ceremony can be individualized by a local chapter, provided these rituals are used and no form of student hazing is involved. It is important, however, that an atmosphere of formality, professionalism, and distinction be maintained during any initiation ceremony.
Another common tradition is to blindfold the initiates as they are led into the dimly lighted initiation room by an officer, where each initiates rests their hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them. The President and Vice President are stationed behind a desk or table. The initiates shall be assembled before the officers and the blindfolds are removed and the initiates sit. The President shall call the initiation ceremony to order. At the end of the ceremony, the Pi Tau Sigma handshake is shared individually with each initiate.
At the end of the ceremony, chapters that have their initiates polish the keys (some also have them attached to plaques), would hold a vote on the best looking key/plaque and present the new member with a prize. Traditionally, after the ceremony, a cordial outing follows, where the chapter treats the new initiates to food, to promote friendships among old and new members.
Initiates may invite friends and family to attend the ceremony.
