When senior English major Rylee Mahnesmith made a connection on LinkedIn last spring, she hadn’t set out to found a new chapter of the National English Honor Society. But, when the LinkedIn connection told her that she had gotten her editorial internship—a notably hard position to come by—through priority consideration via Sigma Tau Delta, Mahnesmith knew she had to take action. Sigma Tau Delta is an international organization that is headquartered in the U.S. and works to cultivate the next generation of literary leaders through transformative event planning.
“I researched what exactly that was and found myself disappointed that we didn’t have a chapter of this English Honor Society at Temple,” said Mahnesmith. “I wasn’t necessarily shocked, however, because I’ve honestly never felt like there were too many opportunities for English students on campus.”
The English community at Temple is rich with the desire for connection and, at this moment in time, fragmented by genre and the intense competition for career roles. There are many literary organizations within the College of Liberal Arts, but few collaborate with one another or offer professional guidance. With the establishment of Sigma Tau Delta on campus, students will be able to network and strengthen their community not only through one another but also by learning more about career opportunities for English majors specifically.
The next steps were simple but complicated at the same time: to found a chapter for Temple, Mahnesmith needed the University President’s or College Dean’s signature, the Department Chair’s signature, the appointed Faculty Advisor’s signature, six signatures of potential members, an endorsement letter from the university president or college dean, and a $100 chartering fee.
Mahnesmith reached out to Professor James Salazar, who was made the Chair of the English Department last spring, to garner support in bringing the chapter to campus.
“I heard about it through Rylee, and after looking it up and seeing all of the great things that the organization does, I sent out an announcement to the rest of the English faculty to find a volunteer advisor,” Salazar said. “We had seven or eight responses, which was really encouraging and also speaks to the support that it will get once it’s up and running.”
Both Mahnesmith and Salazar share a vision for the organization to be a safe space for English majors that will bring the English community at Temple together. According to Mahnesmith, there are also the on-paper benefits of the society, including unique scholarships, academic recognition, and priority consideration for internships, but the main goal would be to bring together those who value communication and literature at Temple.
“I would love to see the organization be a safe space for English majors to build community on campus,” said Mahnesmith. “There are, of course, the benefits of unique scholarships, academic recognition, and priority consideration to internships; but beyond the ‘on-paper’ positives, I look forward to seeing how the Sigma Tau Delta chapter brings together students who value literature and communication.”
This is one of the first initiatives that Salazar has taken up as the new Chair.
“I worked with the Temple University Japan Campus a little bit because they are starting an English minor abroad, but I was excited by this opportunity when Rylee brought it forward,” Salazar said.
Mahnesmith will graduate in December, and she’s hoping to have the organization on its feet before then.
“Since I won’t be an active student in January, I’ve been trying to get the initiation of our first members done before Winter break,” Mahnesmith said. “Regardless of what happens, I am super happy we have chartered the chapter, and that we have garnered so much support and excitement from the English department.”
Mahnesmith and Salazar, along with faculty member Casarae Abdul-Ghani as faculty advisor, are committed to seeing this project get off the ground. With the support of the department behind them, it won’t be long before Sigma Tau Delta becomes a central part of the English program experience at Temple.