Alpha Tau of St. Norbert College made an outstanding impact on the evening award ceremony with 4 individual winners in the Essay Award and Scholarship competitions, as well as a placing in the Original Fiction category for a total of $7000.00 in award money going to their chapter members.

Rho Phi placed in multiple categories as well.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and runners up, with special applause to those of the Midwestern Region.

The Scholarship and Award Recipients from our region are listed on page three of this newsletter and accessible online at the main Sigma Tau Delta site.

WWW.ENGLISH.ORG

The Midwestern region led Sigma Tau Delta this year in the number of awards received at the International Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. With 21 of the 57 awards coming home with us we have every reason to both celebrate and congratulate each other on a job well done.

We placed in 7 of the 9 major award and scholarship divisions, and in 14 of the 21 sub-divisions.

Our strongest showings as a region were in the Essay Based awards.

We had particularly excellent representation by Alpha Epsilon Eta with Karen Heywood of as the winner of the Best Essay on the Common Reader Award, and their faculty advisor, Dr. Judith Clark selected as the outstanding

Midwestern Regional Sponsor. Dr. Clark was recognized for ten years of service last year.

This year Alpha Eta Pi of Illinois Wesleyan University will be working in partnership with Lambda Delta of Illinois State University to host the annual one-day conference event at the IWU campus in Bloomington, Illinois. The event will be held on Saturday October 6th, 2007. The MUSE Keynote Speaker this year will be Shakespearean scholar Wendy Wall, Chair and

Professor of English at Northwestern University. There will also be a forum on post graduation options and a number of sessions with presentations of student papers throughout the day. MUSE 2006 featured 27 student presenters, whose papers addressed topics from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to the Vietnam War's influence on the media. Presenters came

from Augustana College, Carthage College, the College of the Ozarks, Knox College, Illinois College, Monmouth College, Oakland University and Purdue University, as well as IWU and ISU.

Contact Information

http://www.iwu.edu/~sigmatd/muselitconf@gmail.com

Like the elements of steel, many members who were

able to attend the conference formed life long bonds that

will form the structural foundation for a lifetime of

successful ventures.

Region Takes 21 Awards At International Conference

I N S I D E

T H I S

I S S U E :

Rewards of the

Common Reader2

Meet Your Reps! 3

From the Desk of

Your Regent4

Kurt Vonnegut

Memorium5

Regional Facebook 6

Collaboration

Campaign Contest7

MUSE An Undergraduate Literature Conference

Midwestern RegionS P R I N G 2 0 0 7S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

International

Conference

Highlights

Regional Events

Letter From the

Regent

Saying Goodbye

to Kurt Vonnegut

Contests and

Opportunities

M I D W E S T E R N R E G I O N

International Convention Award RecipientsP A G E 2S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

Amber HartlE. Nelson James Jr. Scholarship

Benjamin VinjeE. Nelson James Jr. Runner-Up

Cynthia ArnoldElva Bell McLin Sr. ScholarshipScholarship Application EssayIsabel Sparks Critical Essay 1st

Stephanie JochmanSigma Tau Delta ScholarshipScholarship Application Essay

Tracie SmithSigma Tau Delta Scholarship

Rebecca KrusRegents’ Scholarship

Tristin HookerEleanor B. North Poetry Award

Michelle ParrinelloIsabel Sparks Critical Essay 2nd

Andrew CaldieIsabel Sparks Critical Essay 3rd

Rachel MillsCreative Non-fiction Essay

Kristen ThompsonOriginal Poetry Awards 1st

Jennifer DempseyOriginal Poetry Awards 3rd

Alyssa WehrOriginal Fiction Awards 1st

Stuart NinabuckOriginal Fiction Awards 2nd

Karen HeywoodBest Essay on the Common Reader

Dr. Judith ClarkOutstanding Regional Sponser

Alpha Eti PhiOutstanding Chapter Award

Alpha Epsilon EtaWebsite Awards 3rd

conference in Pittsburgh, someone asked if I had known certain things about the poet, Sharon Olds, would that have influenced the way I wrote my paper. My answer was “No. I am responding to the poem(s) and the effect they have on me.”

Winning this year's Outstanding Common Reader Essay Award was an honor for me, and I will continue to read Sigma Tau Delta's

For the past two years, I chose to write reader response essays on Sigma Tau Delta's Common Reader because both books touched me on a personal level.

I enjoy writing reader response essays as I can respond both as a reader and a writer, and researching becomes soul-searching. During the presentation of my paper at this year's

choice of common reader for years to come. I highly recommend others do the same.

Karen HeywoodAlpha Epsilon EtaStephens CollegeColumbia, MO

common reader. Be sure to watch for an announcement of the title and some regional activities to help jumpstart your individual and chap-ter projects in this area.

The 2009 International Conference will be held in Minneapolis, MN. This really gives our Region a chance to shine with all we have. Make sure to brush up on your panel proposals, scholarship and

award application submissions, Common Reader Essays and paper submissions by participating in as many of the 2008 conference events as possible. Remember, when you are a successful partici-pant, you are not only enhancing your own resume. You are helping to assure the continued success and traditions of excellence on which this society was founded.

Next year’s convention will be held in Louisville, KY. The exact date in March of 2008 as well as other information will soon be available on the main Siga Tau Delta website.

Every year there are some scholar-ships and awards which are not awarded due to lack of applications or improperly completed applica-tion. The most overlooked area for the last three years has been the

Upcoming International Conferences

Karen Heywood on The Rewards of the Common Reader

Karen is the mother of six children as well as a foster parent and a grandmother. She will graduate Magna Cum Laude in May from Stephens College.

“Every year

there are some

scholarships

and awards

which are not

awarded …”

Midwestern Student Representative — Patricia Jones

P A G E 3

Patricia Jones was born in 1972, in San Diego, California. She wrote her first poetry in high school to her husband Brian, whom she married just days after graduation. Their seventeen year marriage has been blessed with three

children; a son, Kyle, and two daughters, Heather and Brandi. They now reside in Mexico, Missouri, while Patricia continues her education in nearby Columbia, Missouri.

Following graduation Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Creative Writing from Stephens College, Patricia will attend the University of Missouri at Columbia to earn her Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric.

She has had her prose and poetry published in literary magazines across the country, in print and online, as well as in magazines and news publications. In 2007 she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry.

Patricia’s work with Sigma Tau Delta began at Stephens College and continued through Kansas City, MO, Portland, OR, and most recently in Pittsburgh, PA.

Her main focus for the two year position will be to establish a Midwestern Region Facebook, encourage further inter-chapter cooperation inside the region, and boost the success of the Common Reader within Sigma Tau Delta.

Email:louisamae@socket.net

I am particularly excited about this year because of my new association with Patricia Jones, our new Midwestern Student Representative, as we are both non-traditional students; I have another full-time job managing my husband and our five children.

Patricia and I both hope to accomplish a few new and exciting goals for our region this year and we would love to hear from the local chapters.. We invite you to contact us with suggestions, ideas, and/or successful programs within your chapter, etc., so that we can meet your needs and, hopefully, make it a possibility for all local chapters to reach out in their communities.

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to be your ASR for the next year. I am looking forward to working with as many of you as I can during my appointment as one of your representatives.

Tracie Smith

Email:smithtra@uindy.edu

Hello from Indianapolis, Indiana! I am very pleased to be writing to you as the new Associate Student Representative for the Midwestern region. I am excited to help Gloria, Patricia, and all of the members of our area in anyway that I can over the next year.

I am a current undergraduate student at the University of Indianapolis and this fall I will start my senior year. I have been a member of Sigma Tau Delta for a little over one year and participated in my first convention for the group this past March in Pittsburgh. If you could not make it, I hope that you plan to come next year to Louisville, Kentucky!

Midwestern Associate Student Representative — Tracie Smith

M I D W E S T E R N R E G I O NS I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

Midwestern Regent Gloria Hochstein poses Center, with Dan Hardy, Traci Thomas-Card, and other officers of the Theta Zeta Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. Dan Hardy was preceded by Traci Thomas Card as the Midwestern Regional Student Representative.

From The Regent’s DeskP A G E 4

$50,000 annually in scholarships, awards, and grants, including a couple of scholarships worth $2500 to $3000 to the students who win them. The due date for Service Award applications is September 30. The deadline for applications for most of the other awards and scholarships is October 30. Why not work on your applications this summer?

In addition, your chapter may request some modest funding from your Regent (me) to support multi-chapter activities. The amount will vary by event, number of chapters involved, and regional funds available. These should be requested in advance of the event, and they are available on a first come, first served basis. Requests should describe the event, name the chapters involved, and have the sponsor’s endorsement and contact information.

If you are nearing graduation and dread leaving Sigma Tau Delta behind, don’t be forlorn. You are a lifetime member of Sigma Tau Delta, and you can stay in direct contact by joining the Alumni Epsilon chapter. In addition, there are several convention paper awards just for alumni. Furthermore, only a month ago, the Board of Directors created a position to give alumni a greater voice in Sigma Tau Delta. At the convention in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2008, the alumni members will be electing an Alumni Representative to the Board of Directors. So you can stay involved in Sigma Tau Delta even after you graduate.

If you haven’t heard, the Midwestern Region is the host of the 2009 Sigma Tau International Convention because it will be in Minneapolis,

Minnesota, and I will be the convention chair. The convention theme is “REFLECTIONS,” referring to the literal reflections of sky and trees in the many rivers and lakes of Minnesota, and, of course. to the internal reflections of writers. You are the first to hear the official theme. Please send me your ideas about how we can best show off the Midwest.

As I wrote when I was first elected Midwestern Regent, I want to create more opportunities for student involvement and to encourage more participation in the opportunities that exist; I want to be a resource for sponsors so we can share ideas about how to develop our chapters more and how to increase membership. I am here for Sigma Tau Delta students and sponsors. I will answer all of your questions or refer you to someone who can answer your questions.

Please feel free to email me anytime at:

HOCHSTGJ@UWEC.EDU

I look forward to another enjoyable year and maybe I will see some of you in Louisville.

Gloria J. Hochstein

One year ago I introduced myself to you as the new Midwestern Regent. Serving on the Board of Directors of Sigma Tau Delta has been and continues to be exciting, time consuming, interesting, enjoyable, and a great honor. I look forward to the challenges and the satisfactions of the next year on the Board.

For those of you who are new to Sigma Tau Delta, here’s a bit of biography: I grew up in Minnesota and was educated at Augustana College, University of Arizona, and University of Wisconsin. I have been teaching English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for three decades. I love teaching, and I love working with students, so, at UW-Eau Claire, I am the faculty advisor to four groups: the Theta Zeta chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Festival Organization (which puts on a large language arts conference each spring), the Eta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (service fraternity), and the Alpine Ski Club. I most enjoy teaching science fiction literature and English grammar and usage (not necessarily in the same course). If you want to know even more about me (though I cannot imagine why), you can go to my website:

http://www.uwec.edu/hochstgj/

Many opportunities are available to you as members of Sigma Tau Delta. Please consider applying for some of the numerous awards, grants, scholarships, and internships. Sigma Tau Delta gives out nearly

“The deadline

for applications for most of

the other awards and

scholarships is

October 30. Why not work

on your applications

this

summer?”

S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y M I D W E S T E R N R E G I O N

S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

Sharing Resources Saves Time and MoneyP A G E 5

Many Chapters have favorite vendors, research tools and special knowledge of resources that may benefit the region as a whole. Please take the time to sit with your chapter and compile a list of easily

accessible resources that can be shared with the rest of the region. Send the best two or three to your SR and ASR to be compiled into a list for permanent posting on the Facebook site.

Here are some of our favorite resources:

FASTCOLORCOPIES.COM

This vendor provides dual sided copies at 3.5 cents per sheet, not per side. A significant savings.

GOOGLE TOOLS

There is a tool accessible from the Google Website under More -> Even More. It is called Docs and Spreadsheets. This tool allows multiple users to manipulate individual documents over the web.

SIGMA TAU DELTA BOARDS

These message boards are accessible from the main website by following the news link on the left side to Bulletin Board.

more distinctive voice, entwining black comedy and satire in a fine cord of suspense, has yet to be heard.

As one of the most known writers of the twentieth century, he will be remembered among the elites like Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald for his contributions to literature. A native of Indiana, he was known in the Midwestern Region as notoriously as Booth Tarkington, James Whitcomb Riley, and Theodore Dreiser.

Kurt Vonnegut’s works range from his first novel of science fiction, Player Piano, in 1952 to his last published novel, Timequake. He is most famous for Slaughterhouse

Five, Cat’s Cradle, and his collection of letters entitled A Man Without a Country. His passing has left an unfinished work-in-progress, If God Were Alive Today.

Let us remember Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and celebrate his achievements as he celebrated his life. For those who are already familiar with his work, no doubt the novels and essays will be enjoyed a second time around. Pick up a title or two throughout the coming summer.

Tracie SmithMid-Western ASR

We have lost a significant contributor to American literature within this past month. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. passed away April 11, 2007. Both a writer and a Veteran, his tour as a soldier and prisoner in World War II served as a stimulus for many of his works. He was one of only seven other American prisoners to survive the bombing of Dresden during February 1945. His experience as a prisoner of war is the major theme of one of his best-known novels, Slaughterhouse Five.

Vonnegut’s rare perspectives and finely honed skills catapulted him to stardom. His fascination with science fiction, time travel, and dark comedy gave him a unique voice in American literature. A

Kurt Vonnegut Memorium

Kurt Vonnegut

1922—2007

“A more

distinctive voice,

entwining black

comedy and

satire in a fine

cord of suspense,

has yet to be

heard.”

M I D W E S T E R N R E G I O N

M I D W E S T E R N R E G I O N

Collaboration Corner : Chapters Coming TogetherP A G E 6S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

One of the most rewarding experiences in the Society is the chance to collaborate with other chapters in order to provide a service to your community, host an event beneficial to regional

members, or just to develop contacts and explore the many opportunities available in our extremely diverse English community.

There are regional funds available for hosting small events which bring together two of more chapters within our region. Stay tuned for a list from your Regional Student Representative of all the chapters near by. In the mean time, look at this list of

possible activities and send in your own ideas for successful Sub-Regional events and meetings:

Readings from Local Authors

Poetry Slams

Open Mic Nights

Weekend Workshops

Writing Contests

Joint Fundraising Events

Library Scavenger Hunts

Joint Service Projects

Conference Panel Designs

Penny Drive for Best Professor

Parents’ Night Out

Book Sales at Local Library

Kin Lock and Jenny Allen-Ayres hosted a fabulous panel on Service Projects which produced some of the following suggestions:

Hosting a One Day Conference

Host a Guest Speaker

Rachel Moses and Ryan Fletcher hosted a fantastic panel on Fundrais-ing at the International conference. Here are a list of some of their ideas for fundraising, as well as some of the ideas offered by those attending the panel:

Faculty Spelling Bee

Poets for Hire—Valentines Day

Bookmark Sales

Freshman Activities

Mentoring On Campus

Mentoring for Local Youth

Reading to Assist a Charity

Co-Sponsored Events

Banned Book Awareness

Watch for a longer list and more details on the upcoming Facebook site.

Midwestern Region of Sigma Tau Delta. The site should function as a means to share ideas, keep in touch, monitor progress and increase the flow of information across the seven states and 117 current chapters.If your chapter already has a Facebook account or if you would like to participate, please contact

the Student Representative and Assistant Student Representative to have it linked up.If you would like to participate on the Regional Committee to establish the Facebook Account, which will likely result in a panel proposal for the 2008 International conference, contact the SR and ASR as soon as possible.

Get Involved, Stay Involved

It can be difficult to stay in touch with what is happening in the region from week to week. Chapter meetings, sub-regional conferences, readings by speakers from all over the globe slip past and we find out too late.In order to facilitate better inter-chapter communication in our region we are going to begin working on a Facebook site for the

There are

Regional

Funds

Available

for Joint

Projects

Regional Facebook—Staying in Touch

Chapter Based Fundraising and Service Projects

“The site

should

function as a

means to share

ideas, keep in

touch...and

increase the

flow of

information…”

S I G M A T A U D E L T A H O N O R S O C I E T Y

You have until February 1st, 2008, to plan and hold the event and until February15th, 2008, to submit your completed entry form for judging.

The event your Team of chapters holds will be judged on three criteria:

SINCERITY: Number of chapters involved.

TRUTH: Number of Non Sigma Tau Delta college and community members in attendance for a Service Project, or the amount raised by your fundraising project.

DESIGN: Creativity and Uniqueness in your project or fundraiser.

The difference between being good and being great is often a matter of effort and recognition. We would like to have the opportunity to recognize you for your outstanding efforts in the Midwestern Regional Collaboration Campaign.

Stronger inter-chapter communications and activity benefit not only your chapters and your community, but the entire society. Therefore, your Midwestern Student Representative, Associate Student Representative, and Regent have proposed the following challenge:

Put together a community service project or a fundraising project with at least one other chapter that deals specifically with the theme of Banned Books.

You may participate with chapters from other regions, so long as at least one chapter is from the Midwestern Region and the Host Site is within the region.

In order to qualify for the competition, you must submit an abstract of your proposed event to the Midwestern Regent, Student Rep, and Associate Student Rep at least 60 days before the scheduled event. This will allow us to help you make regional announcements about your event, and notify you of any possible conflicts with other scheduled events in the region. The abstract form is attached to this notice below.

The Team which places first will earn a prize of $50.00 per chapter participating, up to a maximum of $500.00. Trophies will also be awarded.

P A G E 7

EVENT TITLE:__________________________________________________________________________________________

HOST CHAPTER:______________________________________________________________________________________________

CONTACT INFO: ________________________________________________________________________________________(contact name) (e-mail)

PARTICIPATING CHAPTERS:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EVENT DATE:_________________EVENT LOCATION:_______________________________________________________ (campus/community location) (city) (state)

EVENT TYPE: (circle one) FUNDRAISER / SERVICE PROJECT / COMBINATION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EVENT FOR RELEASE:____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE OF FACULTY SPONSER: ______________________________________________________________________(date)

You may print this form and send it to: Sigma Tau Delta—Regional Contest C/O Patricia JonesOr Email To: (Preferred Method) 1115 Paris Road louisamae@socket.net Mexico, MO 65265

MIDWESTERN REGIONAL COLLABORATION CAMPAIGN