| Sigma Tau Delta |
Alpha Mu Chi Chapter
of
Sigma Tau Delta
Penn State Abington
Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, exists to confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies; to promote interest in literature and the English language on local campuses and their surrounding communities; and to foster the discipline of English in all its aspects, including creative and critical writing. Penn State Abington's chapter, Alpha Mu Chi, was founded on April 25, 2005, with the following twenty charter members:
Katherine Brill
Erin Cook
Douglas Broadbent ‘05
Rosario Diaz
Dina Grillo
Amanda Gross ‘05
Nino Heinrichs ‘05
Patricia Holmes
Stephanie Hood-Cheifitz
Joseph Magee ‘05
Michael Mawby
Michele Melissen
Adrianne Munkacsy ‘05
Kyle Richardson
Chelsea Schmidt
Adrianna Simon ‘05
Stephen Trueman
Adrienne Vander Ploeg
Lisa Wisniewski
Amy Wojciechowski ‘05
There are over 600 chapters located in Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States. Some 225,000 members have been initiated over the years; among them have been such well-known writers and scholars as Eudora Welty, James Dickey, Laurence Perrine, and Howard Nemerov.
Sigma Tau Delta was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University and is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.
There are two categories of membership: Active and Associate.
Active members must:
- be majoring or minoring in the discipline of English or its equivalent, e.g., Comparative Literature or Humanities.
- have taken a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements for first-year English.
- have a B or equivalent average in English.
- rank in the highest 35% of his/her class in general scholarship (a B average is OK).
- have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college course work.
- be currently enrolled as a graduate or undergraduate student.
Associate members must meet the same requisite academic background but do not have to be majoring or minoring in the discipline of English.
Associate members may contribute to the society's journals, The Rectangle and The Review, they may vote, but they may not hold local or international office.
Non-sponsoring faculty members who have a degree in English (or its equivalent) may also be Associate members.
Alumni who have the requisite background may also be Associate members.
Members are eligible for scholarships and internships with a Washington, DC publisher. They may also submit their critical and creative journals, The Rectangle and The Delta Review. The Society sponsors an annual conference, for which financial aid is available to students whose work is accepted for presentation at the conference. The 2006 Conference is in Portland, Oregon at the end of March and beginning of April.
Current Alpha Mu Chi members (2005-06) are
Katherine Brill
Rosario Diaz
Stephanie M. Dietrich
Matthew R. Griffin
Dina Grillo
Joseph Hoeffel
Patricia Holmes
Stephanie Hood-Cheifetz
Lauren E. Hysek
Jonzel N. Jones
Michael Mawby
Maureen G. Murphy
Kyle Richardson
Robert A. Riegen
Chelsea Schmidt
Mary Elizabeth Swayne
Peggyann Temme
Stephen Trueman
Adrienne Vander Ploeg
Catherine M. Waxler
Lisa Wisniewski
The national initiation fee is $37. You receive a certificate of membership and a Sigma Tau Delta pin. There are currently no local chapter dues or fees.
More information on Sigma Tau Delta may be found at www.english.org.
If you have specific questions about Penn State Abington's chapter, talk with Dr. Tom Smith, adviser (trs8@psu.edu or 215 881-7543 at 321 Sutherland).
If you have questions about the Sigma Tau Delta as an international English honor society, email the Society's central office at sigmatd@niu.edu.
