Finding a new framework for Honors Congress

The success of the Honors College goes beyond specialized Honors courses and the medallions that signifying graduation with distinction. The college is a community that fosters ties among its members while positioning its students to lead. This is especially true for our student organization housed within the Honors College: Honors Congress. 

Founded in 1986, Honors Congress is the college’s official student organization. Recently, the organization has undergone structural changes that enlarge the group’s purview and provide a wider range of opportunities for Honors students to get involved, whether their interests are focused on academics, athletics, service, inclusion, facilitation or creativity.

Building a foundation

Second-, third- and fourth-year students may remember two additional organizations that called the Honors College home: Honors Serves and Diversity in Honors. Earlier this year these two organizations merged with Honors Congress in an effort to build membership and strengthen the purpose of each group.

“I think it makes the Honors College feel more as one,” said Ellie Morgan, vice president for the Honors Congress. “With separate student organizations there was no overlap, but this feels more unified. We can pile our resources, making our options better than what they were individually.”

Jenna Fairbrother is a senior who was on the Honors Serves executive team prior to the merger and now serves as a co-chair on the service branch of Honors Congress. “We’ve been able to revitalize what service is as a whole, and now we have more opportunities for students to serve,” said Fairbrother.

Revisioning plans

Across campus organizations are in the process of redefining student involvement and what it means to be a college student outside of the classroom. Honors Congress is part of this broader shift.

“Our generation has had a unique opportunity to inherit involvement space that we can help reshape collectively. It’s an exciting point trying to figure out what we want from our college experience and getting to design methods to maximize those opportunities,” said Victoria Ashely, Honors Congress SGA liaison.

As part of the recent merger, the philanthropy committee within Honors Congress became the new service branch, holding space for membership for the now sunsetted Honors Serves. Currently the branch is rebuilding relationships with past service site locations and its members are looking forward to doing service within the community this spring.

The Diversity in Honors group was disbanded and is currently being reimagined into the newest Congress branch, B.R.I.D.G.E. (Belonging, Respect, Integration, Dignity, Growth and Equality). Currently, B.R.I.D.G.E. is clarifying its new identity through a variety of forums inviting membership to discuss this new branch of congress and what the future holds for student membership.

Strengthening their pillars

Congress now has six branches, including the newly formed B.R.I.D.G.E. and service branches. Others include academic, formal, involvement and spirt.

The academic branch is all about education outside the classroom and helps Honors Congress members learn a new life skill. The group hosts movie nights, trivia events and crash course lectures in everything from pickleball to chess.

As the name might imply, the formal branch plans the Honors College spring formal. This branch helps with the promotion and planning of the event, which gives Honors students an opportunity to participate in a college formal — an event traditionally associated with Greek Life — within the community of Honors.  

The ambassadors for Honors Congress make up the involvement branch. This group, which hosts family dinners as well as social hours for congress, is charged with the mission of making sure that members of Congress are comfortable, are informed and have access to the College’s events and opportunities.

A great membership perk of Honors Congress is access to block seating at home football games. The spirit branch of Congress makes sure students are engaged not only in Auburn Tigers sports, but also in intramural games, hosting five to six teams each semester. This group additionally hosts "Samford Sessions" on Samford lawn, where participants can choose their own adventure be it crafty or more athletic in nature.

As the only organization on campus that’s devoted exclusively to Honors students, Honors Congress functions like a programing group. Each branch taps into member interests touching on the aspects of the Auburn student experience. The executive leadership team of Honors Congress is working on a variety of projects to ensure the success of each of these six branches for the future.

Honors students can join Congress by signing up on AU Involve and paying a one-time membership fee.