Greetings Fellow Sigma Tau Deltans!

Summer is here and we are set to begin “experimenting” with our blog, not to mention we are also looking forward to next year’s convention in New Orleans. The convention will take place February 29 – March 3, 2012. As you may recall, our theme for that convention is “Reawaken,” and the common reader is Natasha Trethewey’s Bellocq’s Ophelia. The planning stages are well underway, and we look forward to seeing many of you there. Convention is such a wonderful experience and a great opportunity to be around fellow, like-minded devotees of English talking shop and being all literary.

Speaking of convention, we asked your newly elected SR’s and ASR’s to write down their experiences from this year’s convention in Pittsburgh. We have collected those stories and would like to start sharing them with you now. This will be the first of many feature presentations on our new blog.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for the blog, we would like to hear from you as well. Please feel free to email them to Jarrod (sigmatd.sa1@gmail.com) or me (sigmatd.sa2@gmail.com). We will gladly give you positive feedback on your idea. Please keep in mind that this is a blog, and we are looking for “blog-type” postings: “informal write-ups, reviews, personal stories.” Your SR’s and ASR’s have submitted many suggestions, and we will continue to experiment and let your blog transform and grow into a blog we all will want to follow. I think Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “Do not be too timid or squeamish in your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better” (Journals, 11 November 1842).

So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the first story from Amy L. Woody, Student Representative for the Eastern Region.

Sincerely,

Corey Hamilton

Student Advisor

                                    From “Beyond Words” to “Reawakening”

Amy L. Woody

Student Representative

Eastern Region

              This was my first Sigma Tau Delta International Convention, and it exceeded my expectations in every way. Arriving at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the interesting architecture and even more interesting people that Pittsburgh’s Cultural District had to offer. It was the perfect setting for feeling inspired, and Jacqueline Woodson was the perfect opening-night speaker to kick that inspiration into overdrive.

            Thursday, I found myself surrounded by the best people that English Departments all over the world have to offer. I spent the morning listening to our Student Leaders give advice about publishing and grant writing. I met more people waiting for the elevator than probably any other time during the conference, and though I was annoyed to be waiting at the time, I would not trade those five-minute elevator conversations for anything. When else do you get to meet people from all over the world who are happy to laugh at your literary jokes or join you in writing a poem about the way you almost got smashed by the elevator doors? 

            The energy was ever-palpable. Even at my 8:00 a.m. presentation, the students were engaged and interested in the work I had created. It was not a typical educational experience; the people there were so committed to excellence in their craft. Even the “bad poets” read with a commitment unparalleled, that I could not help but want to give something back to them, represent them. I had considered running for Student Representative before I left for the convention, but, it being my first convention, I wanted to see what it was all about first. While there, I realized that I wanted to be more deeply involved with the organization and its people, and thus I decided to run for Student Representative of the Eastern Region.

            I was nervous. I wrote and rewrote my speech. But standing up in front of all the students, who in so many ways were just like me, felt more like being at home than running for office. Hearing our former SR, Sean, announce my name was a pivotal moment in not only the convention, but also in my educational career. (A little assuming goes a long way.)

            There were more panels and more speakers and more moments to be had on the elevator. Saturday, I attended a panel on graphic narrative and left with a sincere interest in visual literacy. I listened to other members of my chapter present their works, and felt a deeper connection to them as people and academics. Students from the Eastern Region were coming up to me all day Saturday to congratulate me, and I was more than thrilled to have the opportunity to start to get to know the population that I’m honored to be representing. And of course, listening to Dave Eggers speak was not only inspirational, but instantly fruitful. My chapter is already talking about the possibility of a service project involving the Boston branch of 826 National.

            Sitting in a shaky sky-bus on the way home, I had visions of New Orleans. I know it’s a year away, but I am enthusiastically looking forward to next year’s “reawakening”!

Summer Fun- Alpha Nu's 10 Best Film Adaptations from Literature

by Ellie Francis Douglass
Associate Student Representative for the Southwestern Region, 2010-2011

These are ten of the films that the Alpha Nu Lambda chapter deemed to be the best ever made. There order is random (it is too hard to pick between them).

1. Everything is Illuminated- “Although the movie only covers about one-third of the book, it really captures the spirit of it.” –Gloria Adams-Hanley

2. Pride and Prejudice- We are talking about the long BBC version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy of course. If you haven’t seen it, it is far worth the five hours.

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest- “This film approaches the story in a different way. It is more subtle than the book, but still great.” –Jake Ryan McCoy

4. Fight Club- “A really good adaptation of the events in the book.”-Nicole Wolt

5. A Streetcar Named Desire- Marlon Brando screaming “Stella!” from the bottom of the staircase was enough to make this a great film, but on top of that everyone else in the film does a knock-out performance.

6. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy- These films are not only well casted and beautifully shot, they have amazing special effects and keep you at the edge of your seat for hours on end.

7. Macbeth- Roman Polanski really took advantage of this amazing play when he directed his film. The characters, the danger, and the tension in this movie are amazing authentic.

8. The Glass Menagerie- “The performances are very strong.” –Gloria Adams-Hanley

9. Sense and Sensibility- Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson are rock star actresses; getting them together in this film was ingenious. Also, possibly the best romantic comedy that Hugh Grant has ever made.

10. Hamlet- Kenneth Branagh never fails in his Shakespeare films but he takes it to the next level in this full-length version of one of the world’s most beloved plays. He is amazingly convincing as young Hamlet, and Kate Winslet breaks your heart as Ophelia with one of the best mental breakdown scenes ever.


Well, what do you think? What films do you think should make this list?

Deadline Extension

The deadline for submissions to Sigma Tau Delta's prestigious Rectangle and Review journals has been extended through Sunday, May 15, 11:59 CST! This is a great opportunity to be published. Any active student member may submit. If you experienced technical difficulties submitting the first time or if you didn't quite get your piece polished in time, this is your second chance! For more information, go to http://www.english.org/sigmatd/publications/journals/guidelines.shtml

Boeing Job Opening, Communications Specialist 3

Boeing is looking for a Communications Specialist for their Seal Beach, CA location. Applications close next Monday, so if you're interested you should hurry!

This position requires a high energy and versatile team player who will provide strategic communications support to the Space & Intelligence Systems (S&IS) and Network & Tactical Systems (N&TS) organizations, which are a part of the Boeing Network & Space Systems business unit. The qualified candidate will have experience in employee communications and media relations, and will write press releases, stories and articles, executive messages and speeches, employee announcements, executive biographies, website updates, communications materials for satellite launches, contract awards, and industry forums. The candidate will also support the business with knowledge of social media and online communications channels, technology and requirements, and other areas such as webcasting, pod casting, and blogs.

For more information go to https://jobs.boeing.com/JobSeeker/JobView?reqcode=11-1008569

Boeing Job Opening, Communications Specialist 4

Boeing is looking for a Communications Specialist in Renton, WA

This position supports 1) strategic and tactical media relations in support of Boeing's business interests in Asia, with direct responsibility for South and Southeast Asia; 2) internal communications in support of Sales & Marketing; and 3) support of global communications initiatives such as first deliveries and other Seattle-based international media events. Specialist reports to the Asia communications manager.

For more information go to https://jobs.boeing.com/JobSeeker/JobView?reqcode=11-1008149

SLW Grant Writing Breakout Session

Grant Writing Resources:
http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/

SLW Chapter Management Breakout Session

Member Recruitment

Recruiting members is a challenge for any club on college campuses world-wide. However, there are several advantages when it comes to recruiting for Sigma Tau Delta. This workshop will identify the positives of recruiting for Sigma Tau Delta, possible target audiences, and developing a further recruiting plan to bring in more members.

There is clearly a place where possible club members can be found for an English honor society. The English and Communication classrooms are a good place to start. Talk to English Professors about making announcements about events being run by Sigma Tau Delta (and the upcoming convention) while in the classroom. This is a realm where any person that would be interested in joining Sigma Tau Delta can be found.

In order to further recruit for Sigma Tau it is important to shed the stigma now. When some hear the words “Sigma Tau Delta” they will think of a Fraternity or a Sorority. When others hear “International English Honor Society” they think of snobs with white hair that smoke pipes and wear tweed. It is vital that we are clear on what this organization is and truly stands for. Run programs with mass appeal, and be sure to have an area where photographs from the events can be seen.

Sustaining Active Participation

Sustaining active participation is among the most difficult aspects of chapter management. But anyone who’s tried to motivate any group of people to do anything knows two things – 1) how difficult it can be to get a group of people to get involved and stay involved, and 2) how exciting it is when it happens. This section of the workshop will discuss keys to getting or keeping your chapter members active in Sigma Tau Delta such as the following: Take notes on what has worked and what hasn’t – and don’t repeat what hasn’t. Make becoming a member a big deal, and if you need help with ideas, check out www.english.org; under the “Chapters” tab, there are resources and even scripts for induction and new officer ceremonies as well as a host of other ideas for chapter activities. Get new membership involved right away. Start the year off by assigning positions and establishing a clear chain of command. Delegate responsibilities for each activity, and don’t be afraid to rely on those people who do want to participate. Set short-term and long-term goals for your chapter – and then do them. It is critical, however, to listen to your chapter membership; try to get feedback from them, see what they get excited about, and then reassess your short-term goals if you need to. Keep your activities a mixture of the fun and the purposeful. Finally, nothing beats face-to-face interaction and word-of-mouth communication.

Raising Your Campus Profile

How you decide to raise the campus profile will depend on what you want to accomplish. If you want name recognition, then name drop! Write articles with other chapter members under your chapter’s name, about chapter or society-related ideas and events, and get them published in your campus newspaper. Create a chapter Facebook, invite all your college Facebook friends to join it and be creative with how you present the news – get quirky! Write creatively! Look for ways your chapter could join other campus organizations on projects already in the works that you could contribute an English-y edge to. If your goal is funding, then you probably want to focus on getting involved in the sorts of activities that seem to get funding already. What sort of things do you think your department, your university, your student body would be willing to give their money to support? Show your campus you can do things seriously and that you can do them well. If your goal is increased chapter participation or membership you’ll want to play toward the things that would draw a larger group to membership. One key to remember, if this is your goal, is that you do not have to be an English major to be a member of Sigma Tau Delta – so create activities and publicity that emphasize this! Most importantly, listen and observe – what things seem to matter to your campus most? Recycling? Social justice? Stamp collecting? Is there a big artsy populace on campus? Video game-y? Outdoors-y? Figure out how broad – or limited – an audience you want to reach, and come up with ways to interest that audience. And finally, don’t participate halfheartedly – nothing sells like enthusiasm!

Community Profile

It is no secret that getting involved in the community can have a huge impact on the success and fulfillment felt while being a member of a club. The positives of having community involvement can be seen as a way for the club to raise awareness, funds, and do genuine good for the world. This workshop will identify the need for developing a community profile, pointers, and a general discussion about how to establish your club outside of your proverbial campus gates.

Getting involved could be as simple as asking. Better World Book Drives have yielded better results any time that Sigma Tau Delta clubs reach out for help from the community. This has given people a place to recycle unwanted books, raised funds for literacy and libraries, and also raised funds for your club. The same can be found with advertising for other events sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta.

As an English Honor Society it is important to give back to the community. Contacting schools and libraries could open an array of options to benefit the community. There are often areas where student need to be helped, or encouraged in order to further succeed in English classes. Offering a writing contest, or even participating in Read Across America can help do good in your community while helping to develop a positive community profile for the club.

SLW Event Planning Breakout Session

Call for Submissions

Abyss & Apex magazine asks for submissions of fiction and poetry four times a year, and they pay for accepted submissions. For more information, go to: http://www.abyssapexzine.com/submissions/

SLW Fundraising Breakout Session

SLW Personal Publication Breakout Session

SLW Web Tools Breakout Session

Every year at convention, the Student Leadership Committee puts on the Student Leadership Workshop. This year we covered 8 topics at the workshop. Each session was filmed, and additional information was gathered to be posted on our website, so that people who missed a session could still participate and people who attended could review the tapes and refresh their memories. Technical difficulties caused a delay in getting these to you, but now we present the first SLW breakout session: Web Tools.





There are no additional resources for this session.

#DeltaCon Winners

Yes, we know we took our sweet time announcing the winners of the "Blog the Convention" contest, but better late than never, right?

For the "Blog the Most" competition, the winner is: @cuppycakepie from Twitter.

For the "Blog the Best" competition, the winner is Jillian Phillips from http://jilliesconvention.blogspot.com/

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who participated!

#DeltaCon Update

Wow! The "Blog the Convention" contest was a great success! We are so glad to see so many people involved, but it sure made keeping up hard. Those leader boards from early in the week seem so cute compared to the totals we have now, but verifying which posts count may take us a few days. So don't stress, we do have a complete record of everyone's participation and winners will be announced as soon as possible. And remember, you still have until 8 PM EST to send in those final submissions and to respond to each other's submissions. Thanks to everyone who participated!

#DeltaCon Leader Board

Here are the current leaders in the "Blog the Convention" contest. These scores are ONLY for the "blog the most" portion of the competition. A leader board will be posted for the "blog the best" section later in the week.

PLEASE NOTE: These numbers are as of 9 AM Wednesday. They are also unverified. If you feel there has been an error, please let us know, but scores will be reviewed and verified before winners are announced.

1. Robin Miller- 16 entries TIE
2. Jillian Phillips- 16 entries TIE
3. @cuppycakepie- 10 entries
4. Allie Reznik- 9 entries
5. Corey Hamilton- 7 entries

Movie Night!

Dave Eggers is many things: respected author, publisher of McSweeney’s, and editor of The Best American Non-Required Reading series. He’s also the final keynote speaker at this year’s annual convention in Pittsburgh. The Student Leadership Committee and Alumni Epsilon will be kicking off the convention with a screening of his film Away We Go which Eggers co-wrote with his wife, Vendela Vida. Join us Wednesday night and start your convention experience with a good film, discussion, and company!

Levonne Castillo Candidate Profile

Levonne Castillo
Candidate for Student Representative or Associate Student Representative, Southwestern Region

Sophomore, Wayland Baptist University
Eta Theta Chapter

Expected date of graduation: May 2013
Year Inducted: 2010

Positions, other memberships, offices, etc., currently or recently held: N/A

In no more than 500 words, explain why you are running for office and comment on any skills, experience, or personal qualities you possess that would contribute to your performing the following duties: promoting communication among chapters, producing official publications, assisting your Regent, serving on the Student Leadership Committee:

Hello, my name is Levonne Castillo. I would like to be considered for Student Representative for the Southwestern Region. I am a sophomore secondary English education major. I am what my school would consider a non-traditional student. I got my start late in life but feel this was probably the best time for me. I have been able to appreciate my blessings. I have a ten year old daughter and to date she has seen me through two missions trips, Ecuador and Kenya. I want her to be able to appreciate all kinds of students when she goes to school. Just because I cannot be a student athlete does not mean that I cannot find things to invest my time and participate on campus. I feel that as an older student I bring a unique perspective to my own Sigma Tau Delta organization. The idea of English, the language, the people, culture, is considered, refined, distinguished and excellent. This is how I hope that I can help my local chapter operate and bring some of that to our regional and national groups. I have been blessed with an extraordinary opportunity to be able to participate in this national convention. I have the support of my local chapter, my School of Languages and Literature, and Wayland Baptist University. I do not just mean financial. This support comes in the form of encouragement and pride from my chapter members and sponsors. I hope that I can be an example for all students that you really can do anything you put your mind to. I want my daughter and others to see that you have no limits. Our vice-president stepped-up and said she would stay with my daughter while I was gone. She loves to tell her friends about all the places I have been and what I have done and she says she can’t wait to go to some of these places too. This is the kind of support I know that I have and that can help add to our strength and hopefully be an inspiration to other chapters. I know that there are many responsibilities that come along with Student Representative and I know that with my experience as president of the Students in Free Enterprise chapter at Wayland Baptist University, I can take on this challenge. I was very excited to get my invitation to Sigma Tau Delta. It reassured me that my hard work paid off and I knew that I found an organization that I could really sink my teeth into so to speak. I appreciate all the work that has gone into this convention and would be honored to serve as Student Representative and help plan for next year’s convention.

Sincerely,

Levonne Castillo

Kristen Ditmore Candidate Profile

Kristen Ditmore
Candidate for Student Representative or Associate Student Representative, Southwestern Region

Sophomore, Wayland Baptist University
Eta Theta Chapter

Expected date of graduation: May 2013
Year Inducted 2010

Positions, other memberships, offices, etc., currently or recently held: Historian for the Eta Theta Chapter Spring 2010 to currently

In no more than 500 words, explain why you are running for office and comment on any skills, experience, or personal qualities you possess that would contribute to your performing the following duties: promoting communication among chapters, producing official publications, assisting your Regent, serving on the Student Leadership Committee:

I am running for office because I enjoy being actively involved in my local chapter and want to get more involved at the regional level and above. I am minoring in Mass Communication and many of my classes have prepared me for taking on the role of either Student Representative or Assistant Student Representative. I am currently taking a feature writing class and I have already completed a news writing class so I would be more than able to produce and contribute to official publications. Furthermore, as my chapter’s Historian I have already written an article about some of the projects we have been doing this year that was published in our school paper. I am a very organized person and I know how to manage my time to allow me to complete any and all responsibilities that I am given and I am also very much a people person so I would have no problem contributing to the communication between chapters within my region. I do not take my responsibilities lightly and will do the very best job I possibly can if I am elected into office.

#DeltaCon UPDATE!!!!

It has recently come to our attention that some people's tweets may not show up in Twitter search, especially people with new accounts. This means there is a chance we won't see your tweets and won't know to include them in the contest! Don't let this happen to you! Send a tweet to @sigmatdsa1 asking us to follow you, so that we don't miss a single tweet and you don't miss out on the fabulous prizes!

Blog the Convention Prizes

I know everyone is already excited about the "Blog the Convention" contest, but here is one more reason to dust off your web cam and finally sign up for that Twitter account: prizes. That's right, even though we knew you would all join in for the fun of it, we decided to offer special enticements. Winners of the "Blog the Convention" contest will receive a Sigma Tau Delta tote bag filled with the following:

-"To Blog or Not to Blog" t-shirt

-Sigma Tau Delta mug

-Sigma Tau Delta key chain

-A surprise assortment of books

-A gift certificate to Better World Books

Don't forget, the contest starts BEFORE convention begins: Monday, 8 AM EST. We want to hear about your plans and see you making new connections, so blog early, and blog often!