UPSILON PI EPSILON, THE INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY FOR THE COMPUTING AND INFORMATION DISCIPLINES
The Ceremony
Being inducted into Upsilon Pi Epsilon is an honor, and the ceremony is built to feel like one. This page sets out everything that happens, in order, so that nobody walks in wondering what they have agreed to.
- How long
- About 45 minutes, then a reception
- What to wear
- Business casual or better
- Guests
- Family and friends welcome
- Cost on the day
- Nothing, the fee is paid beforehand
There is no hazing. There never has been.
Upsilon Pi Epsilon is an academic honor society, not a fraternity. You are being recognised for work you have already done. Nothing at the ceremony is physical, nothing is secret, nothing is embarrassing, and nothing will be asked of you that is not written on this page. You will stand when your name is read, repeat one sentence, sign the chapter book, and be applauded.
- Hazing is against the law in Georgia and against Kennesaw State policy. It is also against everything this society is for.
- The ceremony is run from a script published by UPE nationally. The order of the evening, the words, and the pledge are all set out below.
- It is a public event. Your family and friends are in the room watching.
- The only requirements to become a member are academic: your grades, attending the informational session and two socials, and the one time membership fee.
The order of the evening
Before it starts
Members and guests take their seats. The lights are dimmed a little, which is just for atmosphere. Inductees wait outside the room together, and an officer explains where to stand and when to sit before bringing you in. You will not have to work anything out on your own.
You are presented
The chapter President opens the ceremony and asks for the candidates. You are brought in as a group and stand in front of six empty chairs that face the officers. Your name is read aloud, with a pause after each one, and you stay standing until all the names have been read.
The requirements are confirmed
The President asks whether the candidates have fulfilled all the requirements for initiation. The officer answers that you have. Then you are asked to sit.
Why you are here
The President speaks about the four traits the society looks for: scholarship, leadership, ethicality, and widespread interests. This is the part that says, out loud and in front of your family, that you earned this.
The history and the symbols
A second officer explains where the society and its emblem come from: the zero, the one, and the abacus, the key, and the six chairs in front of you. All of it is explained further down this page, so none of it will be new when you hear it.
The pledge
You stand, raise your right hand, and repeat one sentence after the President. It is printed in full below. That sentence is the entire commitment you are making.
Signing the chapter book
The chapter keeps a bound roll book of every member it has ever inducted. You are asked to stand and sign your name in it. That book stays with the chapter permanently.
You are welcomed
The President welcomes you to full membership, the book is closed, the lights come back up, and every member in the room greets each new member personally before anyone leaves. Photographs, then the reception.
The pledge, in full
This is the whole of it. You raise your right hand and repeat it after the President, a phrase at a time.
I, (state your name), having heard and understood the purposes and tenets of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, do solemnly pledge always to respect and promote the aims and ideals of this Society.
That is the only thing you are asked to say, and the only promise you make.
Upsilon Pi Epsilon Initiation Ceremony, version 3.3
What the symbols mean
- The Key
- The emblem of UPE takes the form of a key. It stands for entry into the professional association, and for the responsibility that comes with that access: to promote the goals of the society. How you use the key decides how many doors it opens.
- Eleven binary digits
- Across the key are eleven binary digits. They read 1967, the year the society was founded. At the ceremony this is set out in eleven candles, lit for the ones and unlit for the zeroes.
- Upsilon, Pi, Epsilon
- The three Greek letters stand for computer, information, and science: upsilon for ypologisti, pi for plirofories, epsilon for epistimi.
- The Zero and the One
- Together they make the binary character set. The circle of the zero stands for how much the computing and information disciplines encompass. The one stands for unity of purpose, and for the truth, integrity, and maturity the society is built on.
- The Abacus
- The earliest and most used calculating device. It stands for a heritage that runs back to the origins of humanity, and for a promise to build on the work of the people who came before you.
- Six empty chairs
- Six chairs are placed in front of you, and nobody sits in them. They stand for the six students whose discussions founded Upsilon Pi Epsilon. The first chapter was chartered on January 10, 1967 at Texas A&M University.
Bring your people
This is a formal event and it is meant to be witnessed. Parents, partners, friends, and faculty are all welcome, and there is no limit and no ticket. Guests are seated behind the inductees so they can see you stand, take the pledge, and sign the book. There is a reception afterwards, and a photographer. If your family cannot travel, tell the officers and we will make sure someone gets photographs to you.
If you are attending virtually
Chapters may run the ceremony over video when people cannot get to campus, and UPE nationally provides for it. It is the same script and the same pledge.
- It is held on a video call. You will be asked to have your camera on when your name is read and when you take the pledge.
- You raise your right hand and repeat the pledge on camera, exactly as you would in the room.
- You will not sign the chapter book in person. The Chapter Advisor prints the list of names for the class and attaches it to the chapter's roll book instead, so you are recorded the same way.
- Your certificate and key pin are posted to you, which is the reason we ask for a mailing address. Give an address that will still reach you after the semester ends.
- Guests can watch the call with you. Send them the link.
What you leave with
- A membership certificate, signed by the Chapter Advisor and the Chapter President.
- The UPE key pin.
- Lifetime membership. The fee is paid once and never again.
- Your name in the chapter roll book, and in the members list on this site.
- The option to order an honor cord or stole for graduation, and the chapter honor jacket.
Questions people ask
- Will I have to do anything embarrassing?
- No. You stand, you repeat one sentence, and you sign your name. That is the entire list of things you are asked to do, and it is written out above.
- Is any part of it secret?
- No. UPE publishes the ceremony script, and this page is written from it. If you want the full script before the day, ask an officer and we will send it to you.
- Do I have to memorise anything?
- No. The pledge is repeated after the President a phrase at a time, and it is printed on this page if you want to read it beforehand.
- What if I cannot attend?
- Tell the officers as early as you can. There is usually a virtual option, and a class can sometimes be held over to the following semester. Email the chapter.
- Can my parents come?
- Yes, and we would rather they did. There is no limit on guests and no charge for them.
- What does it cost on the day?
- Nothing. The one time membership fee is paid before the ceremony, and it is the only fee there is.
Anything else at all, ask us. Nothing about this is a surprise on purpose.