To Collect School Supplies?

Turns out, it takes very few! Over the past several days, bags of pencils, notebooks, crayons, coloring books, pens, index cards and highlighters have been appearing at my office door -- as if by magic!

All of these school supplies are destined for the pediatric wing at the Richmond University Medical Center. What better than a fresh new notebook, thousands of blank coloring book pages, and newly sharpened colored pencils and crayons to put a s

mile on a deserving child's face?

So far, we have two large boxes filled, and we're happy to fill another, so keep those pens and paper coming. Remember how much fun a new box of crayons is to a child -- a picture can be made with little crayon stubs, but it is just not as much fu

n.

These pictures only show the first half of the donations we received. Thank you once again to everyone who donated school supplies and helped decorate the box!

To Discuss Lolita?

Earlier this month, Sigma Tau Delta members met for the second installment of our book club, where we discussed Vladimir Nabokov's classic Lolita.


On a track from her latest CD, pop star Miley Cyrus sings: "I've been to New York and to L.A. and to Baton Rouge / I met a boy in every city / No one kept me amused. / But don't call me a Lolita / 'Cause I don't let 'em through. / 'Cause I'm saving all my lovin' for someone / And it's you."

Whether or not Ms. Cyrus has read Lolita is not the important point here—it's the cultural impact of Nabokov's chilling novel. The term Lolita is now commonly used in reference to the situations found in the book, most often to describe a sexually precocious young lady. And as Miley shows above, the term is not limited to older generations.

Since its publication in 1955, the novel has been an object of controversy. It struggled to find an American publisher, was recalled because of its contents, and is frequently found on banned books lists. But despite it's controversial subject matter, the novel is still a quite profound object of beauty. Nabokov's brilliant narrator tells a sordid tale in undeniably beautiful language.

Keeping this post as spoiler-free as possible, discussion covered topics such as Humbert Humbert's status as an unreliable narrator, the way the writing contrasts with the subject matter, and one of the novel's most controversial questions: how much HH is to blame for the events of the novel. We also discussed the novel's great closing, and used it to gauge HH's remorse.

If you have not read Lolita, please do so immediately (winter break is coming soon). Not only is the book culturally important, but it is also one of the best novels ever written, showcasing Nabokov's extraordinary skill as a writer.

To Read Our Sigma Tau Delta Newsletter?

The Sigma Tau Delta National Newsletter is going "green"! Rather than receiving a paper copy of the "Fall 2010" edition of the newsletter, you can now view the newsletter at the following link:

Fall 2010 Newsletter

What do you think of the new online version? I like the .pdf format because of its convenience. Rather than losing or misplacing a paper copy of the newsletter, I can now save an electronic copy to my computer's hard drive.

Be sure to check out pages 5 and 6, which contain information about this year's convention speakers: Dave Eggers, Kay Ryan, Jacqueline Woodson, and Lorene Cary.

Also, if you are planning on attending Grad School or taking the GRE, check out the articles on page 16 and 18.

To Discuss Black Ice?

Our chapter recently met for our first book club meeting of the year. At the meeting, we discussed the Sigma Tau Delta common reader, Lorene Cary's Black Ice.


The memoir follows Cary as an adolescent, when she moves from Philadelphia to New Hampshire to attend a prestigious private school. As one of the first generations of black students to attend Saint Paul's School, Cary recalls the challenges she faced adjusting to the school while still remaining loyal to her roots. While the memoir details Cary's life after graduation, Saint Paul's is always the focus of the memoir, revealing the profound impact the school had on her life.

Topics of discussion included key passages in the novel, such as Cary's experience at a school science fair, her lesson in failure, and her sexual assault while at St. Paul's. We also discussed the thought-provoking title of the memoir.

Our members are excited to see Lorene Cary next spring, when she reads at the Sigma Tau Delta 2011 Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. Maybe she can shed some light on the tough questions we had concerning the book!

If you read the book, feel free to share any thoughts/opinions in the comments!

To Celebrate our 2010 Inductees?

This morning the Alpha Epsilon Alpha chapter of Sigma Tau Delta inducted our new members for 2010. We were honored by a welcome by the Dean of TCNJ's School of Culture and Society, Dr. Benjamin Rifkin, and an address by the chairman of the Department of English, Dr. David Blake. Dean Rifkin highlighted the close match between the goals of Sigma Tau Delta and the mission of the School of Culture and Society. Professor Blake explicated the quote we chose to illustrate the importance of "Truth" to members of Sigma Tau Delta: "God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please, -- you can never have both"--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

We were also honored at the end of the ceremony by a visit from our college's president, Dr. Barbara Gitenstein. We want to thank all three of them for taking time out to celebrate our new members and the accomplishments of our chapter.

To Plan the 2010-2011 School Year?

Here are minutes from our first general body meeting of the semester.
1. Introductions!
2. Google Calendar: Check for Event Dates
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=usgeke5njj38gc997hehfr47ag%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York
3. Inductions: October 2, 11 am in the Library Auditorium. (Coffee with the Dean 10 am.)
4. Membership: Only Full, National Members may apply for scholarships, awards, or to attend the national conference. Social members are encouraged to attend all chapter (TCNJ) events.
5. Dues must be turned in by September 15th in order to be inducted this year.
6. Terhune Fundraiser: Contact Todd (petty4@tcnj.edu) if you would like to sign up! Shifts are 9-6 on any available day (see Todd for dates) and Terhune will donate $90 dollars to the organization per volunteer. (Also, there are delicious donuts and a great employee discount for any day you work!)
7. Book Club: Our first book will discuss Black Ice, the STD Common Reader for this year, and we will meet next Wednesday (9/15) at 4:30 in Bliss 228.
8. Convention (Pittsburgh): March 23-26 2011
a. For those who would like to submit: send Professor Steinberg (dsteinbe@tcnj.edu) what you plan to submit by October 22.
b. All Scholarship and Award applications go through Professor Steinberg.
c. Members may apply for anything for which they fit the award description.
d. If you would like to be added to the Pittsburgh Module inside SOCS and did not sign up at the meeting, please email Professor Steinberg.
9. Blog/Website: If you have something you would like to write, email an E-Board member and it will be posted to the Blog! Also, remember to comment on posts!
10. Also, additional fundraising information not mentioned at the meeting: The Student Finance Board is sponsoring live music and an outdoor grill every Friday before Fall Break and is offering $150 dollars in fundraising money to any organization that volunteers to grill for one of the events. If anyone is interested in looking further into organizing our participation, please let us know!
Other Important Links, also listed in the SOCS homepage:
Our award-winning chapter webpage is http://enghonor.intrasun.tcnj.edu
Our award-winning chapter blog is http://enghonor.blogspot.com/
Our national organization's website is at
http://www.english.org/sigmatd/index.shtml. Please bookmark this site and check it for information about internships, conference opportunities, scholarships, and publishing opportunities.

Take care,
Rebecca

To Stop Burning Books?

Today's discouraging news is that Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center is planning to go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran to commemorate the September 11 attacks on the US. American officials, including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, and US military commander David Petraeus have all condemned the planned book burning and have pleaded with Pastor Jones, noting that his actions will make our troops -- indeed all Americans -- less safe.

Pastor Jones is within his constitutional rights to burn books that he himself owns -- book burning is protected as an act of free speech. It is, however, at the very least, an unkind gesture to burn anyone's Holy Book. Pastor Jones claims that his actions are directed only to radical Islam, but, of course, the Koran is a sacred text to all Muslims, not merely to the radical fringe. If Pastor Jones wishes to send a message only to radical Islamists, perhaps he should search for written texts advocating radical Islam, and burn those, leaving the Koran, with its messges of charity and peace, intact. Pastor Jones claims to have prayed over his decision; I respectfully urge him to pray again.

Much American anger has been directed against Muslims planning to build an Islamic cultural center in a renovated building in lower Manhattan. This Islamic cultural center will contain a prayer room, and will be within a few blocks of the site of the World Trade Center destroyed on September 11, 2001, but it will not be visible from "ground zero." The same Bill of Rights that allows Terry Jones to burn books also allows Muslims to follow Islam and to build prayer rooms, cultural centers, and even mosques on land which they themselves own. Many Americans are asking Muslims to respond with sensitivity to the feelings of those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001, and to cancel plans to build an Islamic cultural center within a few blocks of "ground zero." Are those same Americans calling on Pastor Jones to be sensitive to the feelings of Muslims worldwide whose Holy Book is being burned?

Calls on Muslims not to build anything close to ground zero fill me with suspicion. Where exactly ought Muslims to build their mosques and cultural centers? Five blocks from "ground zero"? in midtown Manhattan? in New Jersey? no where in the Western hemisphere? Could stopping a cultural center be a wedge that eventually allows anyone anywhere in the US to have her or his feelings hurt by someone who wishes to build a non-Christian worship space, and so to halt construction of that mosque, synagogue, or temple?

It's important that those of us who read books take a stance in favor if keeping them unburned by those who prefer to use them as symbols of hatred.