The University of Vermont’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) was awarded a silver STAR on August 15.This achievement was announced at the annual Honor Gala Convention in Washington, D.C., where the NSCS recognizes chapters for their work.Since the UVM chapter’s founding in 2000, this is the third time it has received silver STAR status, UVM chapter adviser Dani Comey said.UVM’s chapter is one of 240 chapters nationwide whose members must maintain a 3.4 GPA and be ranked in the top 20 percent of the class, the NSCS website said.STAR status is awarded based upon a chapter’s level of participation in accomplishing their mission of “upholding and inspiring academic excellence and engaging citizenship,” the website said.According to Comey , there are four STAR status levels; platinum, gold, silver and bronze, in addition to a “good standing level,” with each marking the level of a chapter’s accomplishments.As an entirely student-run organization, officers must complete necessary paperwork and administrative tasks to gain the chapter’s STAR recognition, Comey said.The reports inform the NSCS on how many service projects, meetings and active students their chapter has, Comey added.”As the UVM chapter of NSCS we volunteer our time throughout the community to help others,” the UVM’s chapter website said. Comey said that students decide how they want to serve the community, be it tutoring, fundraising for local organizations or giving out candy on Valentine’s Day.The UVM NSCS chapter is an invitation-only organization for high achieving first and second-year college students that do “random acts of kindness,” Comey said. “This award reflects the leadership of our officers,” Comey said, and will hopefully create “a snowball effect,” that encourages future NSCS members to continue their community involvement.Silver star status puts UVM’s NSCS chapter in the top third highest ranked chapters in the country. daniOne of the many requirements to receive any good standing with the NSCS is to hold an induction convocation “utilizing [the] NSCS multimedia PowerPoint presentation,” indicated on the STAR program Outline ChecklistThe UVM chapter’s induction ceremony to officially welcome new members will be on Sunday, Oct 4 coinciding with parent’s weekend and homecoming.