Stacie Larsen
Staff Writer
Members of Sigma Tau Delta, Cameron’s English Honor Society (EHS) advocate on behalf of the English department.
Sigma Tau Delta’s president and senior English major, Zoie Timothy, said members are committed to helping students become more aware of literacy.
“In English classes, some people feel intimidated by essays,” Timothy said. “We want to show them that English has things to offer everyone.”
Dr. William Carney, the faculty advisor for the English Honor Society, said members do not have to be English majors as long as they have completed nine credit hours in English and have a 3.0 grade point average in English and overall.
“Members can actually be as active as they want to be,” Carney said. “We are encouraging them to come to things like the Halloween party, to come to readings, to come to charitable events, and to definitely come to Shakespeare’s birthday in the spring.”
Timothy said her hope for Sigma Tau Delta is to become more visible on campus.
“We also want to promote friendships in the community and in the English department,” she said. “I want everyone to feel motivated to help Sigma Tau Delta succeed.”
To encourage literacy, EHS member and junior English major Jessica Allmon volunteered to set up a permanent display in the library, which currently features six select books.
“I think there’s a lot of interesting books that people don’t know how to find,” Allmon said, “or wouldn’t have thought to look for.”
Allmon said she chooses a monthly theme that reflects a topic she believes students would be interested in learning about.
“This is something I’m passionate about,” she said. “I want to become a librarian at some point, and I’m going for my masters in it. To me, this was just one step closer to my ultimate goal.”
Carney said his vision for the organization this year is to become more of a traditional honor society that focuses on charitable work and fundraisers and embraces all English majors and minors.
“It [EHS] seems to increase both interest and commitment to the printed word, the English Literature, Creative Writing [and] Linguistics,” Carney said.
Sigma Tau Delta currently has 15 members. New members officially join in the spring induction and award ceremony, and graduates receive honor cords which represent their involvement with EHS.
Current officers include president Zoie Timothy, vice-president Wesley Jones, secretary Rachel Patterson, treasurer Vicky Smith, and Student Government Association representative Stacie Larsen.
Upcoming events scheduled in October and November include bake sales, open-mic Re-verse and Slam Poetry nights at The Percolator, meet-and-greets with Kuwaiti soldiers and a Halloween party.
For more information about Sigma Tau Delta, email Dr. William Carney at wcarney@cameron.edu.