Only 37 of Alpha Chi's 300 chapters nationally received the designation. Star chapters are those that:
- Have a faculty sponsor and a student member at the annual national or regional convention
- Have a student presenter on the convention program
- Have a national scholarship or fellowship nominee
- Sponsor a campus program with an academic emphasis
- Register new members
- File the annual chapter report
The FPU chapter has 62 members. Fay Nielsen, associate dean of retention, is the main sponsor and president of Alpha Chi Region VII. Marshall Johnston, history and classics professor, is co-sponsor.
Star Chapter awards will be presented at the Alpha Chi national convention in San Diego March 31-April 2. Nielsen and Johnston will be attending with seven members, all of whom will present papers:
- Joshua E. Blagaila (sophomore)—"Knights: A Product of Ideology"
- Daniel Crosby (BA '10, graduate student)—"Einhard: A Renaissance of Literature in the 9th Century"
- Brennen Christian Henry (junior)—"The Creative Exploration of an Adventure into Hell"
- Samuel Ryan Kelly (senior)—"‘Behold, It Was A Dream': The Significance of Dream in The Pilgrim's Progress"
- Matthew Michal (senior)—"Gridlock Freeways vs. Non-stop Red Lights: What is the Fastest Path Through the City?"
- Maria Guadalupe Trujillo (senior)—"The Language of Learning: The Advantages of Non-English Speaking Students"
- Yun-Kyeong Shin (junior)—"Understanding the Relationship of the Aryan and the Indus Valley Civilization"
To be eligible for Alpha Chi, students must be in the top 10 percent of their class.