Published by Eta Sigma Phi - Monmouth College

Chapter Reports 2006–2007 (Continued)chapter did sponsor one event in additionto its annual induction ceremony.On April 11 Epsilon Psi sponsored agroup trip to see the movie 300, in which11 students and four faculty participated.There was spirited discussion afterwards ofthe points of accuracy and of distortion inthe film.On May 29 the chapter held its inductionceremony. At this event 12 new memberswere initiated, signed the membershipbook, and received their pins and temporarycertificates. Last year’s initiates werepresented with their membership cardsand official certificates. Graduating seniorsreceived their Eta Sigma Phi honor cordsto wear at the University’s Awards andHonors Convocation and at commencement.A new Prytanis and new Hyparchoswere elected for 2007-2008 and duly swornin. The ceremony concluded with refreshmentsand general festivity.Zeta Beta at Temple UniversityWe drove back from the wonderfulconvention hosted by Virginia Tech withgood ideas for hosting convention in 2007in Philadelphia. Much of the ensuing yearis a blur, as planning a convention in thebig city takes a lot of cooperation, franticactivity, worry, creativity, and elbow grease.The fog was thickened by plans for theThirtieth Birthday Celebration for theDepartment of Greek & Roman Classics,which had been started up again after ahiatus in 1976. The celebration took placeon 21 April, in conjunction with the birthdayof Rome, herself, and included appropriatebirthday cakes. Our own Dr. DanTompkins, who began the current department,was honored as the Sine Quo Non,with an appropriate medal and champagnetoast. Many Friends of the Classics, includingmembers of Temple administration,Temple staff members and visitors fromthe Philadelphia area joined former andcurrent Classics faculty, staff and students,and enjoyed the buffet and the exercise of“catching up” on news. Alumni from aslong ago as twenty-five years returned, asdid the former chair of the Departmentof German, with whom Classics shared asecretary when in its fledgling state.Matt Cain and Erica Krause recoveredfrom the birthday party and sought respitefrom the planning, planning, planning byparticipating in the first Annual SpringWorld Poetry Festival on campus. Mattread from the Iliad and Erica read twopoems of Catullus. More than twenty ofthe languages spoken and studied on ourcampus were represented.In June some of our students attendedthe annual Institute of the AmericanClassical League, which was held in Philadelphiain 2006. They manned an informationtable promoting Eta Sigma Phi andalso served as “gophers” for the ACL staff.After a brief vacation, it was time forthe fall Welcome Back Party for majors,complete with required pizza and lotsof good stories about “how I spent mysummer vacation.”Lyndy Danvers had won a stipend asa member of the first group of DiamondUndergraduate Peer Teachers, and wasteaching beginning Latin with Dr. Davisin the spring. We were happy to learn thatTraci Dougherty had won a stipend forfall. She also taught with Dr Davis. OurDepartment was so pleased with the successof Lyndy and Traci that we inauguratedour own version of the program runby the Provost’s Office and Lyndy movedto Dr. Karen Hersch’s second semesterLatin class to assist in the fall. Shereturned to work with Dr. Davis in springof 2007, while Traci continued to tutor thestudents she had worked in class with. Wealso learned just before convention 2007that Libby Torresson had won a stipend forfall. She will also teach with Dr. Davis.October was a busy time, as we had ourtraditional fundraising bakesale and raffle,and also sent two members to Marylandfor the meeting of the Classical Associationof the Atlantic States. They mannedan Eta Sigma Phi table there and metteachers, professors and publishing companyrepresentatives, to all of whom theysang the praises of our Society.Dr. Lauri Reitzammer, who taught forus this year, and who had studied spokenLatin with Father Reginald Foster inRome, began “Spoken Latin Tuesdays.” Asmall group has met through this schoolyear on Tuesday afternoons at four tomunch goodies and mangle Latin. Moreand more munching and less and lessmangling have begun to happen — and bythat, we don’t mean that munching hasovertaken speaking, but that our oral Latinhas really made some improvement!Erik Collins, Classics graduate andactive Eta Sigma Phier, attended theSpoken Latin Tuesdays after full days ofteaching. He asked for a moratorium in hisstudies at Temple Law School to fill in fora Latin teacher in New Jersey who went onmaternity leave. Erik has enjoyed teachingso much that he is now determined toabandon the law and take to the classroomon a permanent basis.In November four current students ofTemple Classics, aided by two alumni, continuedthe tradition of winning the TriviaContest at the annual meeting of thePhiladelphia Classical Society. This yearthe “bling” included a talking light saber(gladius) and a gift certificate to Barnes &Noble, which was duly added to the itemsfor our Winter Solstice raffle. Attendingthe PCS meeting usually brings Templestudents back together with their middleand high school Latin teachers. This yearwas no exception. Like the two alumniwho attended, the students are going to becolleagues of their teachers soon.December brought the Winter SolsticeParty round. This year there were a recordthree dueling crockpots (one prepared bya professor, two by students), all featuringa version of the same Apicius chicken andapricot recipe, and all managing to providetotally different culinary experiences. Anoffice manager from another departmentin our building requested a copy of therecipe, and threatens a new challenge tothe cook-off next year! About seventy-fivepersons contributed to and ate from ourbuffet, and entertainment was furnishedby Dr. Hersch’s Latin class, with theirrendition of Tinniat, tinniat, tintinabulum.We celebrated Saturnalia, Hannukah,Christmas, Kwanzaa and other festivals oflight that occur during the winter season.A highlight of the Winter SolsticeParty this year was the induction of Dr.Rudolph Masciantonio into our Zeta BetaChapter as an honorary member. Dr. Rudyhas often joined us at Temple for WinterSolstice and other festive occasions, andwe were pleased to recognize his outstandingwork as a teacher of Latin, supervisorof Foreign Languages for the Philadelphia30