On Campus
page 5
On December 13, 2004,
Mont Alto’s petition to charter a
chapter of Sigma Tau Delta
(STD), the International English
Honor Society, was approved.
The “Alpha Mu Rho” chapter, as
it has been designated, provides
a host of opportunities for
English majors and minors as
well as for interested students in
any other major here on campus.
Founded in 1924, Sigma Tau
Delta has 611 active chapters
and a membership of some
quarter of a million students and
faculty. Mont Alto is the third
campus in the Penn State system
~ to charter a chapter, following
Altoona and Delaware County
(Delaware County’s chapter was
only approved this year also).
Faculty sponsor Peter Dendle
notes, “This is an opportunity
not even available to students at
University Park.”
Members are eligible to
submit writing to The Rectangle,
the society’s annual literary
journal for creative writing, and
to The Sigma Tau Delta Review, the
literary journal for essays and
criticism. The society offers
annual awards of $300 in
creative writing, poetry, literary
criticism, and other genres; more
substantial scholarships and
awards (up to $2000) are also
available, including support to
study abroad for a semester. The
society organizes internships
with Regnery Publishing
(Washington, D.C.) during the
summer and during the school
year for those interested in
learning the publishing business.
The annual conference fosters
community within the
discipline, encourages a variety
of perspectives on the field, and
provides opportunities for paper
presentation. This year, for
instance, the conference is in
Kansas City, Missouri, and the
featured speaker is celebrated
Antiguan author Jamaica
Kincaid.
Dendle states, “I think this is
exciting—not only for students
in our new four-year English
program, but for anyone who
happens to have taken an extra
class or two in English out of
interest. It stays on your resume
for life.”
Active membership is only
available to English majors and
minors, but Associate
membership is open to all
interested parties provided they
meet the eligibility criteria:
— must have completed at least
three semesters of college work
— must have completed two
college English courses (not
counting ENGL 4 or 15)
— must have a B average, both
overall and within English
courses taken
Those interested in applying for
membership or in learning more
can contact the faculty sponsor
(Peter Dendle, at 749-6167 or
pjdl1@psu.edu) or go to the
Sigma Tau Delta website
(www.english.org).
The art of E. Hollis Mentzer
is on display during the month
of February. The Gallery of
Temporary Art in the Learning
Center (General Studies
Building) is hosting this 34 piece
collection. Representative of the
collection is “Autumn,” a
breathtaking picture in varying
shades of brown-golds, tans, and
creams arranged in six vertical
bars set on a white background.
These bars are situated in a line
that is angled up and to the right,
occasionally overlapping, and
University
COMMONS
aPfFoaftmen Ts
surrounded by specks of similar
shades. In the foreground is a
golden mat with a circular
window which opens upon the
scene. On the bottom right of the
window rests an autumn leaf
which overlaps the matte.
By varying the shades of
brown in this picture, Mentzer
draws the viewer's eye. The
colors play together to create
depth and interest in the picture.
The bars of color that are
arranged across the canvas
appear to represent trees that
seem to have been intentionally
planted in rows. The foremost
tree has the deepest shade of
brown. The other trees appear to
be farther away, because they are
lighter and higher up on the
canvas. This was an effective
way to create depth. The specks
that surround the trees create the
sense of spontaneity. Some form
straggly trees, others, foliage.
The white background contrasts
the browns, creating depth.
Finally, by placing a leaf on
the window, Mentzer brings the
scene out of the frame and into
the here and now.
Experience from page 3
Was my experiment a success
or failure? The jury is still out.
There is certainly a serenity that
is gained by living in the woods.
The crisp clean air clears the
mind and body alike. At times, I
felt inspired. At times, I would
sit in the woods and reflect on
the current state of society and
how I felt about societal norms
and standards. I certainly gained
an appreciation for Thoreau’s
experience. His year and a half
in the woods made my three
months seem insignificant.
I came to understand what
Thoreau learned and wrote in the
conclusion of his book: “I
learned this, at least, by my
experiment; that if one advances
confidently in the direction of his
dreams, and endeavors to live
the life which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours.”