In a candlelit ceremony marked by traditional symbols dating back to the kings and queens of fifteenth-century Spain, nine Southern Arkansas University students and three faculty members will be initiated at 7 p.m. Friday, May 2, 2008, into Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.
The initiation will be celebrated at the Wilson Building, room 327. The ceremony will be conducted and sponsored by Dr. Elba D. Birmingham-Pokorny, professor of Spanish. Sigma Delta Pi is the largest foreign-language honor society in existence, the only one devoted exclusively to students of Spanish in four-year colleges and universities, and one of only three foreign language societies accredited as members of the Association of College Honor Societies.
The following students will be inducted into Sigma Delta Pi Mayumi Abe of Japan, Christi Albrecht of Monticello, Ark., Holly Ball of Emerson, Ark., Morgan Collier of Mesquite, Texas, Laquita Houston of Wilmot, Ark., Katie McWilliams of Emerson, Ark., Elcia Olivo of Bay City, Texas, Gitanjali Shrestha of Nepal and Wendy White of El Dorado, Ark. Also to be inducted as special members are Dr. Yonghu Dai, associate Spanish professor, Dr. Elizabeth Davis, chair of the SAU Department of English and Foreign Languages, and Dr. Juping Wang, assistant Spanish professor. Ms. Danielle Danci will assist in the ceremony.
Sigma Delta Pi was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California in Berkeley. Its symbol is the royal seal of Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Castile, Leon, and Aragon. The society’s colors are red and gold, and its flower is the red carnation. In order to qualify for admission, students must have minimum grade of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in all Spanish courses.
The purposes of Delta Sigma Pi are to honor and encourage excellent students of Spanish language, literature, and culture; to honor those who create awareness within the English-speaking community of Hispanic contributions to modern culture; and to foster friendly relations between Hispanic and English speakers.
There are more than 430 chapters of Sigma Delta Pi at American colleges and universities. The society sponsors grants, cultural activities, scholarships, state and regional symposia, and other activities to support the study of Hispanic languages, literature and culture.
