Duke’s Alpha Theta chapter of Sigma Delta Pi — the national collegiate Hispanic honor society — hosted an initiation of new members Thursday for the first time since 1977.
The inductees include 10 undergraduate students majoring in Spanish, Latin American and Latino/a studies and minoring in Spanish studies, two graduate students and three honorary faculty members.
“You, whom we will welcome into this society, have demonstrated a keen interest in the beautiful and resonant Spanish language,” said Lisa Merschel, director of the Spanish Language Program and associate professor of the practice of Romance studies, during the initiation ceremony. “We have chosen you because you have shown a sincere interest in the Spanish-speaking world.”
The chapter was recently reactivated under the initiative of Merschel and Joan Clifford, associate professor of the practice of Romance studies.
Merschel noted that the society had lapsed for decades and that many faculty in the SLP are already members of the society. After a “lengthy” process, the petition for the chapter’s reactivation was approved by the society’s national headquarters.
“It's a wonderful way of reanimating the study of Spanish language on campus,” she said.
Merschel said that in preparation for the induction ceremony, email invitations were sent to all Spanish, Latin American and Latino/a studies majors and Spanish studies minors. Those invited to the honors society fulfilled various requirements, including a number of Spanish language and literature courses and a certain level of language proficiency. New members receive lifetime membership, a certificate and a pin, according to Merschel.
Sigma Delta Pi was founded in 1919 by junior Ruth Barnes at the University of California, Berkeley to support the study of the Spanish language and foster “understanding, appreciation and respect” of Spanish-speaking communities and cultures. It has since become one of the largest collegiate foreign language honor societies in the country, boasting a total of 634 chapters.
Duke’s Alpha Theta chapter was established in 1936. John Reid, the society’s second national president, taught at the University from 1939 to 1941.
Merschel speculated that the chapter at Duke went into “a long hiatus” since the 1970s due to “changes of personnel” when faculty mentors retired or student members graduated.
The students inducted into Sigma Delta Pi referred to the community as their primary reason for joining.
Senior Maia Glazer, who is pursuing a major in Spanish, Latin American and Latino/a studies, said she had met great professors in the “small” department of Romance studies but was “looking for community within the Spanish department.”
Despite not being Hispanic, senior Teddy Hur, who is minoring in Spanish studies, believes that joining the society exposes him to “a more diverse set of experiences.”
As part of the ceremony, each newly initiated member was directed to light a candle that symbolizes “the spiritual light that illuminates us.” Members also signed their names in the chapter book to mark their official induction into the society.
“I think [Sigma Delta Pi] might be a really wonderful way of building community among Spanish majors and minors at Duke, and I hope that it continues for decades to come,” Merschel said.
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Ananya Pinnamaneni is a Trinity first-year and university news editor for the news department.