Sigma Tau Delta sells used books, raises money for annual conference
“It grew from just one bag of books to this, which is very exciting,” said President of Sigma Tau Delta and Flatrock senior Keith Guyot.
Members of Sigma Tau Delta sat behind a table with stacks of books gathered around them in the lower level of the Bovee University Center as students stopped by to search through the piles, with books priced as low as $1.
“I don’t think paper books will ever be fully replaced,” Guyot said. “There is just something about the smell of old books and holding the book in your hand; seeing the progress that you have made.”
Guyot and other board members of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, put together this fundraiser to help raise money for their annual English Conference.
“It’s super cheap and people love books,” Guyot said.
He said they started with a small tub of books in the English office and it began to grow over weeks into more than 1,500 books.
“I thought it was an awesome idea, and I had a co-worker back home who donated over 500 books alone,” said Birdie MacDonald, Vice President of Sigma Tau Delta and Farmington Hills senior. “All of our friends and family donated too, so it was very easy to collect the books.”
Jared Seymour, treasurer of Sigma Tau Delta and Ludington junior, said he did not know what to expect out of the fundraiser, but he wanted to give it a try.
“I was a little uncertain, because we had never done this before, but it sounded like a good idea,” Seymour said. “I am more than surprised to see how much support we have gotten.”
The members of Sigma Tau Delta sold books in front of the Down Under Café in the University Center from Tuesday until Thursday and raised more than $650 dollars.
MacDonald said this fundraiser was a lot of hard work, but it paid off because they have raised enough money to pay for their trip.
“It’s a huge resume-builder, having your stuff read in a professional conference in front of hundreds of theorists, comrades and professors,” MacDonald said.
The Sigma Tau Delta English Conference is one of the most important and anticipated events for the fraternity, Guyot said.
“We are presenting research, panels and there are workshops,” Guyot said. “My favorite part is seeing the outlook of others from around the world.”
Guyot said the conference will be held in New Orleans from Feb. 29 to March 3.
“It’s a great learning opportunity and everyone has unique perspectives,” Seymour said. “We are all nerds here, and we are just going to geek out.”
Guyot said the conference is a better learning experience than a classroom.
“It is such a momentous event and it is amazing to see what you learn in (that) short amount of days,” Guyot said. “People learn more than they do in classes, and it comes back to the community here.”
