Sigma Tau Delta

Hello all,

I hope everyone’s semester has been going smoothly thus far! At tonight’s meeting, we discussed several possibilities for the upcoming semester, including:

• increasing our relationship as an organization with professors; we talked about becoming a resource for professors to help with whatever odd projects with which they may need help. Further discussion with professors is needed to solidify plans.
• establishing a regular time outside of meetings to gather together and discuss books, literature, etc. as an organization; the SUB or other nearby coffee shops are possible venues.
• planning several events, including a book sale, a poetry slam, and an English department dinner at the end of the semester so those people not in Sigma Tau Delta can still meet and mingle with fellow English majors in a more relaxed setting.
• working with other campus organizations, specifically those that deal with literacy issues such as Truman’s chapters for the International Reading Association and First Book.

Applications for new Sigma Tau Delta members will be coming soon; look for updates in the near future!

All my best, and good luck with your second week of classes!
-Webmaster Casey-

Hello all!

We hope you have had a restful, relaxing break and are ready to get back into the swing of things on campus again. That being said, please come to our first meeting of the semester on Wednesday, January 18; Dr. Harker will be making a guest appearance to speak about the English MA program at Truman.

Meetings will be held at the same time, same place: Wednesdays at 8pm in McClain 208.

Best wishes for your first week of classes!
-Webmaster Casey-

I know, the majority of us are in – or have been in or will be in – some type of denial about graduating from college and forming some sort of post-graduation plan. However, never fear! Your Alpha Lambda chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is striving to do our best to help alleviate whatever woes you have by inviting a selection of guest speakers to weekly meetings throughout the year to discuss the plethora of options we English majors have possess. The series began this past Wednesday with Dr. James D’Agostino speaking about and offering advice on graduate school options:

• Use connections at Truman to learn about and network for grad school. Ask to speak with any grad student at Truman – especially those in the English Graduate Organization (who organized the fabulous Slam-O-Ween this semester, by the way) – as well as any with of the professors on campus. Professors are especially helpful in the search for a grad school because they are likely familiar with a range of graduate programs and probably also keep in contact with students who have already graduated, creating the opportunity for useful networking connections.
• In the event of time off before entry into grad school, several steps can be taken to continue to remain a viable candidate for graduate school acceptance:
  -Build your portfolio in the time you have off; many MA and MFA programs require samples of your work as part of the application process.
  -Find a job that allows you to remain involved in the graduate world.
  -Read the published writings of graduate students and professors.
  -Attend academic conferences in your field of interest.
• How to go about choosing a graduate school:
  -Check out the rankings of both top-tier and middle schools.
  -Look at the quality of the relationships between and among students, professors, and the university.
  -Talk to the faculty to learn about their programs, methods, and how they evaluate their students.
  -Observe whether the students and faculty are active in their profession; attend conferences to see the topics being presented and who is presenting them.
  -Search for graduate work in your area of interest.
  -Sit in on a class at the school(s) you are interested in.
• Remember, if you aren’t accepted the first time, future opportunities still exist; continue to network and build your portfolio, and don’t give up!

If there is a specific topic that you would like discussed at a future meeting, please email the account at truman.std@gmail.com.

Finally, please remember that TOMORROW IS INITIATION DINNER; for those of you who were accepted in the Spring and Fall of 2011, your dinners were a part of your initial fees, so come to Ruby Tuesday at 1:00pm to enjoy a good meal and good company and to hear guest speaker Dr. Alanna Preussner speak! If anyone is in need of a ride, email the account as soon as possible so we can sort out carpooling.

Best!
-Webmaster Casey-

Hello all!

As we enter into the crazy downhill roller coaster that is the second half of the semester, I wanted to remind everyone of a few things.

• Slam-O-Ween is NEXT WEDNESDAY (October 26) at 9:00 at the Dukum. If you are interested in helping to set up, collect money at the door, or clean up, details will be coming to you soon. Info that EVERYONE should be spreading to ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS is that doors open at 9:00pm; it is $3 to get in, and this money either goes to the prize for the top three slammers or toward the minor’s cover charge.
  FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN SLAMMING: Bring three original poems (at least one must be scary-themed for this slam), and then get to slammin.
  There will also be a costume contest for all attending, so be sure to dress up!
• Inititiation Dinner will be held on Sunday, November 6 at 1:00pm at Ruby Tuesday, and Dr. Alanna Preussner will be our guest speaker (get excited!). All members are invited to attend; new initiates, your meal price was included in your initial fee amount, so your meal will be paid for by ΣΤΔ (returning members, you will pay for your own meals).
  Please RSVP as soon as possible; while we have a reservation, we would like to know the definite number of members attending.
  If you need a ride or would like to carpool, please email the ΣΤΔ account, and we will sort out drivers and riders.
• The Great Leaf-Raking Adventure will be held on Sunday, November 13, tentatively from 1:30-4:30 (we will better know the time frame once we know the number of professors participating). For everyone who still needs to participate in an event this semester, here’s your chance! For everyone who has already participated in an event, you are still more than invited to come and help! The more people we have, the faster the lawns are raked, and in all sincerity, this will be much more fun if we have a large number of people.
  (Also, if anyone has spare rakes – whether or not they are participating – we would appreciate borrowing them for the afternoon, and we promise they will be returned in a timely fashion!)
• T-Shirts will be ordered soon! Please email the ΣΤΔ account indicating your interest and your shirt size, and prices will be determined once we know the number of people ordering.
  The front of the shirt will  read: “ΣΤΔ  Yeah, it’s contagious.”

Fantastic! I hope everyone is doing superbly, and I look forward to seeing everyone at Slam-O-Ween!
-Webmaster Casey-

Thank you to everyone who helped out with Oktoberfest on Friday! The weather couldn’t have been more gorgeous, and the baked goods couldn’t have been more delicious.

See you on Wednesday!
-Webmaster Casey-

Good day everyone!

Here are a couple of really quick points from last night’s prospective member info meeting (thank you to everyone who came!):

• Oktoberfest will be held next Friday, September 30 from 4-7 on the Mall; if you are interested in working (which would count as your semesterly event participation) or if you would like to bake something for us to sell at our table, please email the ΣΤΔ account.
• At our next member meeting on October 5, we will be hosting a writing workshop, so please bring any piece that you would like feedback about in a friendly, helpful, and respectful environment.

All my best until next time!
-Webmaster Casey-

Thank you to everyone who came last night to our first informational meeting for new and/or prospective Sigma Tau Delta members (and you get extra brownie points for actually coming to the website; congratulations!). A few quick notes from the meeting are below, but first, if you browse through the website and still have unanswered questions or would like to see an additional page devoted to a topic, please contact the Sigma Tau Delta account at truman.std@gmail.com and we will see what we can do.

• Oktoberfest is coming up on September 30 from 4:00-7:00; we will be selling hot cider and baked goods as a fundraiser. If anyone is interested in taking a shift or in baking something, please contact the ΣΤΔ account.
• On November 13 from 1:30 to approximately 4:00ish we will have our annual fall leaf raking venture for the English faculty; this is a great way to meet and mingle (and network!) with English professors outside of the classroom.
• Just a reminder, each member is required to attend at least one event per semester in order to remain an active member of the organization.
• There may have been some confusion regarding dues, but for the record: new members are required to pay $50 in dues the semester that they join. Of that amount, $37 goes to the national organization, $8 goes to our chapter, and $5 goes toward your initiation dinner. After your initial semester, members are only required to pay $8 in dues. If you have any further questions, please email the ΣΤΔ account.
• The English Graduate Organization (EGO) and ΣΤΔ are going to co-host Slam-o-ween, a most awesome poetry slam event that will happen near the end of October; exact dates, times, and locations will be announced later, but get excited!

All the best!
-Webmaster Casey-

Welcome to the Alpha Lambda chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society. In addition to providing national membership benefits – such as scholarships, internship and publication opportunities, and a large networking base – the Alpha Lambda chapter of Sigma Tau Delta provides Truman English students the opportunity to join with like-minded undergrads and professors in fellowship, scholarship, and service.