The Gamma Omicron chapter at Monmouth College invites you to the 95th annual convention, March 24-26, 2023. This meeting will include all of the things that make each year’s meeting special—Friday night certamen; papers presented by some of the nation’s brightest undergrads; Latin and Greek declamation contests; swag, this year’s version of which will be a t-shirt; and, most importantly, fellowship, after THREE YEARS without an in-person national meeting.
Convention Highlights
Registration will open at 5:00 on Friday evening. In keeping with the ksenia, guests will be offered light refreshments before being asked whether they are pirates. The traditional ΗΣΦ certamen is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., but because of traditional disorganization is likely to begin at 7:05 p.m. Teams will be assigned upon arrival. The prizes for the winning team are being supplied by our friends at the National Latin Exam.
On Saturday morning, after the first business meeting, there will be a session of student papers, selected by the Eta Sigma Phi Program Committee.
On Saturday afternoon, Gamma Omicron will put on their CLASSICS DAY, a roughly forty-event, interactive immersion into a range of practices and institutions from the global classical world that has won awards from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, the Society for Classical Studies, and our own Eta Sigma Phi.
Following it, they will offer two scholarly talks, one on the CANOPUS STONE, a trilingual precursor of the Rosetta Stone of which Monmouth owns one of three original casts; and another on STYLES OF PAINTING in the ancient world, which challenges the notion that Greek and Roman statue and sculpture paintings were necessarily as garish as modern recreations make them out to be.
The Saturday night banquet will be our CENA CLASSICA, a lavish feast featuring only dishes attested in the ancient world.
The post-banquet entertainment will be a staged reading of an original version of EURIPIDES’ MEDEA by Yoandy Cabrera and students from Rockford University, set in the context of Latinx immigrants to the US.
A second business session will take place on Sunday morning. The convention will conclude on noon on Sunday with the election and installation of new national officers and the selection of the host for the 2024 convention.
Chapter Reports
Each chapter should prepare a report to share at the first business meeting. Reports should be no more than five minutes long and should highlight the chapter’s activities since the last convention. A $100.00 award will be given at convention for the best service project sponsored by a local chapter promoting classical languages and cultures.
Chapter reports will be published in Nuntius and should be submitted via the website at: https://www.etasigmaphi.org/members/membership-forms .
Chapters Contests to be Decided at the Convention
DECLAMATION CONTESTS
Thomas J. Sienkewicz. Latin Declamation Contest
Please follow this link for the 2023 Latin Declamation.
Contestants will submit their polished videos of their declamationes by Friday, March 17, 2023 via flipgrid: https://flip.com/fa57384d The winner will receive a $100 prize.
The video of the winning declamatio will be posted on YouTube, and the winner will recite the declamatio in person at the national convention on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Monmouth College in Illinois. Note: All videos become the property of Eta Sigma Phi, which can use them for promotional purposes. Submission of a video implies agreement to these terms.
Information about previous Latin Declamation Contests can be found here
You will be judged on the following:
1. Pronunciation (You may use any accepted pronunciation; e.g., classical or ecclesiastical; but be consistent.)
2. Interpretation of the Text
3. Smoothness of Delivery
4. Appropriate Use of Gestures (Use of costumes, props, and appropriate background is encouraged but is not necessary.)
5. Demeanor
6. Textual Accuracy
Martha A. Davis Greek Declamation Contest
Students who attend the convention are encouraged to participate in this contest which will be held on Saturday, March 25. The winner will recite the passage in person at the banquet on Saturday evening.
Registration
The registration fee for the meeting will be $90 per delegate (if paying by check; $95 if PayPal), which will include events Friday night through Sunday morning; lunch and dinner on Saturday; and snacks on all three days. PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHAPTER BY MONDAY, MARCH 6. After March 6, the price of registration is $100 per delegate (check or PayPal).
N.B. National Officers do not need to pay for registration nor do the students selected to give a presentation.
Hard Copy Registration Form: 95th Annual Eta Sigma Phi Convention Registration
Dress
Dress will be casual, with the exception of the banquet on Saturday night, when business casual clothes or traditional Roman or Greek dress are appropriate. The latter is highly encouraged, and a prize will be awarded to the vir et femina vestiti splendidissime.
Is your chapter interested in hosting the convention?
Proposals for hosting the 2024 national convention will be considered at this year’s convention. If your chapter is interested in making a proposal, some things to consider are (1) the support of your adviser; (2) the availability of lodging, either on campus or nearby at a motel or hotel; (3) travel to the convention by air, train, bus, and automobile; and (4) financial support of the chapter, the appropriate department(s), the institution, or state and local organizations. The society is particularly interested in holding a convention more than 250 miles west of the Mississippi River or in the southern states. For more information, see Convention Bids.
Are you interested in running for a national office?
Megas/Megale Prytanis, Megas/Megale Hyparchos, Megas/Megale Grammateus, Megas/Megale Chrysophylax
Nominations for national officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer) will be accepted at the business meeting on Saturday, with the election and installation at the business meeting on Sunday. Any undergraduate student who has been duly initiated into their local chapter, with the report of the initiation and the initiation fee received by the national office, is eligible to run. The national president must be a senior during the year of the office. Candidates must be present at the convention and the induction ceremony on Sunday. Delegates who are not at the second business meeting are not eligible to run for office. For more information, see https://www.etasigmaphi.org/hsphi/officers/handbook/
Contact Information
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