- John J. Rildclille ment among English students," accord ing to sponsor and English depa rtment chairman Dr. Den nis O rga n. Providing opportunit ies out of class and stimulating interest in literature were also objectives of the soc iety. At the fi rst fa ll meeting, members dressed as thei r favorite li terary authors and characters. "Representatives" included poet Emi ly Dickinson, Hester Prynne of The Scarlet leller, Jay Gatsby, and Jim Smiley and his jumping frog. Other activities for the group included a field trip to Hendrix ~o ll ege to hear a presentation by author Maya Angelou . The group also traveled to Oxford, MS, to visit the home of W illi am Faulkner. Pres ident Betsy Wa lkup said that Sigma Tau De l ta served as a good too l to bring together students w ith simi lar literary and academic interests. ~ Phi Alpha Theta, history honor soc iety, according to sponsor Dr. Fred Jewe ll " is the larges t honor soc iety in America , boasting more than 600 chap ters." The Harding chapter, established in 1961 , conducted monthl y meetings in which an officer of the group was responsibl e for presenting a program featu ring a variety of historical papers, rev iews, slide p resentations, or f ilms. Many members believed the monthl y gatherings to be the heart of the group. Here they lea rned of wa r games - how they we re fought and when - and various cultures - how they developed and why. Membersh ip in Phi Alpha Theta was open to studen ts with at leas t 12 hi story credi t hours and a 3. 0 cumulative grade point. "«:: . Cha rte red in Apr il , 1982, the Hardi ng chapter of Pi Sigma Alph~ was created to recognize outsfand ing students in the fie ld of political science. To become a member of the honor soc iety, a student was required to have obta ined a " B" average in 10 hours of political science credit and at leas t a " B" average in all other cou rses taken at the co ll ege leve l. " The requirement provided exce ll ent incentive fo r underclassmen to make the grades to become part of the program," sa id Susie Broughton, vice-pres ident of the group. Broughton also stated t hat the organ iza tion was a stepping stone to further one' s education since membership was for the best students in the field . "Membership in Pi Sigma A lpha is helpful when you are applying for gradua te work," she sa id. The group, too new to have sponsored many activ it ies, planned to provide many good speakers and educational activit ies in the future for its politi ca l-minded members. ~ Honor soc ieties/1 19
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