Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) is an international honor society for university Geography students that was founded in 1928, became a national organization in 1931, and became the International Honorary Geographical Society in January 1969. GTU takes its name from the initials of three Greek words, the anglicized versions of which represent the three domains of Geography: Ge meaning earth, Thalatta meaning sea, and Hypaithrios meaning atmosphere.
According to its web site, “members of GTU have met academic requirements and share a background and interest in geography…GTU chapter activities support geography knowledge and awareness… (and) GTU’s Goals are: 1) to further professional interest in Geography by affording a common organization for those interested in the field; 2) to strengthen student and professional training through academic experiences in addition to those of the classroom and laboratory; 3) to advance the status of Geography as a cultural and practical discipline for study and investigation; 4) to encourage student research of high quality, and to promote an outlet for publication; 5) to create and administer funds for furthering graduate study and/or research in the field of Geography; and 6) to encourage members to apply geographic knowledge and skills in service to humankind.”
Well over 200 GTU chapters have been established, and new chapters are added almost every year. The Theta Nu chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon at UCSB was formed on May 13, 1998. According to its web site, it was relatively inactive until “Spring Quarter 2006 produced a new wave of highly motivated seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who sought to revive the club and create an organization to spread information about the Geography Major throughout campus (and hopefully the world).”
Among GTU’s more recent activities was a bake sale held last November: “The GTU chapter held a very successful bake sale to raise both awareness of the group as well as funds for hikes, conference attendance, and other social/educational activities. The enthusiasm of the GTU students was infectious, and the bake sale exceeded all expectations. The bake sale was also used as an opportunity to promote the Geography Awareness Week geocaching event (in particular) and the Geography department (in general).” The bake sale was followed by a “BBQ Challenge” between Zach Chehayeb and Nick Santos in February, and a whale watching trip is being planned for March. Hey, Geography is fun!
