Sigma Delta Pi
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Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica), was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California at Berkeley. Its insignia is the royal seal of Fernando and Isabel, representing Castille, León and Aragón. The Society's colors are red and gold and its flower is the red carnation.
Sigma Delta Pi currently has over 594 chapters, 368 of these are considered active—a chapter that holds at least one induction of new members during a three-year period.
There are three classes of membership in Sigma Delta Pi: active, alumnus and honorary. Election to the Order of the Discoverers and/or the Order of Don Quijote constitutes two other categories of membership, both of which are considered prestigious and above the three aforementioned categories of membership. Also, whereas active and honorary membership candidates are screened only by the local chapter, candidates for the Orders must be nominated through the national headquarters.
Student members are invited to join based on the basis of superior academic achievement in strict accordance with the criteria set forth by the Association of College Honor Societies.
The Society has a National President, an Executive Director, and five Regional Vice Presidents. All but the Executive Director and the Executive Committee Member-at-Large are nominated and elected by the active chapter members. The Society is governed by an Executive Council consisting of the seven aforementioned officials, the Immediate Past President, the Presidents Emeriti and the Executive Committee Member-at-Large.
Each active chapter is required to have a faculty sponsor responsible for overseeing the activities of the chapter. Also, each chapter is encouraged to elect student officers to assist with the direction of the chapter.
Many of the society's members are Hispanic or Latino, but the majority are non-Hispanic students of the Spanish language and literature.
In 2013, the National Executive Committee sanctioned the society's first alumnus chapter in over 50 years affiliated with the Chi Chapter of the University of South Carolina. Alumnus members from all chapters of Sigma Delta Pi are invited to join.