News

Montcalm Community College’s Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), was recently named a 5-Star chapter after completing all the necessary requirements during the 2025 calendar year. 

The Alpha Tau Alpha chapter of PTK has historically been a 5-Star chapter but has struggled to complete all the star requirements — Grow, Engage, Network, Lead and Discover — for the last few years, primarily due to lack of participation. 

“Unfortunately, COVID brought us to our knees in terms of involvement,” said Jennifer VanderSlik, MCC’s PTK co-advisor. “Since then, we have been fighting to increase involvement in the chapter and bring our status back up.” 

The star requirements for Grow, Engage and Network are often baked into PTK’s natural rotation of events throughout the calendar year. The final two requirements, Lead and Discover, involve collegiate projects which require more student involvement and engagement. 

The Lead star is obtained by implementing a college project and entering it for a Hallmark Award. After discussion with college administration, PTK decided to focus their efforts on food insecurity within the campus community. The newly developed Cal’s Garden — MCC’s community garden established last summer — paired well with their initiative and became the subject of their project. PTK helped organize the Back to the Basics: Plant, Pick, Plate Series — a four-part speaker series held at the MCC library in the fall to help promote the garden and different ways students and community members can use the vegetables from the garden. 

“Additionally, we compiled a list of local mobile food pantries in the area, which became an important resource when food stamps were paused,” VanderSlik said. “We shared the list on our Facebook page and it was shared by many around the county including Montcalm Care Network, Montcalm Area Reading Council, and EightCAP.” 

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) continued its focus on addressing food insecurity as part of the Discover Star requirement. Through its Honors in Action project, the chapter aligned this effort with PTK’s Honors Study Topic, “The Power of Stories.” Members explored how socioeconomic status can impact a student’s ability to enroll in and persist through college, bringing greater awareness to the challenges many students face. 

To help address these barriers, PTK organized a campuswide food drive benefiting The Food Source, MCC’s on-campus food pantry. The initiative encouraged donations of both food and household essentials, raising awareness of student needs while contributing to the expansion of pantry services. 

Held from Nov. 3 to Dec. 19, 2025, the drive generated $2,160 in donations. Additional direct contributions were also made, and one MCC employee demonstrated exceptional commitment by organizing a payroll deduction pledge to further support the cause. 

The food drive was sparked by the efforts of PTK co-advisor Sara Rittersdorf and quickly grew into a successful, campuswide initiative. 

“On a Sunday night, Sara sent an email suggesting a food drive to support The Food Source on campus,” VanderSlik recalled. “By Monday morning, we had collection boxes around campus to collect donations, and we encouraged everyone to donate things you wouldn’t necessarily think to donate like milk, oil, and meat, and other non-perishables like toilet paper.  Bringing awareness to new items and encouraging people to think outside the box inspired someone to donate baby formula, which helped (Auxiliary Services Manager) John Davis to see that this item is a need that students have. So, students are now asked if they have a baby that needs food when filling out a form requesting food from the pantry. 

“The Honors in Action project is basically a graduate level research project combined with an action/service element,” VanderSlik added. “This gives students a safe place to dive into graduate level research with the support of advisors and fellow members and without the worry of failing like might happen with a class.” 

VanderSlik credited the efforts of PTK member Sophia Friedrich-Wolthuis, of Ionia, for pushing PTK to 5-Star status after attending the Michigan Regional Convention. 

“She was fired up after attending the convention and was determined to become a 5-Star chapter,” VanderSlik said. “She was a driving force in completing the Hallmarks (write-ups) for each of the projects to ensure that we reached our 5-Star status this year. With PTK, the only way to get credit for the projects that you complete is to also complete Hallmarks, so her help was vital.” 

As the team transitions to the 2026 season and aims to achieve 5-Star status in subsequent years, VanderSlik and Rittersdorf are aiming for higher participation within the organization to help them reach their goals. 

“It is the highest status that a chapter can receive,” VanderSlik said. “Receiving 5-Star status signifies that our chapter recognizes the academic successes of our students and is committed to offering both personal and professional development for them. Essentially, we are committed to offering our members all the opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa offers. I am incredibly happy that we have reached 5-Star status again.”