NEWS
Rho Gamma chapter shines at international convention
More than 1,200 students from around the globe gathered in celebration of English research, and Louisiana Tech members of Sigma Tau Delta English honor society did not miss out on making their mark at the 2011 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention held in Pittsburgh, Penn.
Tech graduate student Jonathon Richard, of Ft. Worth, received third place for his original research in the category of British Literature.
“There were 130 presentations in the category of Critical British Literature at the convention, so a third place award, like Jonathon’s, in this category is exceptional,” said Dr. Dorothy Robbins, associate professor of English and adviser to Tech’s Rho Gamma chapter of Sigma Tau Delta.
Richard presented “Doubted Masculinity, Dehumanization and Homophobic Language in ‘The Pardoner’s
Tale,’” but he was not the only Tech student to discuss research at the conference. Lydia Andreu, a senior from Ruston, presented her original paper, “More than Misogyny: Improper Perspectives and Affectations in Swift’s ‘The Lady’s Dressing Room;'” senior Andrew Massie of Ruston presented “Blake’s Contraries;” and senior Nick Berkeley, of Pryor, Okla., presented his short story, “The Big Brother.”
“The Sigma Tau Delta convention is similar to an MLA convention but for younger scholars,” Robbins said. “All papers submitted are blind-reviewed by English professors who serve as readers. Not every student who submits a scholarly paper or a creative work for possible presentation is accepted. Students who submit work are competing against the best and brightest young scholars in the field of English.”
Robbins added that there is about a 65 percentage acceptance rate for the convention.
“Members of the Rho Gamma chapter began attending this convention in 2007,” she said. “Over the past five years, 20 Tech students have participated. Tech students do well at this convention as our past successes confirm.”
Tech students have served as representatives for the region, others have received first place awards, and student work has been published in the honor society’s creative writing journal, “The Rectangle.” Additionally, Rho Gamma received the Best Chapter Award in 2009.
“We are a successful chapter, I believe, because our members are intelligent, creative, hard-working students whose love for language and literature is genuine,” Robbins said. “That so many of their submissions are accepted for presentation at the international conventions speaks well of the faculty and the curriculum of the English department at Tech. Our students are competitive at the national level because they are prepared, and they always ‘do Tech proud.’”