Honor society serves as encounter channel between students and literary celebrities •Sigma Tau Delta o p ens d oor s into t he world o f English in t ellect uals SigmaTau Delta is an international English honor society which, according to Adam Brooks, president, primarily "promotes the creation and study of excellent literature and language" in a variety of ways. One of these ways has been to invite guest speakers to campus to share some of their personal and professional experiences and insights with members and non-members of Sigma Tau Delta. At the organization's induction ceremony in September, Dr. Pat Garner discussed "Paradigms in Conflict. " According to Sigma Tau Delta faculty sponsor Dr. John Williams, Garner provided several examples which suggested that there are masculine and feminine models for approaching life. Brooks said this presentation was memorable because Garner talked about something he "loved hearing about. " In October, novelist Laura Ford came fromArkansas State University to talk about her novel , For The Love OfJenny , and about how she became a writer. SigmaTau Delta member Nikki Allen said that "meeting Laura Ford and receiving an autographed copy of her book" has been one of her most memorable experiences with the organization. In November, career journalist, novelist and playwright Wayne Greenhaw summarized the ups and downs of his career and told what he has learned about the writing and publishing industry. Another way that Sigma Tau Delta tries to fulfill its goal is by keeping an eye out for literary and cultural events happening mainly in the state, Brooks said. "Last year, members went to Memphis to a writing and publishing seminar conducted by some Christian writers who live in Memphis and by a Christian man who owns a publishing company in Memphis," he added. To become amember ofSigma Tau Delta, a person must be a junior or senior English major or minor, have at least a 3.0 GPA, have taken at least six hours of upper-level English classes, and be invited to join. The one-time membership fee is good for life. Member Rebecca Pitts suggested several reasons that qualified students would want to join. "It 's a good way for them to get to know other people in their major and to learn of career opportunities. Some members are pursuing high school teaching positions, others are going to law school, and some are pursuing doctorates to teach in college later. "Also, members are free to submit critical essays and works of poetry, fiction and literary non-fiction to SigmaTau Delta's international journal, The Rectangle," Pitts said. Brooks said he and other members of Sigma Tau Delta plan to publ icize the organization and related events more in the future, "not only for members, but also for non-members on campus and in the community. We want to be seen as an active, growing organization, not simply an honor roll ,"Brooks said. - Michael Carter Sigma Tau Delta (English honor society). First Row: Rebecca Pitts, Rachel Carter, Amy Franchina. Second Row: Kim little, Leedy Smith, Allison Wall, Allison Ward. ThirdRow: LeeHankins, NikkiAllen, Adam Brooks. Fourth Row: John Williams (faculty sponsor), Ray Carter, Kevin Jensen, Norm Conley. Photo by Aaron Gillihan. Banks Lyons, Mark Garvin and Scott Slough practice their debate skills in preparation for future tournaments. The forensics team represented Harding in competitions with schools from different parts ofthe nation. Photo byAaron Gillihan. Sigma Tau Delta i9s ~, lll*-~O-r-ga-n~i_za_t-io_n_s ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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