At last weekend’s national convention of classics honorary Eta Sigma Phi, six members of Hillsdale chapter, Eta Delta, proved their skill in a variety of subjects.
They joined 77 other students at Wake Forest University in North Carolina to give chapter reports, receive rewards, and compete for national offices.
Hillsdale reported on their activities that include the Homerathon – a reading of the entire “Iliad” and “Odyssey” – Latin Valentines, and involvement at the Hillsdale preparatory school.
Several Hillsdale students received recognition for their work on the national translation exams taken earlier this semester.
Junior Grace Ramsey, secretary of the Hillsdale chapter, called the exams “friendly competition,” but added that a cash prize goes to the first place winner.
On the exam, sophomore delegate LaRae Ferguson took first place translating Koine, or common, Greek. Junior Joshua Benjamins took second place in the advanced Latin, and junior Katie Sorensen took second in intermediate Latin. Finally, senior Isaac Fujikawa placed third in Latin prose composition.
When nominations for national officers took place, a member of the Hillsdale chapter nominated Ramsey for both vice-president and secretary. Ramsey gave a short acceptance speech and the attendees of the conference voted her in as grand secretary.
Her role will be to help plan the 2014 conference in Chicago and take accurate minutes during the event.
“Eta Sigma Phi turns 100 years old, so the pressure’s on,” Ramsey said.
She will be in charge of marketing the event, and understands the challenge of getting the word out, but she said she is looking forward to the job.
“I’m super excited about it, and hoping to get our team more involved in convention next year,” she said.
