Classics Students Attend Convention of Eta Sigma Phi

Six classics students and their co-advisor, Bridget Thomas, professor of classics, recently attended the 97th Annual Convention of Eta Sigma Phi, the national collegiate honor society for the study of classics. The weekend-long event took place at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, March 14-16.

Students at the convention competed in “Certamen,” classics quiz bowl, participated in business meetings, listened to student papers, participated in Greek and Latin declamation contests, learned about epigraphy, watched a student performance of a Satyr play and competed in elections for national offices.

Truman won top prize for “Certamen.” The team included Alexandra Thornhill, classics and linguistics; Arreya Shaw, history and classical studies minor; Jacob Whitely, classics and history; and Hannah Struck, classics. Their prizes were new translations of Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” Vergil’s “Aeneid” and Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.”

Shaw served as “Megale Hyparchos,” national vice president, for 2024-2025. She presided over the meeting, as necessary, and presented the new chapters report. She also was a member of the winning team for the costume contest “Sacks of Rome.”

Five of the six students participated in the resolutions committee, a highlight of every convention. This group included Stef Maricic, classics and museum studies minor, and Naomi Quedensley, history and classical studies minor, as well as Thornhill, Whitely and Struck.

Thomas agreed to serve another three-year term as a trustee of this national organization.

Truman was also chosen as the site of next year’s convention.