Francis Marion’s Nu Rho Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society, has plans for a busy semester.

This month, they will host Read Across America, they will hold regular bake sales and one of two accepted members will attend the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention in Philadelphia.

This Wednesday, March 2, Sigma Tau Delta will host “Read Across America.” This will be a chance for FMU students to become aware of the organization and for Sigma Tau Delta to promote literacy.

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last throughout the day on the Founders Hall lawn. Sigma Tau Delta will have tents set up, and students and faculty can come and participate in several activities.

Among the activities are a “Speed to Read” challenge and a literacy survey. Each of these events is geared towards offering opportunities for Francis Marion students to explore the issue of literacy and have fun while doing it.

The first 150 people who visit the Sigma Tau Delta tent can get a free meal, as well as their choice of either a $5 gift card to the Francis Marion bookstore or a free T-shirt. In return, the Sigma Tau Delta members will ask the student to fill out a survey.

According to Sigma Tau Delta Vice President Josh Knight, this survey will give the organization an idea about where students stand in terms of literacy.

“The survey will determine what students enjoy reading, as well as their reading skill level,” Knight said.

This survey is meant to not only allow Sigma Tau Delta to get a clearer idea of student literacy, but to also make students more aware of their own literacy.

Dr. Matt Nelson, Assistant Professor of English and Faculty Advisor of Sigma Tau Delta, believes these activities will benefit both students and the organization.

“We hope these activities will encourage the FMU community to think about the reading they do outside of their classes and raise the profile of Sigma Tau Delta as well,” Nelson said.

Besides the “Read Across America” event, Sigma Tau Delta will also be keeping busy with bake sales. These will be announced ahead of time and will occur in the FH Breezeway. The proceeds from these bake sales will go to support the organization’s future activities.

Among these activities is the upcoming Sigma Tau Delta International Convention. The conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa. from March 23 to March 26.

This convention allows Sigma Tau Delta members from all over to share their written work with other members. Two Nu Rho members, President Amanda Morales and Vice President Josh Knight, were accepted to the conference.

Although Amanda Morales will not be able to present her work at the conference because of prior obligations to the FMU Leadership Conference, Knight will be presenting his work, a creative nonfiction piece entitled “Be Healed, Be Cleansed.”

Knight is looking forward to the conference and sees it as a great intellectual opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to going to the conference,” Knight said. “I’m excited about presenting my work and talking about literature with people who love it as much as I do.”

Nelson is also excited about Knight’s opportunity. Furthermore, he sees Knight’s attendance at the convention as an accomplishment for the Nu Rho Chapter.

“This is the first time in more than five years that an FMU student has presented at the convention,” Nelson said.

FMU’s Nu Rho Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta hopes to accomplish a lot this semester. Through the continued enthusiasm of its members, Sigma Tau Delta will continue to promote a love of literacy on FMU’s campus.