Following a 7 year period of inactivity, the Armstrong chapter of Sigma Tau Delta was reintroduced to campus last semester under its original title, Alpha Gamma Rho.
Established in 1924, Sigma Tau Delta is an International Honor Society for English students and scholars that provides several academic and professional opportunities for its members.
Prior to consolidation, Alpha Gamma Rho was “very active” on the ASU campus, according to Dr. Carol Jamison, one of the organization’s faculty advisors.
Trouble arose following the merger due to indecision about which department to place the organization in, as well as other various responsibilities that required the faculty’s attention.
“We didn’t really know where to house it,” Dr. Jamison said. “What we did was that this chapter folded into the writing department, but went dormant. It just laid dormant because there were too many things to do post-consolidation.”
Professor Trepagnier, an English professor and graduate student on the Armstrong campus, hopes to “recreate the foundation of Sigma Tau Delta” to reduce the possibility of future inactivity and provide a community for students that she did not have during her time as an undergraduate at Armstrong.
“That’s my biggest mission, is to make sure that incoming freshmen have the ability, from jump, to have an organization that they can connect with,” said April Trepagnier, an English professor and graduate student on the Armstrong campus.
Members of Sigma Tau Delta have the chance to attend an annual conference and present their literary works, network with fellow English academics and engage in a number of other activities.
The group also hopes to collaborate with other honor societies on campus “to provide multi-level engagement for finals and midterms” Trepagnier said.
Monthly meetings are held at 2 pm on the second Tuesday of every month in room 123 in Gamble Hall.
If you are an English major or minor and would like to get involved with Sigma Tau Delta, email Dr. Jamison or professor Valeri for more information.
