INVITATION
The Delta Chi Chapter at St. Olaf College invites you to the 97th annual convention, March 14-16, 2025. 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; and, most importantly, fellowship with other Eta Sigma Phi members from around the nation.
Delta Chi enjoyed hosting the convention back in 1985, 2005, and 2019. We look forward to making the 2025 convention the best yet. Since there is no guarantee on the weather, it is wise to be prepared for winter, spring, and/or even summer temperatures!
For more information about St. Olaf College, just click here. You may also be interested in taking a look at our Classics, Greek, Latin, Ancient Studies, and Medieval Studies website.
CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS
Registration will open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday in the Trollhaugen Room of Buntrock Commons on the St. Olaf College campus. (For directions to the campus and an interactive map, click here.) In keeping with xenia, guests will be offered light refreshments before being asked whether they are Oles and know the words to “Um! Yah! Yah!”
The traditional ΗΣΦ certamen is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.; teams will be assigned upon arrival. Prizes for the winning team are being supplied by our friends at the National Latin Exam. There will also be a performance by a local chamber folk pop band, Wintry Elementary, featuring two St. Olaf Classics students.
On Saturday morning, after the first business meeting, there will be a session of student papers, selected by the Eta Sigma Phi Program Committee. In the afternoon, there will be a variety of classically oriented presentations and activities, including committee meetings, all of which will be fun.
On Saturday evening, we will gather for a cena classica in the Sun Ballroom; classical attire is strongly encouraged. There will be a prize for the vir et femina vestiti splendidissime. After the meal there will be a showing of the video of St. Olaf’s “a-moo-sing” production of Sophocles’ Ichneutae (“The Trackers”) last spring, followed by a discussion with the cast.
A second business session will take place on Sunday morning. The convention will conclude by noon on Sunday with the election and installation of new national officers and the selection of the host for the 2026 convention.
CONVENTION PROGRAM (coming soon!)
Call for Papers: Deadline is February 24, 2025
Scholarships: ΗΣΦ Scholarship applications are due February 15, 2024. Please visit the individual scholarship pages for specific deadlines (ASCSA, AAR, Vergilian Society, etc.)
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 .
CONTESTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS decided BEFORE the Convention
CHAPTER CONTESTS decided AT the Convention
***Declamation Contests***
Delegates are invited to sign up to compete in the Greek and Latin Declamation Contests. Registration for this competition will take place on Friday evening. Contestants will be given a prose passage to read before a panel of judges on Saturday afternoon. Judges will base their decision on pronunciation, interpretation of text, smoothness of delivery, demeanor and textural accuracy. The winner will receive a prize of $100 and will be invited to read the passage to the entire assembly at the Saturday evening banquet. The runner-up will be awarded $50.
REGISTRATION
The registration fee for the meeting will be $60 per delegate (if paying by check) $65 (if paying by PayPal), which will include events Friday night through Sunday morning; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday; breakfast on Sunday.
***PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHAPTER BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28th.***
After February 28, the price of registration is $75 per delegate (check or PayPal).
If paying by PayPal, please visit the Regalia page and add a registration to your cart, then adjust the number to reflect the number of delegates.
N.B. National Officers do not need to pay for registration nor do the students selected to give a presentation.
GETTING TO NORTHFIELD, MN
St. Olaf College is located on a hill in Northfield, Minnesota. Northfield is home to the popular Defeat of Jesse James Days, a century-old college rivalry, and the wondrous smell of cereal baking at the Malt-O-Meal plant. It is located about 40 miles south of the Twin Cities, just off I-35, and is served by the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Delta Chi chapter has kindly offered to provide transportation to and from the airport. If you would like a ride, please indicate that at the appropriate spot on the registration form.
By plane: The nearest airport to Northfield is Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport which is 41 miles away.
Driving? Get directions here.
CONVENTION HOTEL
We have reserved a block of rooms at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, located at 114 2nd St. W., Northfield, Minnesota 55057. The group rate is $189 per night for a room with either one king bed or two queen beds. Reservations must be made by Friday, February 28, 2025 in order to secure the convention rate. Use this link and the group code BLSS. If you have questions, please call the hotel at 507-366-5000.
RESERVATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 28. After February 28, you are not guaranteed the convention rate.
Dress for the Convention
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 2026 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 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/
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