Sigma Kappa Delta: Psi Beta Chapter - Recently Updated Pages

Induction of New Members

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:23 CST

Spring 2008 Induction Ceremony Program
Fall 2008-Spring 2009 Induction Ceremony Program

Calendar of Events

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:52:37 CST

Date: for Fall 2009	Day	Event	Time	Location
Aug. 27-Oct.31	N/A	New Membership Drive	N/A	Submit applications to one of these places: * C-201, Adjunct Office -- John Emery, SKD Advisor * LC-138, Arts, Language, Literature Division -- Dr. Ramos, SKD Advisor * C-141 -- Student Life Office
Aug.27-Oct.1	N/A	Fall Photography & Writing Contests	N/A	Submit entries to one of these places: LC-136 LC-138 *C-141, SKD inbox
Oct. 15	Thur.	Common Book Discussion Panel	11am-12:20pm	C-135
Nov. 1	N/A	The Eclectic, Vol. II : published	TBA	TBA
Nov.12-January 15	Any day	Better World Books Book Drive	Any time	Donation Bin location: 1) outside of Bookstore, N100 2) outside of Adjunct Faculty Office, C201 3) outside of Arts, Language & Lit Office, LC138
Nov. 13	Friday	Members' Meet & Greet	12pm-1:30pm	LC224
Nov. 21	Saturday	Fall 2009 Induction Ceremony	2pm-3pm	S100
Nov. 30	Monday	Deadline for national SKD writing contests	N/A	N/A
Jan. 24, 2010	Sunday	Deadline for national SKD scholarship/ awards applications	N/A	N/A
Jan. 28, 2010	Thursday	Deadline for national literary journals	N/A	N/A

Welcome & Announcements

SKDAdvisor1 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:55:14 CDT

Welcome to the wiki of the Psi Beta Chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta, the national English Honor Society for Two-Year Colleges. Here you will find information about SKD, the Psi Beta chapter located at Eastfield College, and its programs and activities.

Announcements:

10/23/2009:
The newest volume of The Eclectic is up. Check out the Eclectic, a Literary Journal link, on the left of the screen!

8/20/2009:

Here are the upcoming events and activities this Fall 2009 semester. If any SKD member or officer would like to participate (and/or you have more ideas of SKD activities this fall), please email Dr. Rufel Ramos, rramos@dcccd.edu

Black and White Photography & Writing Contests -- now till October 1
Common Book Q&A Discussion Panel -- October 15, 11am-12:20pm (location TBA)
New Membership Drive -- now till October 31
Induction Ceremony -- late November (exact date, time, & location TBA)
Better World Book Drive -- now till end of semester

Eclectic, a Literary Journal

SKDAdvisor1 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:54:23 CDT

Fall 2008

The Eclectic, Volume I: Big Read Edition.

Theme: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Fall 2009

The Eclectic, Volume II.

Theme: Private Voice, Private Spaces

Membership Application

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:57:48 CDT

Ready to be a member? Here's how:

Download a copy of the Membership Application and fill it out.
Login to DCCCD's eConnect to get a copy of "My Advising Report (GPA)." (This is an acceptable and easy substitution for a current transcript.)
Make your check payable to "Sigma Kappa Delta" for the one-time $70 member's dues.*
Submit all three materials -- application, advising report, and check -- to one of the chapter advisors.

* If you wish to pay by credit card/debit card, please see one of the chapter advisors to get the SKD campus account number so that you can pay at the campus Cashier's/Business Office. Afterwards, please submit a copy of the grey cashier's receipt to the advisor. Also, you can pay with cash or money order.

Frequently Asked Questions

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:56:43 CDT

What is Sigma Kappa Delta?

Sigma Kappa Delta is the national English Honor Society for two-year colleges. A “younger sibling” to Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society serving four-year institutions, SKD was created on April 21, 1996, in Chicago, Illinois. In that same year, SKD was incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in the state of Missouri. Since then, it has expanded throughout the United States. The national office of SKD has resided in Calhoun Community College at Decatur, Alabama since 2002.

Its central purpose is to confer distinction upon outstanding students of the English language and literature in undergraduate studies. It recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature. Operating through the work of college chapters, SKD provides exceptional students opportunities for advancing the study of language and literature, for developing skills in creative and analytical writing, and for meeting other outstanding scholars and professionals in the discipline of English. The name “Sigma Kappa Delta” comes from the Greek letters representing the first letter of the words that form SKD’s official motto, “Sincerity, Knowledge, and Design”. The official colors are green and gold, and the official plant is English Ivy. Visit www.english2.edu for more information about SKD on the national level.

What does a local chapter like Psi Beta do?

The Psi Beta chapter, which formed at Eastfield College in 2003 under the guidance of the English Department faculty, provides programs and activities that promote English language and literature, literacy, creative writing, and critical writing for its members, Eastfield College as a whole, and Eastfield’s community at large.

Members can apply for member-only scholarships and awards on the national level, vote at chapter meetings, serve as a chapter officer, and represent the local chapter at national SKD conferences (held in the spring). In addition, they can plan and participate in chapter programs and activities throughout the academic year, like book drives, literary discussions, literary festivals, writing workshops, writing contests, and a literary magazine. The more a member participates, the more a member reaps maximum benefits.

Does a student have to be an English major to be a member of SKD?

Short answer: No. Although SKD’s focus is the discipline of English, students of any major – not just English – are members in SKD. To be eligible for membership in the Psi Beta chapter, a student must meet these requirements: 1) be currently enrolled at Eastfield College; 2) have completed 12 credit hours of coursework; 3) have completed one college-level English course (at least ENGL 1301) with a “B” or higher; and 4) have a cumulative GPA of 3.3.

If you still have questions about SKD, feel free to contact an SKD Advisor:

Dr. Rufel Ramos, Professor of English: LC-136, rramos@dcccd.edu, 972-860-7361
Mr. John Emery, Evening Administrator: C-201, jemery@dcccd.edu, 972-860-7623

Or you can start a new Discussion Board thread below and post your question or post onto an existing thread, and an advisor will post an answer.

People

SKDAdvisor1 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:51:31 CDT

Current Officers:
Andrew F. Ridout, President 2009-2010
Elizabeth R. Webb, Acting VP & Secretary/Historian 2009-2010

New Members, Spring 2009:
Sruthy A. Issac
Jessica N. Martinez
Anna M. Murdock
Melissa L. Murdock
Randessa A. O'Neal-Todd
Rex P. Oloya
Andrew F. Ridout
Anita D. Thorp
Maxine D. Watkins
Elizabeth R. Webb
Jody L. Wiser

New Members, Fall 2008:
Linsey Heidelberg
Elizabeth Martinez

New Members, Spring 2008:

Juanita Jewel Davenport-Cook

Emmanuel C. Ekwuruke

Jeremiah D. Hlavenka

Jose A. Martinez

Terri A. Miller

Brandon Nailling

Joel C. Onyia

Jakelin Pedroza

Vanessa N. Rangel

Edward A. Saenz

Jennifer E. Skemp

Jerquila A. Slaughter

Current Advisors:

Dr. Rufel Ramos, Professor of English

Mr. John Emery, Evening Administrator

Student Programs and Resources (SPAR) Club Liaison
Judy Schwartz

Past Officers:
Pamela Rambo, President, 2003-2004
Lynda Herndon, President, 2005-2006 Donna Jackson, 2006-2007
Stefanie Boyd, Vice President, 2006-2007

Emily S. Vincent, Chapter Secretary & Acting President, 2007-2008

Brittany Dunegan, Vice President, 2007-2008
Emmanuel C. Ekwuruke, President, 2008-2009
Vanessa Rangel, Vice President, 2008-2009
Jennifer Skemp, Secretary, Fall 2008
Linsey Heidelberg, Secretary & Acting President Spring 2009

Past Active Members:

Amy Barber

Trevelan Belknap

Justin Hillsmith

J. Daniel Price

Past Advisors:

Dr. Mary Lou Neil, Founding Advisor, 2003-2004
Dr. Harryette Brown, Founding Advisor, 2003-2004
Dr. Elizabeth Huston, Founding Advisor, 2003-2004

Prof. Taunya Dixon, 2004-2006

Prof. Elaine Cho, 2004-2008

Prof. Larissa Washington, 2006-2008

Archived Info

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:13:19 CDT

Old Announcements:

6/1/2009: The Spring Better World Book Drive ends today. Anyone interested in volunteering to process the donated books, please email Dr. Rufel Ramos, rramos@dcccd.edu

6/1/2009: Congratulations to Liz Martinez, Linsey Heidelberg, Terri Miller, and Vanessa Rangel on their graduation from Eastfield College!

4/16/2009: The SKD Fall 2008-Spring 2009 Induction Ceremony will be held Sunday, April 26, 2009, at 2pm, in room LC101 at Eastfield College.

4/16/2009: The SKD Spring 2009 Better World Book Drive begins. Please check the Calendar of Events for more details. Anyone who would like to volunteer to help out, please email the SKD Faculty Advisor, Dr. Rufel Ramos, rramos@dcccd.edu.

2/6/2009: SKD New Membership Drive begins February 5, 2009, and runs till March 31, 2009. Induction Ceremony will be sometime in April (check back later for updates).

2/6/2009: Check out the Calendar of Events for what's going on now and what's coming up! Also, check out the News for a mention of SKD's Big Read in Eastfield's campus newspaper, the Et Cetera.

12/16/2008: The "Finals Week" Better World Books Book Drive was very successful! Thanks to you, the National Center for Family Literacy (via Better World Books), the children's library in the Parent/Child Study Center here at Eastfield, and the Mequite Public Library are benefitting from your generous donations!

8/22/2008: SKD New Membership Drive begins September 1, 2008, and runs till September 30, 2008. Induction Ceremony will be sometime in October (check back later for updates).

8/6/2008: Eastfield and Sigma Kappa Delta are mentioned in the National Endowment of the Arts' the BIG READ site!

Go here: http://neabigread.org/events.php
Under the "Communities" drop down menu, choose "TX-Mesquite Arts Center"
Click the "Filter Results (Search)" button.
Scroll down; we're listed under the date 10/13, 10/14, and 10/15.

7/30/08: Eastfield will be hosting a three-day BIG READ literary event, focused on Ray Bradbury's science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451, this October. Eastfield is part of a larger BIG READ event in Mesquite. In collaboration with the Arts, Language, and Literature Division, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Writer's Garret, SKD will sponsor Student Photography and Writing Contests (with winners announced and awarded 10/15), a Faculty Roundtable Discussion on 10/13, and a Guest Speaker on 10/14. Check out the "Contests" page and "Conferences & Festivals" page for more info!

4/30/08: Photos and the Program for the Spring 2008 Induction Ceremony are up! Click on the "Induction of New Members" wiki page on the left Wiki pages box to check them out.

4/25/08: The SKD Book Drive was a great success, with six copy-paper boxes packed with books. Major kudos and thanks to Professor Michael Moorhead, who donated 88 volumes to, as he says, "the cause". In the future, SKD Book Drives will benefit national and international literacy non-profit organizations. Check back here at this wiki for further developments!

4/17/08: SKD Book Drive begins and will run to the end of next week. Donation boxes located outside of the Language and Literature Division, C202. Donated books benefit the Mesquite Public Library, towards their May 1 book sale.

4/11/08: Dr. Carol Brown, President of Eastfield College, will be the Guest Speaker at the Spring 2008 Induction Ceremony, April 27, 2008 @ the Eastfield College campus. Please see calendar for time and location. Faculty & staff are welcome to attend and congratulate the newest SKD members!

4/10/08: Congratulations to our newest members, the Spring 2008 Inductees, and also to our graduating / university transferring SKDers!

Old Calendar:

Date: for Spring 2009	Day	Event	Time	Location
Feb. 5-Mar.31	N/A	New Membership Drive	N/A	Submit applications to one of these places: * LC-136, SKD Advisor * LC-138, Arts, Language, Literature Division -- Dr. Ramos' inbox * The Pit, SKD Billboard
Feb.5-Mar.23	N/A	Spring 2009 Photography & Writing Contests	N/A	Submit entries to one of these places: LC-136 LC-138 *C-141, SKD inbox
Mar.10	Tues.	Guest Lecture: Jason Henderson, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writer	11am-12noon	LC101
Apr. day TBA	TBA	The Eclectic, Vol. II : CANCELLED due to lack of submissions	TBA	TBA
Apr.16-June 1	Any day	Better World Books Book Drive	Any time	Donation Bin location: 1) outside of Bookstore, N100 2) outside of Adjunct Faculty Office, C202
Apr. 26	Sunday	Spring 2009 Induction Ceremony	2pm-3pm	LC 101

Contests

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:53:22 CDT

Photography & Writing Contests

SKD Contests are held once a semester.
SKD Contests are open to currently enrolled non-SKD Eastfield College students and currently enrolled SKD Members.
SKD Members who place are eligible to compete on the national level.
Students can submit a limited number of multiple submissions (see details below).
Winners will be announced here first and then in other official publications (like the Et Cetera college newspaper).
If a literary festival/read-in is active, winners will be publicly recognized and can also present their submissions before a public audience.
Pending available funds, winners may receive monetary awards.
Students submit entries to any SKD Advisor or the SKD mailbox in the Student Life Office.

For Fall 2009

Theme: All entries must be based upon or inspired by your favorite book or author.
Deadline: October 1, 2009
Winners will be recognized and can present their winning entries in the SKD Journal Award Ceremony -- more details to follow.

Black & White Photography Contest

1st place: Cover of SKD's literary journal, Eclectic, with artist's brief bio and statement published.
2nd place & 3rd place: Published in Eclectic, with artist's brief bio and statement.
Honorable Mentions: Published in Eclectic.
Photo Judges Rating Sheet

Submission Guidelines:

A photographer can submit up to three black and white photographs.
All images must be originals and must belong to the person submitting; all rights to the photo must be the property of the person submitting the photo.
Submissions must be saved as a .jpg file format (not exceeding 1MB each file).
Prints may only be submitted as visual references.
Each file must be clearly labeled with photographer's name, entry title, and date.
Photos should be titled.
Completed Entry & Waiver Form must accompany each entry.
No signature, stamp, or any other identifying mark is allowed anywhere on the entry.
Submit photo files (along with the Entry & Waiver Form) to skdpsibeta@gmail.com.
Submit hardcopies to the SKD Student Life office inbox (C-141) or to Dr. Ramos' division inbox (LC-138).

Writing Contest

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place: Published in Eclectic with writer's brief bio and statement.
Honorable Mention: Published in Eclectic.
Writing Judges Rating Sheet

Categories:

Short story -- up to 2,500 words
Poem -- up to 21 lines
Personal Essay -- up to 2,500 words
Literary Analysis -- up to 2,500 words. No secondary sources allowed (that is, NO research papers).

Submission Guidelines

Each writer may submit up to three pieces of prose and six poems.
Each entry must include an official Entry & Waiver Form, one electronic version (see details below), and one optional hard (that is, printed) copy.
Use this format for hard copies:
- Hard copies must be typed, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11-inch paper with one-inch margins and a ½ inch header.
- Use plain, white paper.
- Use size 12 Times Roman font without italics or other special typefaces.
- Critical analyses must follow the format and documentation style defined in the latest edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
- DO NOT identify yourself in any way on any page of the submitted text.
- DO NOT submit an entry via FAX. It will not be accepted.
- Submit hardcopies to the SKD Student Life office inbox (C-141) or to Dr. Ramos' division inbox (LC-138).
Use these guidelines for electronic versions:
- Save submissions as Rich Text File (.rtf) or MS Word 2003 Document (.doc) format, and email (along with the Entry & Waiver form) to skdpsibeta@gmail.com
- IMPORTANT! -- Label each file with your name, the title of the work, and the year in which it is submitted.

News

SKDAdvisor1 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:06:12 CST

Psi Beta Chapter in the News

National Endowment of the Arts' the BIG READ site (as of 8/6/2008):
1) Go here: http://neabigread.org/events.php
2) Under "Communities" choose "TX-Mesquite Arts Center"
3) Click the "Filter Results (Search)" button
4) Find Eastfield College and Sigma Kappa Delta listed under 10/13, 10/14, and 10/15 dates.

SKD Weekly Newsletter:
4/10/2008

SKD Annual Newsletter:
Fall 2007

Campus News:
Sara Hays -- 2006-2007 Member
Brittany Dunegan -- 2007-2008 Vice President
"Eastfield gets literary" -- The BIG READ article in the Et Cetera: 10/24/2008

Local News:

Spring 2008 Ceremony

SKDAdvisor1 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:02:35 CDT

April 27, 2008: 13 Inductees, 6 in Attendance

Cake for the Spring 2008 Induction Ceremony	L- R: Juanita Davenport-Cook, Emmanuel Ekwuruke, Joel Onyia, Vanessa Rangel, Jerquila Slaughter
L-R, Back: Dr. Rufel Ramos, Juanita Davenport-Cook, Emmanuel Ekwuruke, Dr. Carol Brown, Joel Onyia, Vanessa Rangel, Jerquila Slaughter. L-R, Front: Amy Barber and Emily Vincent	Graduating Inductees: Joel Onyia and Jerquila Slaughter
Inductees' Friends and Family	Stating the SKD Pledge: Jennifer Slaughter, Vanessa Rangel, Joel Onyia
SKD Pledge: Emmanuel Ekwuruke and Juanita Davenport-Cook	Just in time for her Induction Reception: Jocelyn Wey