The offerings were approved this summer by the Arkansas Department of Education, according to Dr. Lynne Belcher, a professor of English at SAU who will be teaching the courses. Belcher, whose doctoral work was in the area of teaching English as a Second Language, said the courses are designed to help educate graduate and undergraduate students on the methods of teaching a new language as well as how to help students get through issues such as culture shock, which is common among people from other countries.

“I am happy to be able to use some of my experience and knowledge to help area students,” Belcher said. “This program will prepare educators to handle having non-native English speakers in their classes. Teaching English to those who don’t speak it as their first languages is very different from any other kind of teaching. The first thing teachers usually will encounter is culture shock, especially for young children who didn’t have any choice sometimes in leaving their home countries.”

Belcher said her first experience with teaching international students was in 1978 with Vietnamese refugees. Addressing the cultural differences is the first step in helping people become comfortable enough to begin learning another language, she said.

“When you work with internationals, you have to be able to see your culture through other eyes, Belcher said. “One can’t learn a second language if he or she rejects a culture.”

Besides showing teachers how to approach people from other cultures, the TESOL courses will also help teachers understand how students learn a second language and how it differs from learning a first language and how to assess what their students have learned in terms of reading and writing, speaking and listening. It also will provide a practicum of all teaching strategies involved in TESOL courses.

For more information about the courses, call the office of Liberal and Performing Arts at 870-235-4200. Interested students may also call Dr. Elizabeth Davis, 870-235-4212 (ehdavis@saumag.edu) or Dr. Lynne Belcher, 870-235-4213 (lrbelcher@saumag.edu ) or visit www.saumag.edu.

The initiation will be celebrated at the Wilson Building, room 327. The ceremony will be conducted and sponsored by Dr. Elba D. Birmingham-Pokorny, professor of Spanish. Sigma Delta Pi is the largest foreign-language honor society in existence, the only one devoted exclusively to students of Spanish in four-year colleges and universities, and one of only three foreign language societies accredited as members of the Association of College Honor Societies.

The following students will be inducted into Sigma Delta Pi Mayumi Abe of Japan, Christi Albrecht of Monticello, Ark., Holly Ball of Emerson, Ark., Morgan Collier of Mesquite, Texas, Laquita Houston of Wilmot, Ark., Katie McWilliams of Emerson, Ark., Elcia Olivo of Bay City, Texas, Gitanjali Shrestha of Nepal and Wendy White of El Dorado, Ark. Also to be inducted as special members are Dr. Yonghu Dai, associate Spanish professor, Dr. Elizabeth Davis, chair of the SAU Department of English and Foreign Languages, and Dr. Juping Wang, assistant Spanish professor. Ms. Danielle Danci will assist in the ceremony.

Sigma Delta Pi was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California in Berkeley. Its symbol is the royal seal of Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Castile, Leon, and Aragon. The society’s colors are red and gold, and its flower is the red carnation. In order to qualify for admission, students must have minimum grade of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in all Spanish courses.

The purposes of Delta Sigma Pi are to honor and encourage excellent students of Spanish language, literature, and culture; to honor those who create awareness within the English-speaking community of Hispanic contributions to modern culture; and to foster friendly relations between Hispanic and English speakers.

There are more than 430 chapters of Sigma Delta Pi at American colleges and universities. The society sponsors grants, cultural activities, scholarships, state and regional symposia, and other activities to support the study of Hispanic languages, literature and culture.

Select members of the organization traveled to Louisville, Ky., March 5-8 to host the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention, which was chaired by Schroeder herself. Sarah Tutt, Anwar Fairley, Matt Bates, Kayla Henderson, Micah Hicks, Girwan Khadka and Ashlie Mixon were the students involved in assisting Schroeder and making sure the event went smoothly.

In addition to orchestrating fundraising sessions and helping with convention registration, these students also submitted their own work to the event’s writing competitions. Sarah Tutt’s essay on “necessary contradictions” (the convention theme) was a category finalist and Micah Hicks won first place and $500 in the fiction/drama category. Hicks also received the $4000 Sigma Tau Delta scholarship and serves as one of two student advisors to the national board.

In addition to participating in workshops and presenting their work, students were also able to hear from noted poet Naomi Shihab Nye and dramatist Suzan-Lori Parks.

Lecture Topics:
• “Moscow and St. Petersburg- Two Capitals of the Russian Federation” at 7 p.m. on March 6 in the Magnolia Room of the Reynolds Center
• “Sacred Places of Russia” at 7:30 p.m. on March 10 in the Magnolia Room of the Reynolds Center
• “Youth Culture” at 7 p.m. on in the Magnolia Room of the Reynolds Center
• “Folk Russian Costume and National Homecrafts” at 7 p.m. on March 27 in the President’s Conference Room of the Reynolds Center
• “Pets’ Life: What’s More Important, Love or Freedom?” at 7 p.m. on April 3in the President’s Conference Room of the Reynolds Center

The English and Foreign Language department at SAU recognizes how much both the institution and the students will benefit from a free translation service of English, Chinese, Spanish and French. The services will be offered at varying times in the Community Service Area of the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

Dr. Elba Birmingham-Pokorny, a Spanish professor at SAU, feels this service will not only fulfill an urgent need that exists within the community but also will be of great value to our students.

“It will give them a perfect opportunity to put into practice the knowledge they acquired in the classroom and will teach them the life-long importance of giving to the community.”

Laquita Houston, who has volunteered to help translate Spanish documents said she sees the program as a win-win for all participants.

“The translation services that are going to be provided by the foreign language program are a great opportunity not only for the community, but for students as well. It is a great experience for me to fully use the language and gain experience in my chosen field of study.”

The translation services program will operate at various times on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Monday, the center will be open from noon to 6 p.m., on Wednesdays the center will be open from 2 to 7: 30 p.m. and on Fridays, the center will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Students who have volunteered to help include Holly Ball, Gitanjali Shrestra, Albert Hanna, Danielle Dancy, Laquita Houston, Michael Story, Candace Gonzalez and Marcelle Elenga.

The translation services the English and Foreign Language department will be providing to the community will help those students who are taking Spanish-English Translation 1, Spanish-English Translation II. Student in Oral Interpretation I and II pass the exam to gain certification as translators.

To inquire more about the translation program contact Birmingham-Pokorny at 870-235-4206 or elpokorny@saumag.edu.

Those interested in taking advantage of an opportunity to learn more about Asia can do so beginning this spring at Southern Arkansas University, the only university in this region offering this minor.

This spring Asian Studies will offer three courses, Chinese 1013: Mandarin Chinese II (MW 3:40-5:00) History 3173: Modern South Asia (MWF 10:00), and English 3213: South Asian Literature (MW 2:10-3:30).

Dr. Charles Keller, who will be teaching the Modern South Asian course, said this minor stands to benefit students whose interests range from business, history, literature, language and culture.

“If someone has an Asian Studies Minor, that makes them a more attractive candidate for any kind of job,” Keller said. “That is the dollars and cents side of education. The other side of education, and what it really needs to be about, is offering the opportunity to develop a person’s intellectual capabilities.”

“To be ignorant of one sixth of the world’s population means you are not fully developed intellectually,” Keller said. “If you want to be truly educated, this is a minor you should take.”

Keller, a native of Henryetta, Okla., said he originally became interested in studying Asia while taking an introductory course in China and Japan at what was then Tulsa Junior College. And although his professor at the time seemed burnt out with his career choice, the material inspired Keller to begin on a path that would eventually lead him to receive his doctorate in East Asia studies. He is now able to teach about a place that continues to fascinate him, and to which he continues to travel frequently.

Keller, who worked in his father’s construction business before beginning college said people who knew him when he was growing up did find it odd that someone with his background chose to take a break and move to Taiwan for a year to study Chinese language and culture as he pursued his higher education.

“It was like going to another planet for someone from Oklahoma and people I knew wondered what this redneck construction worker was up to,” he said.

Although his courses examine Asian history and culture, Keller strongly believes the cornerstone of any study of other countries is the study of the language.

Dr. Juping Wang’s courses in Mandarin Chinese will concentrate on developing students’ proficiency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking Chinese.

Wang, a native of Datong, Shanxi Province, China, choose to study Spanish and English while living in Asia and said she never imagined she would one day move to the United States and teach Spanish and Chinese. Although students may not be as familiar with hearing Chinese as they are Spanish, the upside to the study of the language is the lack of verb conjugation required, she said.

Wang said she doesn’t know if she agrees with Keller that China will one day surpass the United States as a super power, but the importance of learning about the culture is important nonetheless, she said.

“It doesn’t matter if people like it or not, the close interaction between China and the United States makes us more and more interdependent,” Wang said.

Professor Russ Chace will also offer a course which is part of the minor. Chace’s course is in South Asian Literature and investigates the development of Indian literature from the late nineteenth century to 1960 in the context of British representations of, and imperialism in, India.

Keller and Chase are pleased to be offering courses in the same semester that will allow the student to explore India from the complementary perspectives of history and literature. These courses will count toward the minor when it becomes official in the fall of 2008.

Requirements for the minor include six hours of Chinese (Chinese 1003: Mandarin Chinese I and Chinese 1013: Mandarin Chinese II) and twelve upper-level hours chosen from courses in business, history, and literature.
Interested students should contact Wang at 870-235-5069, jwang@saumag.edu) or Keller at 870-235-4232 at cakeller@saumage.edu for further information.

The collections were the result of a project Sigma Tau Delta has been working on since fall 2006 and dubbed as “Ready to Read!” Nearly every book donated is on the Arkansas’ Advanced Reader lists at the elementary and high school levels, meaning the 15 to 25 children who attend the Magnolia Housing Authority in the afternoons after school will now be able to get ahead on their reading because of the availability of the books, said Rhonda Voss, resident initiative coordinator of the center.

“These books are a God send because the children only get to bring one book home from school and they get tired of reading it,” Voss said.

Sigma Tau Delta members raised more than $1,200 for the project last month at a “No Dinner” Dinner and Silent Celebrity Auction Gala. Donations for the project were made by celebrities who received letters from students explaining the need for books in the community. More than 35 donations were made, including very difficult to find items such as a signed Stephen King novel, explained Sigma Tau Delta sponsor Dr. Shannin Schroeder.

“These books and supplies represent a nearly year-long effort on the part of our organization, and we were ready to celebrate,” said Schroeder who is also an associate professor of English at SAU and director of the Writing Center.

Three members of Sigma Tau Delta along with Schroeder brought the crafts, the books and a large cake which colorfully announced “Ready to Read!” Tuesday afternoon and were met with warm smiles from the children.

Kayla Henderson, a member of Sigma Tau Delta, said it made her feel good to help provide some of the classics that are staples for any children’s library such as “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Chocolate Wars,” “Brave New World,” and the Harry Potter and Little House on the Prairie Series.

“I just hope they enjoy these books as much as I did when I was a child,” said Henderson, a senior majoring in English from Maud, Texas.

As an honor society in English, Sigma Tau Delta’s charge is to promote literacy and the study of English in the local community. In addition to local service projects, student members also represent SAU and Magnolia annually in the national convention. Chapter President Micah Hicks, a senior English major from Springhill, Ark., is a student advisor and a voting member of the national board. Schroeder, also a member of the Sigma Tau Delta national board, is the chair for this year’s national convention, which takes place in Louisville, Ky.

Dr. Sharon P. Holland, Associate Professor of African American Studies, Gender Studies, and American Studies at Northwestern University in Chicago will deliver a talk titled “The African Diaspora in Indian Country: the Case of Eleanor Eldridge.” Holland, a Fulbright Scholar, promises a lively lecture and a good story.

Holland is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a doctorate in English and African American Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is the author of “Raising the Dead: Readings of Death and (Black) Subjectivity” (Duke UP, 2000), which won the Lora Romero First Book Prize from the American Studies Association (ASA) in 2002. She is also co-author of a collection of trans-Atlantic Afro-Native criticism with Professor Tiya Miles (American Culture, UM, Ann Arbor) titled “Crossing Waters/ Crossing Worlds: The African Diaspora in Indian Country” (Duke University Press, 2006).

Professor Holland is responsible for bringing a feminist classic, “The Queen is in the Garbage” by Lila Karp to the attention of The Feminist Press (Summer 2007). Her current creative projects include a novella “How Bubba the Socrates Got to be Neither,” and a play “Killing Martha.” She is now at work on a second book “The Erotic Life of Racism.”

The lecture is free and open to the public. For further information please contact Dr. Linda Tucker, assistant professor of English at (870) 235-4210.

“Best New Poets 2007” is the final result of a national competition where nominations are made by writing programs, literary magazines and an open internet competition. Only 50 poets are selected each year, said Ross, who was notified about the honor in August. Ross is now studying creative writing at the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. She will graduate in May 2008 and is applying to several universities now, one of which she will attend to complete her doctoral work.

The poem Ross is honored for in the book is entitled “Ceremony,” and deals with a man’s coping skills in the aftermath of his wife’s death. Although the man’s ritual of burying chicken in the backyard in the poem might not make sense to people, they can identify with how he is feeling, Ross said.

“I think the sense of loss resonates across the board. We can all understand grief and coping with loss,” Ross said.
This is the second time “Ceremony” has been published. It was also published in the “Ellipsis” literary magazine produced by Westminster College in spring 2007.
Ross has called Magnolia home since her family moved when she was 13 from Los Angeles. At SAU, Ross was a member of Sigma Tau Delta and served as president of the international English honor society from 2004 to 2005.
“Best New Poets 2007” will be available in stores on November 1 for $11.95. Major online sellers such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com and walmart.com will have the books in stock. Local book stores can order copies through the University of Virginia Press.

The auction is a fundraiser to support the children’s library at the Magnolia Housing Authority. As a result of a letter-writing campaign last year, more than 35 autographed items from various celebrities will available for silent auction during the gala. These items include numerous photographs, books and a country and western singer’s autographed jeans.

“The No Dinner Dinner is a terrific fundraising idea, because those who pay for a plate know that every penny raised goes toward the charity rather than to pay for meals,” said Dr. Shannin Schroeder, chapter sponsor. “We will have refreshments, sponsored by Rider Books, but those who attend actually get to donate more money this way.”

Schroeder said the chapter will buy supplies and Advanced Reader books for the children’s library with money raised.

Just a sampling of the celebrity contributors for the silent auction includes: singer Trace Adkins, originally from Springhill, La., (pair of Trace’s Wrangler jeans worn in concert with authentic signature); Lauren Bacall (three photographs with authentic signatures); former President Jimmy Carter (photograph with authentic signature); Danny Glover (photograph with authentic signature); Charlaine Harris, local author whose Southern Vampire series will be an HBO series this coming spring (copies of her mystery novels with authentic signatures); author Stephen King (copy of one of his works with an authentic signature); and Corey Williams, Green Bay Packer (three photographs with authentic signatures).

A complete list of celebrity items is available at www.saumag.edu/sigmataudelta.

Tickets for the gala are $25 for community members, $10 for faculty and staff and free for students, who are asked to make a reservation. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Bids will be taken from 7 to 8 p.m. and those with highest bids need not be present to win.

For tickets or more information, contact Dr. Shannin Schroeder at smschroeder@saumag.edu or call 235-4211.