About Xi Delta

Established in 1938, the Xi Delta chapter at Northern Illinois University has grown to become one of Sigma Tau Delta's most active chapters. Our chapter has established a tradition of excellence, having received the 1999-2000 Outstanding Chapter Award and Outstanding Web Site Awards in 2001 and 2004.

With the Sigma Tau Delta Central Office also being located at Northern Illinois University, Xi Delta has close ties with the international organization. One of our members, Kathleen Turner, is one of the current Student Advisors. Our previous President and Webmaster, Emily Celaric, has done work on the official Sigma Tau Delta web site. Before her, President Theresa "Reese" Kirner served as the Student Representative for the Midwestern region in 2003-2004.

However, Xi Delta places as much, if not more, of its emphasis on service. Xi Delta has done service projects for Bowl for Kids' Sake, Habitat for Humanity, and TAILS. We have sponsored a high school team to participate in the Sycamore Spelling Bee and have annually "adopted" a family for Christmas for several years.

In addition to a wide variety of community service, Xi Delta performs a variety of services for the Northern Illinois University English department. We hold book sales every semester and often hold a hot chocolate and cookie sale in the winter. We have also spearheaded the "Reavis Beautification Project," in which we cleaned up the front of the English building every spring. A new addition is "Sigma Tau in Translation," started in the 2004-2005 academic year by our previous Service Chair and current President Kelly Retz, where works of literature are read first in their original language by foreign language faculty and then in their English translation by a Sigma Tau Delta member.

Membership Requirements

We have a set of requirements that members must meet before we induct them into Sigma Tau Delta.

You must be an English major, minor, or graduate student in good academic standing.
You must have 45 hours minimum completed coursework or graduate student status.
You must have 9 hours of English coursework completed excluding freshman English.
You must have a 3.0 minimum overall GPA on a 4.0 scale.
You must have a 3.0 minumum English GPA on a 4.0 scale.
You must make a single lifetime dues payement of $65 to Sigma Tau Delta.

Click Here to Download Xi Delta Application Form in .PDF Format (145 KB)

About the Website

This website was originally constructed by Emily Celaric using Notepad and Adobe Photoshop 5.5, and it is currently being maintained by Jeremy Dziedzic. The site is designed to be simple yet elegant, conveying to its members the pertinent information they need and supporting Xi Delta's virtual presence on the Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Do I have to be an English major in order to join Sigma Tau Delta?
A: No, English minors are welcome to join, too. Furthermore, ANY STUDENT is welcome to drop by one of our meetings to see what we're up to (however, we're not responsible for any psychological trauma that may result).

Q: Where and when do you guys meet?
A: General meetings are held on Thursday of every other week from 5-6:00pm in Reavis Hall, Room 211 (although we do occasionally get displaced). If you're not sure what qualifies as "every other week," check the bulletin board in Reavis (incidentally, it's right across from Room 211) or on this website. Worst case scenario: you accidentally walk into an Executive Board meeting (which take place during weeks that we don't have general meetings), and you'll be able to talk to one of us. And then we'll have to kill you for seeing too much! :)

Q: "Honor Society?" What's so "honorable" about it?
A: The "honor" in "honor society" refers to the fact that our members must maintain a high academic standing in order to remain in Sigma Tau Delta. You know, like an "honors" student.

Q: Are you guys associated with University Honors or Departmental Honors?
A: Nope, we're a seperate entity altogether; you don't need to be an Honors student in order to join us (though if you're able to maintain the GPA, what's stopping you?), and anything you do in Sigma Tau Delta will not affect your standing in the University or Departmental Honors programs.

Q: Do I have to give you guys money before I can participate?
A: We do require members to pay a one-time-only fee of $65 prior to induction. Relax, though--we're not going to ask for the money up front, so you'll have time to come to a few meetings and decide whether or not Sigma Tau Delta is for you before paying your dues.

Q: "Induction?" Are you guys a cult?
A: For the last time, I was planning to eat that goat! Err... no, induction is simply an event where we recognize new members of Sigma Tau Delta. Not as in "oh yeah, I've seen you before," but as in "you're officially a member of Sigma Tau Delta. Congratulations!" Plus you get a neat pin and certificate to impress your friends with (yes, English majors and minors do have friends)!

Q: So are you guys, like, a fraternity or sorority?
A: Nope, we're an honors society; same thing, but different (in fact, some of our members are also members of fraternities or sororities). Like a fraternity or sorority, we host English-related (sometimes) events, hold fundraisers, participate in service projects, and generally have a good time. However, you're not required to live in a chapter house or anything like that. And let's not even get started on the paddling.

Q: Sounds like a lot of work. What do I get out of it?
A: Aside from having the opportunity to work with members of the English faculty and promote the English department here at NIU, you get to participate in fun social events, have the opportunity to get scholarships and awards through Sigma Tau Delta, network with other people in your major, and gain valuable leadership and service experience that looks absolutely awesome on a resume. Plus, you get to hang out with Elliot, which alone is worth the price of admission.

Q: Hmm... I'm pretty busy with college life already. Am I going to be forced to participate in a bunch of events that I'm not even interested in?
A: Members aren't required to participate in all the events we hold (heck, not even the Executive Board members are able to do that); instead, you sign up for participation in certain events on an event-by-event basis. However, we do encourage members to participate whenever they have the time. So if you think sitting at a bake sale table is a threat to your manliness (which, I can assure you, it's not, especially if you're female), we're not going to bully you into participating.

Q: Executive Board? Sounds sinister. What if I want in?
A: Elections for Executive Board positions are generally held near the end of the Spring semester of every school year, but there may be mid-year elections if positions become vacant. So, if you're interested in ruling over the chapter with an iron fist, you'll just have to wait for the next election (we'll announce it at the meetings, on the bulletin board, and of course, on the website)!

Q: Hey, you know that "STD" stands for "sexually transmitted disease"? That's funny! I'm funny!
A: Thanks for pointing that out, genius. Someone in the chapter actually suggested "STD: It's Contagious" as a t-shirt slogan some years back. I personally think that "STD: No Special Shampoo or Comb Required" would be another good one. Don't let this incident stop you from pursuing your career in stand-up, though.

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