English honors society Sigma Tau Delta comes to campus

At Pitt’s Greensburg, Pa., campus, a group of students packs into a coffeehouse each fall to vie for the most sexual, violent or cute literary reading.

In a “banned books” contest, students can join the Sigma Tau Delta honors society for readings judged upon shock value, literary merit and reading performance.

Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” the Bible’s “Song of Solomon” and Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Capricorn” are among popular titles.

Jessica Craig, a sophomore majoring in English writing and microbiology, has spearheaded efforts to bring Sigma Tau Delta — an international English honor society — to Pitt’s Oakland campus. The society was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University, according to its website, and has since established more than 850 chapters worldwide.

Elisa Beshero-Bondar, an English professor at Pitt’s Greensburg campus, has served since 2007 as a faculty sponsor for the Pitt-Greensburg chapter, which manifested in the early 1990s.

That same year, she “rallied her students” to attend the society’s four-day international convention, which was in Pittsburgh, for the first time.

At the annual convention, Beshero-Bondar said students can either attend or submit research papers or works of nonfiction, fiction or poetry to present in front of an audience. In 2007, she recalled a panel discussion she led on the topic of 19th-century feminism and female writers.

“[My students and I] were accustomed to ourselves and a classroom-style dialogue, and the conference experience was very surprising because the audience wanted to get involved in a real, intense way,” she said. “I think that was almost overwhelming for my students.”

She added that the “intellectually uplifting environment” encouraged her students to talk about issues including bisexual and transgender identities, which they previously “might have felt awkward to talk about.”

Beshero-Bondar’s chapter currently has 24 student members, and the group plans to invite 28 more members within the next week.

This year’s four-day convention will take place starting on Feb. 26 in Savannah, Ga. The convention requires advanced registration, so Craig said it’s unlikely Pitt’s chapter will be able to attend this year, though she plans to attend next year.

Although Sigma Tau Delta is an English honor society, membership is not limited to English majors or minors. National policy requires each member to have completed at least three semesters of college, taken at least two English classes outside of the required courses and possess at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average.

“The society gives students the incentive to become more active,” Beshero-Bondar said.

The process of bringing Sigma Tau Delta to Pitt was easier than Craig had expected. She began preparations in December, and the process is now nearly finished. Craig needs a signature approval from Pitt Dean of Arts and Sciences John Twyning. Once that signature is obtained, the petition must be approved by the society’s headquarters, located in northern Illinois.

Craig will serve as president of Sigma Tau Delta and has chosen Maureen Crammond, a sophomore majoring in English literature and studio arts, as vice president.

As vice president, Crammond is responsible for promoting and advertising the society and its events. She is currently making flyers, Facebook pages and emails to spread the word about Sigma Tau Delta.

“I think it’s really important to put an emphasis on English and writing, especially since so much is changing with modern technology,” Crammond said.

Besides Crammond and Craig, there are 10 other potential members. Craig is still deciding upon the best candidate for business manager.

David Bartholomae, an English professor at Pitt, will be the faculty adviser. Bartholomae got involved with the project at Craig’s request, but he plans to keep a hands-off role, calling the venture “Jessica’s project.” His responsibilities will include signing papers, overseeing the logistics of the society and advising any members.

“It’s not just a club, or something to put on your resumé,” Bartholomae said. “It’s a form of leadership training and a way to practice what [English majors] do as professionals.”

According to its website, members are given academic recognition for their achievements in their courses over the past two years of school, as well as a certificate and honorary pin. The society also provides information concerning internships, scholarships and other career advancements through its network.

For prospective authors, Sigma Tau Delta facilitates multiple publications to which members can contribute, including The Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review. According to its website, students from any chapter can submit work to these annually published journals.

Craig is adamant to provide professional opportunities to all interested students, and she has already begun planning for advertisements to spread the word. She also hopes to keep the time commitment low so anyone can be involved. 

Other chapters agree with this flexible time commitment, making all events optional and not focusing on having consistent weekly meetings.

James Daniels, the faculty sponsor for Carnegie Mellon’s chapter, makes sure there is pizza at every Sigma Tau Delta meeting. Carnegie Mellon’s chapter started two years ago and attracts primarily creative writing majors, Daniels said, as well as others from the English undergraduate majors. He added that the group also holds social events and fundraisers.

“We’re still getting settled in as an organization, but it’s going well,” he said.

Craig plans to introduce her own events, as well, and she hopes to institute a philanthropic aspect within the society. Currently, she is working to organize a volunteer-based literacy program, as well as writing workshops, conventions and guest speakers.

The event opportunities for such a society are numerous.

Beshero-Bondar said her chapter has also hosted a “24 Hour Comic Day” (during which participants create an entire comic book in one day), a marathon reading of Dante’s “Inferno” and a Halloween event for scary writing, often involving Edgar Allan Poe.

“We treat our honors society like a club or organization,” she said. “As an active honors society, we are part of the club culture [on campus].”