Sigma Tau Delta

Psi Delta Chapter, Texas Tech University

Welcome to TTU's Psi Delta Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society which is committed to distinguishing students in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies for their contribution and accomplishments in the fields of English language and literature.

The TTU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is comprised of students who have academically excelled in English studies. Our chapter is devoted to sharing the importance of English studies with the campus and community through student-initiated service projects, marathon readings, writing workshops, and literary events.

We are proud to be part of TTU's English department!

Social Media

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News

Psi Delta is pleased to announce that we were awarded the first place Outstanding Chapter Award for 2025. Since 2023, we've grown exponentially, and thanks to our wonderful membership, we've been able to host dozens of events, complete service projects, and contribute meaningfully to the campus and broader community.

In conjunction with our Outstanding Chapter Award, past president Baylie Jett-Mills wrote about our chapter's evolution in the WORDY by Nature blog post.

Fall 2026 Events

We will be hosting events in addition to those below, so please check back or follow our Instagram for details.

Reading the University: A Three-Part Book Club on Academic Freedom, Democracy, and the Purpose of Higher Education

The series will center on Lee C. Bollinger's University: A Reckoning (2026). Across three monthly sessions in September, October, and November, participants will read and discuss one chapter at a time. We aim to create a thoughtful, welcoming space where undergraduate and graduate students from all departments and programs can participate alongside faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the broader community in a shared conversation about how universities work, what academic freedom is, why it matters to students, and how higher education is connected to democratic life.

This series grows out of Psi Delta's commitment to worthwhile reading, written expression, intellectual fellowship, and the values named in Sigma Tau Delta's motto: "Sincerity, Truth, Design." At a moment when academic freedom and the freedom to read, teach, write, and inquire are under pressure, those commitments are part of what make university life possible.

The book club is a series of lunchtime conversations held at 12PM CT on the following dates:

• Friday, September 25, 2026: Introduction & Chapter 1—The mission of the university • Knowledge, inquiry, and public life • What students should be able to expect from a university education
• Friday, October 23, 2026: Chapter 2—Academic freedom and the First Amendment • Freedom of speech, freedom of inquiry, and freedom to teach and learn • Disagreement, discomfort, and censorship
• Friday, November 20, 2026: Chapter 3 & Conclusion—Universities as democratic institutions • Knowledge, citizenship, and public accountability • Defending the university in times of political pressure

Join in person at the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center (TLPDC) room 153 or via Zoom 963 5127 0251.

Follow this link to register for the event. Registration is not required but will help us to plan. Additionally, if you commit the full three-part series, you can be entered into a drawing to win a free hard copy of University: A Reckoning. Winners will be selected at random.

This event is co-sponsored by the following: Department of English • Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures • The Humanities Center • Department of Philosophy • Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center

Designing, Making, & Crafting with the Lubbock Arts Community

This fall 2026 semester, we're leaning into the Sigma Tau Delta motto: "Sincerity, Truth, Design." To this end, we're encouraging members to make English-themed art, writing, and crafts.

Join us on Thursday, September 10 at 6PM CT and/or Friday, September 11 at 3PM. There will be workshops and time to work on your own project(s). If you have an art or craft that you'd like to teach us, let us know! (Room # and Zoom/Teams link TBD.)

All participants are encouraged but not required to donate their work to Psi Delta to give away or fundraise at a First Friday Art Trail.

Design a Sticker Contest

Submissions for our 2026-2027 sticker contest are due December 2, 2026. Please send a high-resolution JPEG to faculty advisor Dr. Deena Varner at devarner@ttu.edu.

We welcome submissions that speak to the Psi Delta and Sigma Tau Delta values and mission, and especially those related to the Sigma Tau Delta motto: Sincerity, Truth, Design. Make sure to incorporate the name Psi Delta into your design.

Get designing, because the winning design will become the chapter's official 2027 sticker and will be printed and distributed on campus. Both the first and second place winners will receive a gift card!

Submissions will be anonymized, and winners will be selected by the current Psi Delta officers.

Past Winner

In 2024, Psi Delta held its first ever design-a-sticker contest. Congratulations to the winner, Autumn Pearson, whose design can be seen here!

Looking Ahead

2027 Common Reader

The Sigma Tau Delta Common Reader began as a way of tying service projects to literature and literary values. Each year, chapters are encouraged to read the selected text together and design projects around the text that address the needs and issues in their own communities.

The 2027 Common Reader is Angie Cruz's novel How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water.

For the past three years, Psi Delta has hosted a Common Reader event and been the winner of a Regents' Common Reader Award. In 2026, we collaborated with Xi Xi chapter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Stay tuned for our 2027 event!

2027 Sigma Tau Delta Annual Convention

The Sigma Tau Delta Annual Convention will be held at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, WI, March 10-13, 2027.

Convention is a truly wonderful event that allows hundreds of Sigma Tau Deltans from around the globe to gather in one locale, share experiences and ideas, be recognized for their achievements, and participate in the official side of the Society. At the convention, opportunities abound to meet face-to-face with other students, faculty, and respected authors; make new friends; discuss the disciplines of the English language and literature; and enjoy the offerings of the convention's location.

Psi Delta is proud to regularly send members to the annual convention. If you have questions about participating, please reach out to us!

Membership

Membership in Sigma Tau Delta comes with many benefits. These include opportunities for: 

• Scholarships
• Publishing 
• Writing awards 
• Internships 
• Student leadership and community service 
• Career advancement 

Membership in your local chapter of Sigma Tau Delta opens the doors of opportunity and facilitates academic, professional, and personal growth. There are more than 875 active chapters worldwide, each defined by its location and membership, yet bound to the rest by the common goal of promoting excellence in the disciplines of the English language.

Members of every chapter have the opportunity to share their love of literature and linguistics with like-minded peers, participate in rewarding activities, and be recognized for their accomplishments. 

Full membership in Sigma Tau Delta is open to undergraduate students who have taken at least two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements in first-year English (ENGL 1301 and 1302) and who have at least a 3.3 GPA in English and a 3.0 GPA overall. Associate membership in the local chapter of Psi Delta is available to Texas Tech undergraduate students who have completed at least one semester of college coursework and the first semester of a two-semester first-year writing sequence, and who have a 3.0 GPA in English and overall. 

New membership is also open to graduate students who did not hold undergraduate membership, who are enrolled in a graduate program in English or one of its specializations, have completed six semester hours of graduate work or the equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

The dues for new full members are $70. This includes a one-time payment of $60 to the international organization for a lifetime membership, and a one-time payment of $10 to your local chapter. Dues for associate members are a one-time payment of $10 to the local chapter with international dues to be paid upon meeting the criteria for full membership if desired.

Sigma Tau Delta is now recruiting new members, including officers. Members and officers work together to develop goals for the chapter and decide what kinds of activities or community service and outreach efforts the chapter should engage in.

To learn more, join us on September 4, 2026, at 4PM in the English Department Student Lounge for an informational meeting!

For more information about Sigma Tau Delta, including membership, contact chapter advisor, Dr. Deena Varner.

Current Officers