Epsilon chapter began the year by organizing
a booth at the UI Student Organization
Fair, where chapter VP Larry
Houston’s papyrus fliers were a big hit. We
got the word out for our semester-opening
meeting, which was enhanced with pizza
by a Caristia grant from CPL. In November,
we organized our semesterly poetry
reading, where students and faculty with
Classical interests get together and recite
selections of their favorite Classics-related
poetry.
Spring was the busiest part of the year
for us. We sent a six-member delegation to
Austin, TX for the Eta Sigma Phi convention
in March, where chapter president
Kyle Oskvig was elected Megas Hyparchos.
The 17-hour drive was long, but featured
one perfect stop for a bathroom break
(see picture). Don’t worry, it was only a
pretend bathroom break — the photo-op
was irresistible. Soon after we returned,
chapter treasurer Ryan Holley organized a
viewing of the UI Libraries’ Special Collections,
where we perused the Classical
holdings. We undertook a massive art
project, too — a 4’x4′ mosaic of the city
of Rome — with the artistic leadership of
chapter secretary Christine Miles, who
simultaneously led the charge to design a
chapter t-shirt.
In early April, a six-member delegation
went to CAMWS in Grand Rapids, MI.
We detoured to Ann Arbor on the way for
another Special Collections visit, this time
at the University of Michigan. We held
another poetry reading later in April, and
then geared up for our annual Homerathon
in early May. Instead of Homer, though,
this year it was a Virgil Vigil — we set
up outside in downtown Iowa City and
read Virgil’s entire corpus (in translation)
nonstop, which took about 15 hours. It was
a cold, rainy day, but everyone had a great
time.
Finally, we initiated three new members
at semester’s end, and we anticipate continued
growth for Epsilon chapter throughout
the coming year.