ACU’s chapter of the Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Omega Gamma, plans to publish its first copy of Hispaniola: Encuentro de Dos Mundos in March.
The journal will be similar to the Department of Language and Literature’s Shinnery Review in terms of being published once a year and allowing students to display their creativity and originality.
The yearly publication will be a review of poetry, photography and articles submitted by students in Spanish, but the chapter also plans to emphasize the experiences of study abroad students by placing their submissions in the publication.
Omega Gamma has successfully connected with alumni and well-known artist Rolando Diaz to design a cover for the first issue. Diaz will be present when Omega Gamma conducts a reveal party for the publication at the beginning of next year.
Beatriz Alem-Walker, Omega Gamma advisor, founded the ACU chapter of Omega Gamma in 2010 and has encouraged any student that has interest in the Spanish language to get involved.
Since introducing Delta Sigma Pi to ACU, the chapter has been nationally named an honor chapter for the past two years. Only 12 chapters out of 600 in the country are chosen as honor chapters each year.
“Bea Walker does an outstanding job with our chapter of Sigma Delta Pi,” said Dr. Cole Bennett, chair of the Department of Language and Literature, in a released statement. “She generates enthusiasm, scholarship and love for language with these students. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role at our university.”
Alem-Walker also received the 2014 Minaya Ãlvar Fáñez Award, which is granted to Sigma Delta Pi’s chapter adviser of the year.
“You don’t have to be a Spanish major to be a member of Delta Sigma Pi,” Alem-Walker said. “Brianna Burton, the president that took us to the first national award, was a pre-med student with a Spanish minor. We have to remember that Spanish is the language of 500 million people, and it is great to have the opportunity to embrace another language and to take it.”
Because the chapter won these awards, the department awarded them the budget to begin the publication of Hispaniola: Encuentro de Dos Mundos.
“We’re humbled by the awards and now we have the opportunity for our chapter to go on to the next step which is its own application,” Alem-Walker said.
