By Makayla M. Wright
Staff Writer
Sigma Tau Delta is not only the name we see on our emails once a month but also an international program.
“Once you are a member you are a member for life,” said Dr. Karolyn Steffens, English program coordinator and co-sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta. “It is an amazing networking opportunity for English majors worldwide. It is a sense of community for fellow English majors and anyone interested in literature.”
Lindsey Wilson College’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is broken down into the English Honors Society group. Within that group, there are board members.
“I think being surrounded by other people who are in your same major and have the same interests and passions as you do is really beneficial...”
“Sigma Tau Delta has made my higher education experience better,” said Aven Sanders, Sigma Tau Delta board member. “I think being surrounded by other people who are in your same major and have the same interests and passions as you do is really beneficial.”
The board does collaborate with each other on events. Each member is responsible for something to make the Sigma Tau Delta campus events run smoothly.
“We have a pretty equal division of labor,” said Sanders. “If someone has an obligation that will prevent them from setting up for an event we try to find something for them to do to help.”
Beyond just campus events, Sigma Tau Delta also goes to national conferences each year.
Members of Sigma Tau Delta recently sponsored a Halloween bake sale to raise money for the orgasnization. Photo courtesy of Sigma Tau Delta.
“Groups like Sigma Tau Delta change the culture of the campus and the broader world by being open in its membership and constantly encouraging new participants,” said Megan Whitson, a member of Sigma Tau Delta. “Oftentimes, academic organizations can feel very isolated-- competitive sometimes--but Sigma Tau Delta directly defies this precedent, especially on the LWC campus.”
Sigma Tau Delta provides opportunities for students to travel. This spring, Dr. Kerry Robertson and Steffens are taking their students to Paris and Amsterdam.
Unlike other organizations within LWC, the trip requires active participation in a course that will review literature that will be relevant during the trip.
This raises important questions for people outside the group. Questions like “How can they afford this?”, “Why are they traveling so much?”, “How does this benefit me?”, “How can I become involved in future trips?”.
The students attending the trip have had opportunities to fundraise as well as advanced knowledge of the trip.
Trips like these provide lifelong memories.
“We were in Atlanta and had gone to this local restaurant for soul foods that MLK [Martin Luther King, Jr.] used to go to,” said Steffens “So I took the students to Busy Bee Cafè and one of the students said his life had been changed by the chicken and waffles. Later that day we went to one of the top Mexican food trucks and had a churro for dessert and again said he didn’t think it was possible but his life was changed again.”
The trips are organized by Steffens and Carr with a travel company to help with financial planning for students as well as faculty.
“I’ve wanted to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam since I was nine years old and I’m so grateful to be able to live that experience and learn along the way..."
“I’m colossally excited for the trip this Spring,” said Whitson. “I’ve wanted to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam since I was nine years old and I’m so grateful to be able to live that experience and learn along the way. I’m excited to see all the beautiful sights and expand my knowledge on culture and how it relates to all the books and stories I hold so dearly.”
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