For all intents and purposes, GTU and the Geography Club are one and the same on the University of Wyoming campus. Anyone can join the Geography Club and students who meet certain eligibility requirements can also become members of GTU. The Geography Club and GTU meet together as a group.
Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) is an academic honor society in the field of geography. There are no secret signs, words, or grips, except that members wear the badge of Gamma Theta Upsilon to indicate their interest in geography and their determination to support and promote the discipline.
The badge below is the Gamma Theta Upsilon key, which signifies the achievement of quality in a field of science. The symbolism of the Society is embodied in this key.
The base of body of the key is a seven-sided shield. Each bevel carries the initial of one of the Earth's continents. Beginning with Europe at the top, to the right are Asia, Africa, and Australia. On the left side of the key are North America, South America, and Antarctica.
Spread across the key's base are five wavy blue lines signifying the five great bodies of water that have carried voyagers to all the lands of the Earth: the Atlantic, the Indian, the Pacific, the Arctic, and the Antarctic or Great Southern Ocean.
Above the waves is located a white star which is symbolic to Polaris, the great guide to travelers over the vastness of the northern hemisphere oceans.
At the key's top stand the letters Gamma, Theta, and Upsilon. These initials of the three Greek words, Ge (Earth), Thalassa (Sea), and Hypaithrois (Atmosphere), serve as a reminder of the three great environmental domains studied by geographers. The colors of Gamma Theta Upsilon are symbolic of geography's three domains: brown for the Earth, light blue for the sea, and gold for the sunlight or sky.
