From a visit to Hocking Hills State Park, a busy involvement fair, a movie night and a bake sale, Ohio University’s Pi Rho/Tau Chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, has had an active fall.
Vinny Lyons, Suzy Aftabizadeh, Rory O’Malley and Maggie Saine enjoyed raffling off some prizes at the Student Involvement Fair their first weekend on campus for Fall 2019.
¿Has Probado Ants-on-a-Log? (Have You Tried Ants-on-a-Log?)
Members of Sigma Delta Pi participated in an outdoor excursion to Hocking Hills State Park in southeastern Ohio on Aug. 24, and “Have you tried ants-on-a-log?” was one of many questions that initiated a plethora of cross-cultural experiences. To explain, ants-on-a-log is a common snack that many children raised in the United States remember (perhaps not so fondly) as their parents’ method of making vegetables appealing; in this case, introducing celery topped with peanut butter and raisins. However, that simple snack was not very popular among students from outside the U.S.
As one graduate student from Chile remarked, “Putting the peanut butter and raisins together is a good idea, but please, do not make me eat any more celery!”
Sigma Delta Pi treats Spanish graduate students to a visit to Old Man’s Cave.
While trying new foods was not the main goal of this excursion, it is important to note that sitting down together to share a meal often leads to conversation, which is the first step in gaining an understanding of others. After lunch, students, members and faculty enjoyed a casual walk to Ash Cave and then a longer hike through Old Man’s Cave. The group alternated speaking Spanish, English and even some Portuguese, and were able to connect with each other and learn about cultures different from their own through personal accounts, much different from the standard academic setting. Throughout the excursion, members of Sigma Delta Pi and fellow students and faculty shared experiences about living abroad, found comfort in expressing doubts about the upcoming school year and captured moments of general camaraderie on their smartphones and cameras. Overall, this excursion was successful at promoting cross-cultural bonds and embraced the motto of Sigma Delta Pi: “Let’s continue forth under the guidance of the Spanish Language.”
Suzy Aftabizadeh, Sigma Delta Pi’s fearless president, shows her spirit.
Sigma Delta Pi and the Student Involvement Fair 2019 (Feria de involucramiento 2019)
To promote the academic fraternity, Sigma Delta Pi brought pamphlets, a poster and its officers to the 2019 Student Involvement Fair on Aug. 25 to inform students of the organization’s presence and benefits, which include semester campus events, leadership opportunities, scholarship opportunities and résumé building, among other things.
During the fair, a raffle was held at the booth to attract some attention and get people excited about joining the honor society. Two winners walked away with either a Día de los Muertos shirt or an Ohio University mug, and by the end of the Involvement Fair, Sigma Delta Pi had filled two pages with signatures, totaling 46 people.
Overall there was good engagement with the student body. Many people, even if they didn’t sign up, stopped to hear about the organization or ask questions about the requirements. On that note, the majority of students who stopped or signed up were not Spanish majors. They represented Spanish education majors, Spanish minors, native Spanish speakers and even students who were just taking Spanish classes for requirements or personal enjoyment. Since Sigma Delta Pi welcomes all Spanish learners, the interactions at the Involvement Fair helped to assert that the organization accepts anyone who meets the GPA and class requirements. Sigma Delta Pi hopes to see many of the freshmen who attended the fair in the coming semesters as they start to finish the higher-level Spanish courses.
Movie Night with Sigma Delta Pi and the Spanish Club
Sigma Delta Pi and the Ohio University Spanish Club co-hosted a movie night on Sept. 12. A good number of students showed up from both Spanish organizations, and there was plenty of conversation to go around. Suzy Aftabizadeh, president of Sigma Delta Pi, reviewed a poster detailing Sigma Delta Pi’s events for the fall semester and encouraged students to attend as many events as possible and to fill out an application should they be interested in being nominated for Sigma Delta Pi.
Sigma Delta Pi and the Spanish Club hosted a movie night where students watched “Pan’s Labyrinth” in Spanish.
The movie the organizations watched was “Pan’s Labyrinth”—a film about a young girl named Ophelia and her life between the real and the fantastic during Spain’s Civil War (1936–39). Ophelia’s mother struggles with pregnancy while her stepfather, El Capitán Vidal from the Spanish army, fights against a band of rebels in the forest. Witnessing her stepfather’s brutality, Ophelia is drawn into the world of the labyrinth and its fantastical beings.
The movie was in Spanish with Spanish subtitles so that students could both read and hear Spanish while watching. After the movie, there was a lively discussion about the implications of the movie’s symbolism. This was a wonderful way to begin the semester and it gave students an opportunity to meet new people and talk with them in Spanish. The organizations enjoyed hosting the event and will most likely do it again next year or next semester. Sigma Delta Pi also hopes to continue collaborating with the Spanish Club and other related on-campus organizations.
Olivia Strutervant and Vinny Lyons at the Sigma Delta Pi bake sale.
Sigma Delta Pi’s First Baked Goods Sale of the Season
Cupcakes, cookies and brownies, oh my! Those were just a few of the sinfully good treats Sigma Delta Pi had at their two-day bake sale. The event was hosted on the first floor of Gordy on Monday, Sept. 23 and Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 9–11 a.m. on both days. The bake sale took place to raise funds for events hosted by Sigma Delta Pi including guest speakers, culture nights and Día de los Muertos. Their earnings will go to help upcoming events such as the induction for new members joining Sigma Delta Pi, and it will help other events the organization has planned for the 2019–2020 academic year. In addition, the fundraiser helps Sigma Delta Pi give executive members the opportunity to travel to certain conferences that the national organization hosts.
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