Revista de Rho Rho V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 5 OTOÑO 2015 Letter from the President I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Cultural 2 Presentations CML Festival 4 Quesadillla 4 Sales Día de los 5 Muertos Initiation 5 Alumni 6 Spotlight Saludos desde Kirksville! My name is Derek Benjamin. I am a senior Spanish major, serving as this year s Sigma Delta Pi President. I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to serve Truman in this capacity. Fall 2015 was quite successful. We decided to split this year between Spain and Latin America. Many of us on the Executive Committee studied abroad in Spain the spring semester before, so we wanted to make the fall semester all about the glorious country of Spain. To begin, I was allowed to talk about my favorite city on earth, Madrid! The students who attended enjoyed the presentation, perhaps because of my raving about Chueca. To finish the series, we travelled around Spain. Our Burgos presentation was done together with a student who studied there. We presented on Galicia with our new professor from the region, Dr. Óscar Sendón, and on the South of Spain with our professor from Sevilla, Dr. Cármen Pérez Múñoz and an exchange student from Murcia, Ángel García Rubio. This series was a great way to kick off the year, and I am glad that we were able to take students across the Atlantic to Spain. Un saludo cordial, Derek Benjamin
Cultural Presentations Exploring Spain P A G E 2 Spain and it s Capitol To commence our Fall 2015 series on Spain, our President, Derek Benjamin, and our Treasurer, Lindsey Forker, presented on Spain and its capital, Madrid. The first half of the talk dealt with general information about Spain. Lindsey gave a brief overview of the history of Spain, starting with the Civil War, and then moved on to discuss its current political and economic situations. The second half was about Madrid. Derek had just studied abroad in the city, and thus he was more than excited to cover it. The highlight of the presentation was showing a satirical video by the famous drag queen, Kika Lorace. The presentation was a success. It definitely opened students up to the wonderful world of Madrid! Sadie Williams and Derek Benjamin spoke to Spanish students about the history and culture of Burgos, Spain, focusing on the Truman State University Exchange to the Universidad de Burgos. The students discussed the academic requirements and class prerequisites for acceptance to the exchange program and discussed their personal Burgos experiences living and traveling to the historical town of Burgos. Some of the highlights of the town include two medieval monasteries, a cathedral that has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the ninth century, an old palace where Christopher Columbus was welcomed by Ferdinand and Isabella, and the historical Camino de Santiago, which millions of pilgrims pass through each year. Sadie Williams spent a semester studying abroad at the Universidad de Burgos, and spoke about her experience living in Burgos. R E V I S T A D E R H O R H O
P A G E 3 On Thursday, November 12, Sigma Delta Pi members Connor Madden and Luke Bishop collaborated with Truman faculty member Óscar Sendón on the culture and language of Galicia, a region in northwest Spain. Luke and Connor spent the spring 2015 semester studying in Vigo, one of the largest cities in Galicia, and Prof. Sendón Galicia is a native of A Coruña, a prominent city in Northern Galicia. Luke and Connor discussed the climate, geography, and culture of Galicia, with an emphasis on Vigo, where the two studied abroad. They also discussed their experiences studying abroad at the University of Vigo with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). Professor Sendón spent the last part of the presentation discussing the Galician language, a romance language unique to the region. He highlighted the history of the language, dialectal differences, and the language within a sociopolitical context. Four Sigma Delta Pi members presented on Southern Spain. The presentation began with the geography of this region, the climate and the landscape. Sigma Delta Pi Vice President, Christy Crouse, told her stories about studying abroad in Southern Southern Spain Spain and all of the experiences and adventures she experienced while living in Murcia for the semester. The next speaker was a foreign exchange student from this region who talked about the differences he noticed while studying abroad at Truman. He gave some unique insights on the differences in education between Spain and the United States, most significantly, Truman. Finally, Dr. Cármen Pérez Múñoz gave her own insights on what it was like living in this region of Spain. R E V I S T A D E R H O R H O
V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 5 P A G E 4 CML Festival The Classical and Modern Languages Festival is sponsored by the Classical and Modern Language Department at Truman each November. This is a chance for high school students from around the region to come to campus and learn more about languages in a fun, inter- active way. Almost 400 students attended the festival this year, taking part in activities at different stations throughout the day. Sigma Delta Pi hosted a few of these activities, focusing on Spanish and Hispanic culture. One event involved teaching the students new words while playing Bingo. The students practiced pronouncing each word after it was said. This was a way to help students improve their accents as well as have some fun while learning! The CML Festival does a wonderful job of exposing students to the wonders of learning a new language and the interesting aspects of cultures around the world. Quesadilla Sales Sigma Delta Pi hosted their annual Quesadilla fundraiser on the quad. The fundraising chair, Rachel Evan, made her famous quesadillas, and other members volunteered to sell quesadillas at the table, and transport them as they were made. The weather was not cooperative this semester, but that did not stop many students and faculty from enjoying the delicious quesadillas.
Día de los Muertos In November Christy Crouse, Derek Benjamin, and Bethany Boyle, three members of Sigma Delta Pi presented about Día de los Muertos. The event was conducted completely in Spanish, so the trio first introduced vocabulary used to describe key items and ideas. Next they explained aspects of the celebration such as traditional food, preparations at the cemetery and the building of altars to honor the dead. Our advisor, Dr. Lee, helped to put together a replica altar at the front of the room so students attending could see what one might look like. The presenters discussed Latin American beliefs about death and the afterlife, as well as the phenomenon of calaveras, cartoons and illustrations depicting skeletal figures intended to make a point, often satirizing the represented situation. Finally, attendees enjoyed Día de los Muertos themed refreshments provided by Sigma Delta Pi members and Spanish faculty. Initiation Sigma Delta Pi welcomed seven new members in an initiation ceremony in November. New faculty initiates included Dr. Óscar Sendón and Dr. Stacy Bryant. New student members include Rachel Flynn, Katy Adair, Sadie Williams, Nicole Barmettler, and Olivia Heffron.
V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 5 P A G E 6 Senior Spotlight Sigma Delta Pi recognized three graduating seniors at the Fall 2015 Initiation. Shari Fieser, Lindsey Forker, and Kelly Meade graduated in December 2015. Congratulations seniors! We are excited to hear about all you will accomplish after graduation! Sarah George Alumni Feature Sarah graduated from Truman State University in 2014. Since graduation, she has had several opportunities to use Spanish! Sarah is currently a high school Spanish teacher in Milan, Missouri. Spanish is required in Milan, even for native Spanish speakers. She loves using Spanish to connect with the Hispanic immigrant community living in Milan. Sarah plans to start law school at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She hopes to combine her love of Spanish with Immigration and Human Rights law. To provide Rho Rho with your alumni update, please fill out the survey at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/ d/1tqcyfdsppu799ifk83mkwrlmoltswgpsxki7x_o40u0/viewform We hope to hear back from you soon!
Our Goals and Mission To honor those who attain excellence in the study of the Spanish language and in the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking peoples To honor those who have made contributions to the Hispanic modern culture better known in the English-speaking world To encourage college and university students to acquire a greater interest in and a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture Contact Us: sigmadeltapi.truman.edu tsusigmadeltapi@gmail.com To foster friendly relations and mutual respect between the nations of Hispanic speech and those of English speech To serve its membership in ways which will contribute to the attainment of the goals and ideals of the society Geico Sigma Delta Pi and GEICO Auto Insurance partner to give you the benefit of great rates on high-quality car insurance. In addition to your Sigma Delta Pi membership discount which could shave as much as 8% more off GEICO's already low prices you'll also receive 24-hour service online or by phone, efficient and fair claim handling, and the peace of mind that comes with being protected by an auto insurance company rated A++ for financial stability. GEICO can also help you find great insurance rates for your boat, motorcycle, home, and much more. Start your free car insurance quote today to see how much more you could be saving with your special member discount! In turn, your completed quote will help support Sigma Delta Pi. Call 1-800-342-9070 to see how much YOU could save! Use Referral Code 141080