Spanish

La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society

The UT Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi

Founded at the University of California Berkeley on November 14, 1919 by a graduate student named Ruth Barnes, Sigma Delta Pi, La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica/National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, is the largest foreign language honor society for college students in the U.S. with nearly 600 chapters nationwide. The Society’s insignia is the Spanish royal seal of Fernando and Isabel, representing Castille, León and Aragón; its colors are red and yellow gold, its flower is the red carnation, and its motto is the Greek phrase “Spanías Didagéi Proágomen” meaning “Let’s go/continue forth under the teaching/guidance of the Spanish language.”

Membership Requirements (Undergraduate Students)

Completion of at least three semesters of college course work.
Completion of at least 18 semester hours of college-level Spanish or the equivalent, including at least three semester hours of a third-year literature or civilization and culture course (i.e. 300-level or higher) at the University of Tennessee.
A grade average of B or better in all college-level Spanish courses completed.
A cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better in all college courses completed.

Membership Requirements (Graduate Students)

Completion of at least two graduate courses in Spanish with an average that supports eligibility for a graduate degree.

Member Benefits

Association with the only honor society devoted exclusively to students of Spanish in four-year colleges and universities, the largest foreign-language honor society in existence (over 180,000 members) and one of the elite as attested by its membership in the Association of College Honor Societies, the nation’s only certifying agency for college and university honor societies.
Exclusive access to Sigma Delta Pi’s undergraduate study abroad awards (19 available in 2014) for study in Spanish-speaking countries.
Graduate students may apply for research grants.
Active and ambitious student members may apply as a chapter for Chapter Project Grants to help finance their group’s activities that complement the mission of Sigma Delta Pi.
Bolstered credentials for any professional field, including business. For example, see the Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions at the website of the United States Office of Personnel Management.
Distinctive student honors such as the Gabriela Mistral Award, available to one outstanding member per chapter annually, and the Mario Vargas Llosa Award, a joint Sigma Delta Pi-AATSP recognition granted yearly to one outstanding, undergraduate student major or minor of Spanish.
Leadership opportunities through election to chapter offices and the direction of various chapter projects (see handbook for ideas) that may result in such national distinctions as the Honor Chapter award, the Premio Ignacio y Sophie Galbis , the Premio Fénix, and the Premio Frida Kahlo.
Special rates on insurance through Geico.
An enhanced résumé afforded by serving as an active chapter officer: organizational leadership and initiative are attractive qualities to prospective employers.
Supportive network of regional and national officers to provide guidance for chapter activities and Society-related issues.
Available awards for outstanding faculty of Hispanic Studies or members of one’s local community who have made exceptional efforts in furthering Sigma Delta Pi’s mission.
Closer association with students of similar interests and out-of-class interaction with members of faculty.
Opportunities to participate and/or present in Sigma Delta Pi’s annual sessions, held in conjunction with the AATSP and the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, and the triennial convention, held during the meeting of the AATSP.