Climbing up steps among dust and clock-tower gears to ring the chimes in Orton Hall and kissing a rock are among initiation rituals for honor societies at Ohio State. The honor societies at OSU are all based on scholarship, leadership and service. The groups are known for their service to the community, such as raking senior citizens’ yards and cooking lunch for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The honor societies at OSU consist of Sphinx and Mortar Board for the senior class, Chimes and Bucket & Dipper for the junior class, Mirrors and Romophos for the sophomore class and Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma for the freshman class. To be initiated into the sophomore class honorary, Romophos, inductees had to kiss the Romophos rock near Mirror Lake.”I think it’s unique,” said Laura Michaels, a Romophos member majoring in pre-veterinary medicine. “It’s a nice twist to the usual. It used to be you had to wear a fez, a Turkish hat, and a burlap sack to all your classes for one day.””Sphinx Link,” cried Ryan Helon, a senior majoring in finance and economics, across the Oval from University Hall. Helon, president of Sphinx at OSU, inducted each member in front of University Hall, then led the procession to the Sphinx plaza on the north side of the Main Library. The traditional induction of the members of Sphinx is held on the Oval. The members were chosen because of their accomplishments in scholarship, leadership and service while at OSU. With the help of professors, parents, or coaches, members are surprisingly pulled out of classrooms or other public places and they are taken to be inducted in the Oval.Mortar Board also inducts its members on the Oval. Members are paraded through the Oval, and go to Mirror Lake where each member signs in and is recognized. The students being inducted wear white caps and gowns and outgoing members wear black caps and gowns. The honor societies consist of active members who do service for the community. All the honor societies, with the exception of Mortar Board and the freshman class honor societies, have a minimum grade point average requirement of 2.75. Mortar Board’s requires a 3.0 GPA. The freshman class must attain a 3.5 GPA in one of the first three quarters at OSU.”It’s not on grades alone. There are so many differences meshed together,” said Scott Wallace, a junior in Navy ROTC. “Everyone in an honorary is a leader in an organization. I’m in Bucket & Dipper and we volunteer at First Community Retirement Village.” Sarah Elshoff, a senior and a past member of Sphinx, thinks honor societies make her feel a part of OSU. “It’s a chance to get the heart of the university tradition,” Elshoff said. “You meet the most remarkable people and it is well represented.”William Murer, a junior Chimes member majoring in chemistry, feels honor societies allow students to be recognized.”There’s a big tradition in this day and age to reduce people to commercial value,” Murer said. “This is a chance to be an individual and show your commitment to this university at large.”