Tri Iota

Iota Iota Iota (Tri-Iota) is the academic honor society for the field of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. The purpose of this organization is to encourage and support scholarship and excellence in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The Greek letter iota was selected as the name for this honor society to represent the three goddesses Inana, Ishtar, and Isis. Iota Iota Iota strives to maintain the feminist values central to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and to encourage diversity, egalitarianism, and a supportive academic environment for all students. It was founded in 1992 at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where the Alpha chapter is organized. Also known as Triota, the honor society holds annual induction ceremonies, sponsored community service projects and co-sponsored events in over sixty chapters across the U.S.

Illinois Wesleyan University’s chapter, the Iota Chapter, was established in 2001, and membership has reached as high as fifteen since then. Induction ceremonies for the Iota Chapter are typically held in the Spring Semester.

Students must have completed three semesters at IWU with two courses in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (one at the 300-level or above), and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (overall and in WGSS) in order to qualify for induction. Prospective members must complete an application form and submit a one-time fee of $15 at initiation. That fee pays for meetings costs and the cords that each honor society member may wear at graduation (and keep afterward).

If you meet these criteria, WGSS invites you to join Iota Iota Iota. Please contact the current WGSS Program Director Courtney Irby at cirby@iwu.edu for more information. Click HERE for the membership form.