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 Dr. Madeline Gangnes.
2023-2024
Convention to be 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
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
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 "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
2020-2021
2020-2021 Common Reader is "Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living" by Karen Auvinen.
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.
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.
Pictured from left to right: Dr. Billie Tadros, Tianna Trujillo, Alexis Ward, Frank Coleman, Mary Purcell, and Catherine Johnson.
2020-2021 Common Reader is "Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living" 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 University of Scranton 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.
2019-2020 Common Reader is "RED: Passion and Patience in the Dessert" 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 University of Scranton'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.
Pictured from left to right: Phyllida Whittaker, Emily Carr, Dr. Billie Tadros, Matthew Criscione, David Rakauskas. Sitting: Cara Charles.
March 8, 2019
(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 CharlesVice 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.
March 2018
Elected Officers for the 2017 - 2018 AY
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.
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").
