Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica), was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California in Berkeley. Its insignia is the royal seal of Fernando and Isabel, representing Castille, León and Aragón. The Society’s colors are red and gold and its flower is the red carnation.
With the guidance of such notable Hispanists as S. Griswold Morley, Elijah C. Hills, Rudolph Schevill, Leavitt O. Wright, William Berrien, John D. Fitz-Gerald, Tomás Navarro Tomás, José Martel, Archer M. Huntington, John T. Reid, Stuart M. Gross, James O. Swain, F. Dewey Amner, Carl A. Tyre, T. Earle Hamilton, Dolores Brown, Richard E. Chandler, Ignacio R.M. Galbis, John H. LaPrade, Germán D. Carrillo, and Lucy F. Lee, the Society has expanded its activities and now has over 610 chapters. Almost all state universities have chapters, and the few that do not are now considering the founding of one.
The purpose of Sigma delta Pi
- To honor those who attain excellence in the study of the Spanish language and in the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking peoples;
- To honor those who have made the Hispanic contributions to modern culture better known in the English-speaking world;
- To encourage college and university students to acquire a greater interest in and a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture;
- To foster friendly relations and mutual respect between the nations of Hispanic speech and those of English speech;
- To serve its membership in ways which will contribute to the attainment of the goals and ideals of the society.
Membership requirements
- Each must have completed three years of study of college-level Spanish (eighteen semester credit hours) or the equivalent thereof, including at least three semester hours of a course in Hispanic literature or Hispanic culture and civilization at the junior (third-year) level. A student may be admitted to active membership while still enrolled in the second junior-level course if all other requirements have been met and if the instructor of the course certifies that the student’s work is of “B” or “A” quality.
- The candidate for active membership must have a minimal grade point average of at least 3.0.
- Graduate students who have been unconditionally admitted to a degree-granting program may be elected to membership upon completion of two graduate courses in Spanish with an average which, if continued, will make them eligible for a graduate degree.
- Sigma Delta Pi does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or disability.
- Pay a fee of $27.50
Interested? Apply here. For more information please contact Dr. Vanessa Rodríguez at vrodriguezdelavega@missouristate.edu