By Olivia Bettencourt/Staff Writer

Not many students know much about Missouri Valley College’s official academic journal and English honor society: The Purple Patch and Sigma Tau Delta.

The Purple Patch is an annual literary journal that features all kinds of student work: artwork, essays, poems, prose, and many more. There are two deadlines every year, one in the fall and the other in the spring, for students to submit their work for selection.

“The email is always open so you can always submit work,” said senior and vice president of Sigma Tau Delta Eva Agcaoili. She adds that the team picks and selects entries submitted after the deadline for the next following edition of the Purple Patch.

The year’s edition is free for everyone. There are physical and digital copies. The team hands out physical copies of the journal at the research symposium, the student involvement fair, and orientation weekend. All editions of the Purple Patch are on the MoVal website.

Overseen by advisor Dr. Claire Schmidt, the Purple Patch journal is selected, created, and edited by student members of the Sigma Tau Delta board. A question that many students also ask is: what exactly is Sigma Tau Delta?

Established in 1924, Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society. According to Agcaoili, students must have a specific GPA and be an English major or minor to join the program. Students can also have two extra English classes outside the graduation requirements. 

“If you’re an English major or minor, or just taking more English classes for fun, you should join Sigma Tau Delta,” said junior and editor and chief of the Purple Patch Mariona Bolao. “It’s such a fun experience.”

Along with being a part of the Purple Patch, there are many more fun activities for being a member of Sigma Tau Delta, including a trip to the annual Sigma Tau Delta international convention. The convention is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate schools to present their work at a professional level. 

“It’s super cool,” Bolao said. “Being with a bunch of other English majors makes you feel at home.”

Other perks of being a part of Sigma Tau Delta include academic recognition, scholarships, internship opportunities, and career advancements.