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The Mu Alpha chapter was established at Illinois Valley Community College in the Spring of 1998.

Purpose

Sigma Kappa Delta is the National English Honor Society for students in two-year colleges. Its purposes are to:

  recognize and reward outstanding achievement in English language and literature;
  provide cultural stimulation and promote interest in English on two-year college campuses and in the communities they serve;
  foster English in all its aspects, including creative and critical writing;
  promote good professional interaction among members; and
  exhibit high standards of academic achievement.

Sigma Kappa Delta’s Motto

Sincerity, Knowledge, Design

Sigma Kappa Delta’s Colors

Green and Gold

Sigma Kappa Delta’s Flower

The English Ivy

Membership Requirements

A person wishing to join the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta must meet all the national and chapter requirements, as detailed below. 

A candidate for membership shall:

  be currently enrolled at Illinois Valley Community College;
  have completed a minimum of one college course in English language or literature, excluding Basic English;
  have a minimum of a B average in English,
  rank at least in the highest thirty percent of the class in general scholarship
  have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college work for a cumulative total of twelve semester hours or the equivalent quarter hours
   have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or higher in general scholarship

The faculty sponsor shall be responsible for verifying through the registrar’s office the scholastic eligibility of candidates for membership.

Dues

There will be a national due of $30.00 (updated 1 July 2004) and a chapter due  of $10.00 to be paid before admittance into the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta. This one time fee entitles each chapter member to receive all privileges of membership. The fee must be paid prior to induction and confers life membership into the Society. The national fee is determined by the National Board of Directors of Sigma Kappa Delta. The chapter fee is determined annually by the sponsor and/or officers of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta.



Mu Alpha Active Membership

Active membership may be granted to any member of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta if the following criteria are met:

   The member must be a currently enrolled student who has the requisite academic background.
   The member must participate in at least one fund-raiser per semester.
   The member must participate in at least one non fundraising activity per semester.
   The member must attend one Honors Colloquium seminar per semester. The dates of these seminars will be posted at the beginning of the semester.
   The member must attend at least two general meetings a semester.

If this criteria cannot be met, the member must inform the sponsor and officers. Upon doing so, the member must explain his or her reason for missing the mandatory meetings. If the sponsor and officers agree that the reason is acceptable, the member may still be granted active membership if and only if the member reads and signs all of the posted minutes from the meetings. The member must read and sign all of the minutes from the entire semester before active membership is granted. The member wishing to do this shall have to read and sign the minutes from the previous general meeting before the next general meeting or the member shall forfeit his/her active membership. The member who cannot fulfill the attendance requirement shall also participate in three fund-raisers a year along with signing the minutes to be considered an active member of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta.

For all members of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta that are considered active, an event decided upon by only the active members shall be held once a semester for all of the active members. Only those members that fulfill the above mentioned criteria and are considered by the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta to be active may attend this event. Following one semester of active membership, active members may be nominated or voted into executive office seats. Members must be active from the time of their initiation to be considered for the Sigma Kappa Delta service awards and/or scholarships.

The faculty sponsor of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta, who must teacher English at Illinois Valley Community College, is considered to be an active member of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta.



Duties and Expectations of the Officers

Elections will be held in mid to late April for the following school year.

President:  The President shall be the chief executive of the chapter. He or she will prepare the agenda for and preside at the meetings, oversee activities, and distribute jobs to the other members. The President is also responsible for appointing and overseeing committees.

Vice President:  The Vice President presides in the absence of the President, performs other duties assigned by the President and/or the Executive Committee, and confers with the President and sponsor. He or she shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the President in the event that the President resigns.

Secretary:  The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings, including business transacted and a record of programs and activities. He or she is also responsible for corresponding with the National Office of the organization by sending in names of new members, reporting activities, and preparing required chapter reports.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall be responsible for the safekeeping and accounting of all funds and provide reports at each Executive Board and general chapter meetings. He or she shall sign all checks drawn on the chapter account with the approval of the sponsor.

Historian:  The Historian shall keep a permanent record of chapter activities in a chapter scrapbook, write a history of the year’s work, provide a posted monthly calendar of events, and prepare a chapter newsletter once a semester.

Director of Public Relations:  The Director of Public Relations shall prepare press releases, take pictures of chapter events for school and area newspapers, as well as notify media concerning programs, speakers, awards, and honors involving Sigma Kappa Delta. He or she shall work with the Historian in preparing the newsletter. He or she shall submit the monthly calendar and reports to the Apache, and inform Public Information of major functions to be held. The Director of Public Relations shall also represent Sigma Kappa Delta at all functions requiring a representative of the organization or appoint another member to that responsibility.

Vice President of Fundraising:  The Vice President of Fundraising will be in charge of all aspects of fundraising. He or she shall be responsible for filling out the appropriate paperwork, speaking with the appointed people to prepare for the fund-raiser, be in charge of looking into possible fund-raisers, and working closely with the sponsor. He or she shall be responsible for receiving the funds acquired through fundraising, giving them to the Treasurer, and speaking with the Director of Public Relations concerning upcoming events. The Vice President of Fundraising shall also be the head of the writing contest committee.



Duties and Expectations of the Sponsor

The Mu Alpha faculty sponsor shall attend all official Sigma Kappa Delta meetings. The sponsor shall provide guidance and support for all Sigma Kappa Delta Mu Alpha members. It shall be the duty of the sponsor to help executive officers make decisions, run meetings efficiently, and inform each other of any and all changes in agenda and activities. The sponsor shall also provide executive officers with current member enrollment lists.

It is the responsibility of the sponsor to follow the expectations also outlined in the National Sigma Kappa Delta Handbook. These include:

   The sponsor should neither do the officers’ work for them not insist that things be done his or her way. Nor should the sponsor expect the officers to take the entire initiative or work without guidance.
   Praise should be given freely to officers, members, and non-members who contribute time and effort to chapter activities.
   Help newly elected officers understand their jobs.
   Obtain from the Registrar’s Office a list of students who meet membership requirements.
   Promptly distribute all information from the Central office.
   Work with present officers and the nominating committee before the election of chapter officers to find promising leaders for next year.
   Soon after the election, meet with the new officers to plan next year’s program and to set tentative dates.
   Enjoy the work of active members and good officers.



Committees

Ways and Means: The Way and Means Committee shall be responsible for working with the Executive Board President and the Vice President of Fundraising, through monthly meetings, to coordinate all fund-raisers. This committee shall consist of no fewer than four and no more than six persons from the general membership.

Public Relations:  The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for working with the Executive Board President and the Director of Public Relations, through monthly meetings, to assist in coordinating publicity. This committee shall consist of no fewer than four and no more than six persons from the general membership.

Finance:  The Finance Committee shall be responsible for working with the Executive Board President and the Treasurer, through monthly meetings, to assist in all financial matters with the exception of standard bills and collection of dues. This committee shall consist of no fewer than four and no more than six persons from the general membership.

Nominating:  The nominating Committee shall be responsible for working with the Executive Board and the sponsor in finding possible leaders for the following school year. This committee shall consist of no fewer than four and no more than six persons from the general membership.

Mu Alpha Business Practices

Voting Procedure:  At any Executive Board meeting or general membership meeting, a motion may be made, on any voting issue, by any member of the Executive Board only after there is no further discussion by all members. In most instances, a second is required to proceed with the motion. In order for any motion to be passed, a majority vote is required of the membership, except on issues that require approval of a greater number of the membership, as stated in the by-laws of Sigma Kappa Delta Mu Alpha.

Amending the By-Laws:  Any section of the by-laws may be amended at any meeting of the general membership by a vote of 2/3 of the general membership as well as 2/3 of the Executive Board of Sigma Kappa Delta Mu Alpha. All requests to amend the by-laws requires a motion to be submitted in writing at the start of the meeting. The proposed amendment shall be posted for a period of thirty days in order for the entire membership to inspect them. A vote will be taken at the general membership meeting, to be held one month after the motion.

The Removal of Officers:  Any officer of the Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta may be removed from office if he or she misses two consecutive meetings without informing the Executive Board President and/or the sponsor or is found to be involved in inappropriate acts, as described by the Illinois Valley Community College Handbook, at a Sigma Kappa Delta Mu Alpha function.

Induction Ceremony:  The induction ceremony shall be held in late January or early February.


Revised September 11, 2006

This page was last updated on 03 May 2007 .

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