草榴社区

Sigma Tau Delta

National Honor Society in English founded in 1924.  This organization is for students who major or minor in English, Theatre or Secondary Education/English with a grade point average of 3.4 or better in English, Theatre and Writing courses and an overall grade point average of 3.4 or better.  The University's Mu Omicron chapter first met in April 1980. Co-Moderators are Dr. Billie Tadros and

2024-2025

Convention will be held in Pittsburgh, PA. The theme is: One of Ours and the Common Reader is: "When My brother Was an Aztec" by Natalie Diaz.

common-reader

 

2023-2024

Convention was held in St. Louis, Mo at the Ballpark with a theme of: "In Flux" and the Common Reader is: "Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020" by Carl Phillips

Students who presented at convention:

Maille Allardyce - "Illustrations in Arthur Morrison's 'The Lenton Croft Robberies'"
Dimitri Bartels-Bray - "Climbing"
Bethany Belkowski - "Power and Vulnerability in Philips Electric"
Faith Montagnino - "Metaphor and Remembrance: 9/11/01"
Brenna Parker - "The Airplane Rule"
Shannon Parker - "A Red Couch"
Amelia Semple - "The treehouse Above the Woods"
Therese Shimkus - "Talking to You First"
Jillian Tremblay - "The Varying Methodologies in Detective Fiction"
Megan Zabrouski - "Alien Landscapes Portrayed in The Drowned World"

Theses students also presented at a Round Table entitled "Then the War: Limits of Language & Jesuit Values".

Alumni Paper Presentations:

Elias Kerr - "trabs [re]incarnation - [re]living this body's birth"

 

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2022-2023

Denver, Co conference:

Students: Aubrey Wolff, Dimitri Bartels-Bray, Jillian Tremblay, Bethany Belkowski, and Maille Allardyce
Alumni: E Kerr, and Oak O'Connor

         

 

Common reader "The Rock Eaters" by Brenda Peynado

The following students presented their work at the convention themed "Colorful Colorado"

Aubrey Wolff - "Gender Stigmas: A Jesuit Reflection on Rock Eaters" & "Masculinity in Shakespeare's Trolius and Cressoda"
Dimitri Bartels-Bray - "Gender Stigmas: A Jesuit Reflection on Rock Eaters" & "Water: Renewal and Peace"
Jillian Tremblay - "Gender Stigmas: A Jesuit Reflection on Rock Eaters"
Behtnay Belkowski - "Gender Stigma: A Jesuit Reflection on Rock Eaters"
Maille Allardyce - "Living Without Consequences in Our Time"

Alumni Students presenting:

E Kerr - "Trans [Re]incarnation--[Re]born to This Body"
Oak O'Connor - "Illness as Divine Punishment in History & Fiction"

 

2021-2022

Atlanta, GA Conference:

E Kerr, Josh Vituszynski, Julia Gaviga, Sam Marranca, and Oak O'Connor

 E Kerr presenting  Josh Vitusznski presenting  Julia Gavigan presenting  

Sam Marranca presenting  Group dinner  Oak O'Connor presenting

 The following students presented their work at the convention: Themed "ACTION"

Julia Gavigan - "The Ambiguity of Maggie"
E Kerr - "Queering Trauma: Trans-poetics by a trans poet"
Samuel Marranca - "Daylight"
Oak O'Connor - "Hrosvitha's Dulcitius Celebrating Female Virginity"
Alex Sophabmixay - "The Inarticulable Nature of Grieving"
Joshua Vituszynski - "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Bullshit's Truth" 

 

On the road to Atlanta, GA!

2021-2022 Common Reader " by Nic Stone

 Dear Martin

2020-2021

2020-2021 Common Reader is  by Karen Auvinen.

 2020-2021 Common Reader

 

2021 Sigma Tau Delta Convention will be held virtually for the safety of all involved.

2019-2020

In May Sigma Tau Delta inducted eleven new members during our virtual induction ceremony, Megan Bertrand, Francis Coleman, Emma de Bellegarde, Christopher Gallant, Sarah Grosso, Sarah Hickey, Samuel Marranca, Alex Sophanbmixay, Quinn Stanford, Sarah Stec, and Tianna Trujillo . Following the induction, members held an election over Zoom and elected the follwoing six officers to their positions for the 2020-2021 academic year. President-Mary Purcell, Vice-President-Christopher Gallant, Secretary-Emma de Bellegarde, Historia-Sam Marranca, Treasurer-Amanda Tolvaisa, and Public Relations Officer-Sarah Hickey.

 2020 Induction

On Sunday, May 10 a Virtual Induction Ceremony was held via Zoom. Frank Coleman, Catherine Johnson, Mary Purcell, Tianna Trujillo, and Alexis Ward will present their round table "Conversation and Charity: A Jesuit Perspective" moderated by Dr. Tadros. The round table will engage with this year's Sigma Tau Delta common reader Terry Tempest Williams's Red: Passion and Patience int he Desert, and will explore the conflict between caring for the poor and conservation policy from a Catholic and Jesuit perspective. The event is co-sponsored by the Ellacuria Initiative and the Jesuit Center.

  round table 2020

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Billie Tadros, Tianna Trujillo, Alexis Ward, Frank Coleman, Mary Purcell, and Catherine Johnson.

2020-2021 Common Reader is  by Karen Auvinen.

2021 Sigma Tau Delta Convention will be held virtually for the safety of all involved.

On May 5, 2019 in Brennan 509, The Rose Room, the 草榴社区 welcomed eight new members to their Mu Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta.  Anna C. DiGiovine, Nia E. Moore, Devon L. Dorbich, Amanda B. Tolvaisa, Danielle F. Saranchak, Mary R. Purcell, Alexa D. Romberger and Dr. Billie R. Tadros were hornored in an Induction Ceremony.  The guest speaker and new inductee was Dr. Billie R. Tadros.

Click here to see photos of Induction Ceremony.

 2019_induction

 

2019-2020 Common Reader is "" by Terry Tempest Williams.

 2020 Sigma Tau Delta Convention will be held from March 25-28, 2020 in Las Vegas, NV.

June 11, 2019

 

Members of the 草榴社区's chapter with support from the Jesuit Center, presented a Round Table titled, "Peck Small Tracks": A Jesuit reading of Tess Taylor's Work & Days and Pope Francis's Laudato Si', 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Brennan Hall, the Rose Room.  The event was free and open to the public. In attendance were members of our faculty, staff and students and a fun time was had by all. 

Good luck to Cara Charles, Emily Carr, Phyllida Whittaker, Matthew Criscione and David Rakauskas as they will represent The University at this years convention held in St. Louis, MO.

2019_round_table     2019_round_table     2019_round_table

 

2019_round_table

Pictured from left to right: Phyllida Whittaker, Emily Carr, Dr. Billie Tadros, Matthew Criscione, David Rakauskas.  Sitting: Cara Charles.

March 8, 2019
     Five of our Sigma Tau Members; Emily Carr, Cara Charles, Matthew Criscione, David Rakauskas and Phyllida Whittaker have been meeting weekly with Dr. Billie Tadros to develop a round table discussion exploring Work and Days, this year's Common Reader, through the lens of Laudato Si. Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment.  As a result of this extra-curricular work, the students are planning an on-campus round table followed by a presentation at this year's convention in St. Louis.  Accordingly, they have submitted a round table proposal to the convention organizers and applied for a U of S Humanities Initiative Undergraduate Award for Humanistic Inquiry to support their travel.  Cara Charles and David Rakauskas, also individually mentored by Dr. Tadros, have also submitted proposals to present individual papers at the Convention and have applied for Undergraduate Awards for Humanistic Inquiry to fund these presentations.  
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(Pictured from top left; David Rakauskas, Dr. Billie Tadros, Cara Charles, top right; Dr. Rebecca Beal, Matthew Criscione, Emily Carr, Phyllida Whittaker)
November 28, 2018

Elected Officers for the 2018-2019 AY

                                                                          President:     Ms. Cara Charles
                                                                 Vice President:      Mr. David Rakauskas
                                                                         Treasurer:      Ms. Ali Basalyga
                                                                         Secretary:      Ms. Emily Carr
                                                                         Historian:      Ms. Victoria Pennington
                                                             Public Relations:      Ms. Phyllida Whittaker

June 6, 2018

     The 2017-2018 Sigma Tau Delta Annual Convention was held in Cincinnati, OH.  We were honored to be represented at the convention by three of our student members who read their original works:   Peter Shaver ("Unknown American Town"), Erica Westlake ("Woolf as a Guide to Re-Create Antoinette Mason"), and Daniel O'Reilly ("Stumbling through Service").  Our local Mu Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the Department of English & Theatre, the CAS Dean, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs together fully funded this important work.

 Shaver       OReilly       Westlake

                                                                 Group

March 2018

                                      Elected Officers for the 2017 - 2018 AY

                                                           President:     Ms. Cara Charles  
              Vice President/Director of Outreach:     Mr. Daniel O'Reilly
                                                           Treasurer:     Ms. Caleigh Wildenstein
                                                           Secretary:     Ms. Kathleen Heslin
                                                            Historian:     Ms. Erica Westlake
September 27, 2017

     In 2016, Sigma Tau Delta held its annual convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Three of our student members traveled to read their original work: Elizabeth Polishan ("Mythology and Maritime Archaeology: Molly as Calypso", "The other side of Despair"), Peter Shaver ("'Ode to a Nightingale 'and' A Darkling Thrush'") and Cailin Potami ("'My Dear Mother': Female Bonding in All's Well'") which won 1st place in a special categry of essays on Shakespeare.  Our local Mu Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the Department of English & Theatre, the CAS Dean, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs together fully funded this important work.

STD 2016

Louisville, Kentucky was the setting for the 2017 Sigma Tau Delta Convention.  With support from our local Mu Omicron chapter, the Department of English & Theatre, the CAS Dean's Office and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, four of our students were fully funded for their original work.  Peter Shaver ("Caliban and Friday:  Affirmations of Colonialism"), Elizabeth Polishan ("The Stranger"), Christa Howarth ("Tolkien, Hagiographer and Sub-creator") and Alex Wasalinko ("Appropriation Writing: Take to (Re)Create").

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Featured Speaker - Marlon James
gala dinner
to see more photos and read about what our Sigma Tau Delta members are up to.
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