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 

Congratulations to our president, Baylie Jett Mills, who is the recipient of a Regent Scholarship for the Southwest Region for 2023–2024! 

Members are encouraged to apply for the many Sigma Tau Delta scholarships, awards, grants, and internship opportunities available in 2024-2025 only to members.

2024-2025 Service Project

Friends of the Lubbock Library: For Sigma Tau Delta’s 100 for 100 Challenge as a part of its Centennial Celebration, we are collecting at least 100 books to donate to the Lubbock Library. If you are interested in donating a book or funds to help us in this endeavor, please contact us at psideltasigmatd@gmail.com.

Sigma Tau Delta Southwestern Regional Conference

The 2025 Sigma Tau Delta Convention theme is "One of Ours" and the convention (March 2025) ends our Centennial Celebration Year. Preparing for this convention, The University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University are sponsoring the Sigma Tau Delta Southwest Regional Conference (virtual on Teams) on Saturday, October 26, 2024, from 9AM to 4PM. Submissions are open to any high school, undergraduate, or graduate student interested in English studies, as well as current and alumni members of Sigma Tau Delta or Sigma Kappa Delta. We suggest submissions related to family, belonging, community, and similar themes, as well as the Common Reader and Spotlight Author. For more on the conference, possible presentation topics, and submission guidelines, please visit https://english.org/events/regional/index.shtml and look for “Sigma Tau Delta Southwestern Regional Conference.” The deadline for submission is October 12, 2024. 

Events

Informational Session: Interested in becoming a member? Attend this Info Session hosted by chapter faculty advisor, Dr. Deena Varner on Monday, September 9, 2024, at 4PM in the English department’s student lounge (HUMANITIES room #200). THERE WILL BE DONUTS! If you’d like to participate remotely, you can use this link to join our Zoom meeting—just make sure you’re logged in with your TTU email address! 

Banned Book Event: Join us as we kick off Banned Book Week! We will be holding a virtual event on September 23, 2024, at 7PM where we will be doing all things banned book. Contact us at psideltasigmatd@gmail.com for the link and follow us on Instagram.

Open Mic Night: Our popular open mic night is back! This event will be held virtually on October 18, 2024, at 7PM and hosted by our president, Baylie. You can sign up to share your work by emailing us at psideltasigmatd@gmail.com. We can’t wait to see you there!

Book Club: Become a part of Psi Delta’s book club! We will be meeting to discuss the book Dear Justyce by Nic Stone, the sequel to Sigma Tau Delta’s 2022 Common Reader Dear Martin. We will be meeting virtually on November 7, 2024, at 7PM. Contact us at psideltasigmatd@gmail.com for the link and follow us on Instagram for more information.

**All times listed are local (CT)

Contest

Design a Sticker Contest: Enter your English-Themed, Psi Delta sticker design by emailing it to us at psideltasigmatd@gmail.com. Make sure to incorporate the name “Psi Delta” and submit your design as a JPEG or PDF file. The deadline to submit is November 30, 2024. Not only will this become the chapter’s official sticker, but the winner will receive a prize. All designs will be showcased and the winner will be announced at our virtual Sticker Contest event on December 3, 2024, at 7PM. Good luck and may the best sticker win!

**All times listed are local (CT)

2025 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. 

This year’s Common Reader text is Natalie Diaz’s When My Brother Was an Aztec. Psi Delta is looking for ways to incorporate the book into our service efforts, and we hope you’ll join us! 

Chapters can receive $100 for organizing and hosting a local event or activity around the 2025 Common Reader, and awards of up to $600 will be given at the annual convention for critical essays or other genres of work produced by Sigma Tau Delta members that deal with the Common Reader. 

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. 

Active 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.

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 membership are $60. This includes a one-time payment of $45 to the international organization for a lifetime membership, and a one-time payment of $15 to your local chapter.

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.

For more information about Sigma Tau Delta, or if you’d like to join, please contact Deena Varner at devarner@ttu.edu. 

Current Officers