Clubs

The purpose of Alpha Phi Sigma is to promote analytical thinking, rigorous scholarship and lifelong learning; to keep abreast of the advances in scientific research; to elevate the ethical standards of the criminal justice professions and to sustain in the public mind the benefit and necessity of education and professional training.

The purpose of Tau Zeta Cast of Alpha Psi Omega is to stimulate interest in theatre activities at St. Mary’s University and to secure for the University all the advantages and mutual helpfulness provided by a large national honor society.

Membership is open to all undergraduate students who have completed at least two Drama courses, participated in two consecutive theatre productions or more, and maintained a 3.0 GPA. Further eligibility is determined upon a “point system” in which points are assigned to tasks done in theatre production.

Chi Sigma Iota is the international honor society that was created in 1985 for those working toward developing identities as professional counselors. It was created to promote professionalism and honor among master’s and doctoral students in counseling and counselor education and supervision programs, counselor educators, and professional counselors who are committed to research and service through the counseling profession.

The St. Mary’s University chapter is called Alpha Pi. Joining our local chapter is a great opportunity to get to know your professional peers and to support the community. Most Alpha Pi chapter activities are open to all students in the Counseling programs, but to join Chi Sigma Iota, you must have completed at least one full-time semester of a CACREP or CORE accredited program (at St. Mary’s University, the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Counselor Education and Supervision programs qualify), maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better, and receive a letter of invitation to membership indicating that you meet the high standards of Chi Sigma Iota. If you are interested in joining Chi Sigma Iota or participating in Chi Sigma Iota events, please contact Melanie Harper, Ph.D., Alpha Pi Chapter Faculty Advisor, at mharper@stmarytx.edu or 210-438-6400. More information about Chi Sigma Iota is available online at www.csi-net.org.

The Alpha Pi chapter uses profits from its snack and cold drink vending machine in the department kitchen for conference scholarships, service projects, and Chi Sigma Iota activities, such as initiations and socials.

The purpose of the History Club is to create an academic community to encourage comradery and peer-to-peer support among History majors and those who study history peripherally; to establish a network of professional connections between students, faculty and non-faculty professionals; and to facilitate communication and organization within the History department in order to promote departmental events and news.

For more information, contact Bradley Root, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History at 210-431-8081 or broot@stmarytx.edu.

The International Relations Society of St. Mary’s University is a society of students, both graduate and undergraduate, who study or have an interest in international relations. The primary goal of the International Relations Society is to promote social networking among graduate and undergraduate students and alumni interested in international relations. The International Relations Society provides a forum to share information concerning career opportunities, events and academic programs, as well as to provide mentorship to students interested in entering the field of international relations. The Society will also continuously support and promote the values of St. Mary’s University.

Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association’s official honor society at four-year colleges and universities. LPH has more than 500 active chapters at four-year colleges and universities nationwide. LPH became a part of the National Communication Association in 1988, and the association’s official honor society in July 1995. It is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS). LPH represents what Aristotle described in Rhetoric as three ingredients of persuasion: logos (Lambda), meaning logic; pathos (Pi), relating to emotion; and ethos (Eta), defined as character credibility and ethics.

The Six Goals of Lambda Pi Eta are:

Recognize, foster, and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in Communication Studies
Stimulate interest in the field of Communication
Promote and encourage professional development among Communication majors
Provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of Communication
Establish and maintain closer relationships between faculty and students
Explore options for graduate education in Communication Studies

Mu Phi Epsilon is a co-educational International Professional Music Fraternity. The fraternity is composed of collegiate chapters, alumni chapters and allied members.

The purpose of Mu Phi Epsilon is recognition of scholarship and musicianship and the development of a bond of friendship among its members. It aims for the advancement of music in the community, nation, and world through the promotion of musicianship, scholarship, therapy, and education, with an emphasis on service through music.

The Mission of Mu Phi Epsilon is:

Foster the ideals of service to school and community
Develop an awareness that artistic gifts are to be shared
Promote high scholarship, musicianship, and friendship through service
Provide opportunities for strong artistic and personal abilities

Omicron Delta Epsilon is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies. The objectives of Omicron Delta Epsilon are recognition of scholastic attainment and the honoring of outstanding achievements in economics; the establishment of closer ties between students and faculty in economics within colleges and universities, and among colleges and universities; the publication of its official journal, The American Economist, and sponsoring of panels at professional meetings as well as the Irving Fisher and Frank W. Taussig competitions.

Currently, Omicron Delta Epsilon has 690 chapters worldwide.

The mission of the St. Mary’s University Opera Workshop is to provide an educational, entertaining, and welcoming experience in an environment in which all forms of creativity are expressed and explored. We also provide opportunities for musical and creative enhancement, where work and dedication are greatly rewarded. It is our goal to supply sponsorship to quality performances in the public forum. This shall represent the University’s commitment to the arts, help direct the community’s attention to the arts, and invite them to support, enjoy and be a part of the arts wherever encounters allow.

The student-produced Pecan Grove Review is under the leadership of faculty adviser Refugio “Ito” Romo, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Communication Studies. Students, faculty, staff and alumni submit pieces to the magazine for consideration of publication.

The Pecan Grove Review gives students the opportunity to understand and obtain realistic publishing experience. In 1993, Sister Ann Semel, then-chair of the English and Communication Studies Department, asked faculty member Diane Gonzales Bertrand — now visiting lecturer and writer-in-residence at St. Mary’s — to start a literary magazine.

The Pecan Grove Review’s first staff members were students from Bertrand’s “Intro to the Creative Process” class, and she became its first faculty adviser. The Department of English Literature and Language and the Department of Communication Studies reside within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at St. Mary’s. For more information about the program, contact Refugio “Ito” Romo, Ph.D. at iromo@stmarytx.edu.

Phi Sigma Tau is the International Honor Society in Philosophy. Founded in 1930 and incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1955, the Society now has a network of over 200 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, at both public and private institutions of higher learning. The purpose of Phi Sigma Tau is to encourage interest and activity among students and to promote ties between philosophy departments in accredited institutions. Phi Sigma Tau publishes a journal, Dialogue, for student contributions in all areas of contemporary philosophical research.

The Texas Lambda chapter provides outlets and support for both student and faculty scholarship in philosophical issues through essay workshops, lectures and paper presentations.

Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, is the only honor society for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students of government in the United States.

Founded in 1920, PSA has grown to over 500 chapters on campuses across the country. Pi Sigma Alpha programs for members and chapters include grants for chapter programs, scholarships for graduate study, best graduate and undergraduate student paper awards, and best chapter and best chapter advisor awards. Pi Sigma Alpha programs for the profession include best paper awards for the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association and the regional political science associations, and lectures by public figures or journalists at the APSA, regional, and state association meetings.

Psi Chi is an international honor society whose purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology.

The purpose of the Psychology Club is to cater to students within all majors and academics, to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence of students and contribute to the community through volunteer service and fundraising.

The purpose of Student Educators Association for Dynamic Leadership (SEAL) is to discuss subjects of educational, social and cultural natures; to have input on activities, courses and staff in strengthening the degree of Elementary and Secondary Education; to inform the student body, faculty, and administration on subjects of concern to Education majors and minors, and teacher certification candidates; to encourage educational and professional growth of members; to encourage activities on and off campus designed as laboratories for learning and to broaden avenues for careers; to assist the Education Department in sponsoring on-campus activities, speakers, programs, etc., wherein the student body of St. Mary’s be exposed to diverse philosophies and topics based on equal treatment; to assist the endeavors and efforts of the Education Department; to serve as ambassadors for the Education Department; and to serve the community with the values that coincide with the Marianist tradition.

For more information, contact stmuseal@gmail.com or 210-436-3121.

Sigma Tau Delta is an English honor society for students, established in 1924 to confer distinction for high achievement in English language, literature and writing. Sigma Tau Delta is dedicated to fostering literacy and all aspects of the discipline of English. It is the second-largest member of the Association of College Honor Societies, with more than 880 local chapters in the U.S. and abroad.

Stage productions by St. Mary’s students go way back in our history, at least to 1895, as documented in our archives, including old Rattler newspapers, performances by groups called The Mission Players, The Cameo Players, The St. Mary’s Theatre Guild, St. Mary’s Drama Club and The Shoestring Players. Visit the StMU Theatre page or Bernadette Hamilton-Brady, M.F.A., for more information including upcoming performances.

The purpose of the Student Band Committee is to provide a creative, structured outlet and collaborate for the enhancement of both membership and participation in the instrumental ensembles. We offer the student body a different outlet through the common interest of music and the ability to interact with Music majors, Music minors and fellow participants. We musically represent St. Mary’s University and reinforce the University’s commitment to the arts.

The Texas Regional Ethics Bowl is an annual event hosted by St. Mary’s University at which teams from different universities compete in a debate-like style over ethically provocative cases.

National competition. The Texas Regional Ethics Bowl (TREB) is a qualifying event for the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (the national ethics bowl), sponsored by the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Selection for the national bowl. As usual, the top four teams of the TREB will receive a trophy. The regional bowl’s arrangement with IIT works this way: Our regional event will have a number of places determined by the total number of teams competing in regional bowls around the country. Ten regional bowls mean that we may get to send four teams or we may only get to send three. We won’t know for sure until after the completion of all the separate bowls. The top three (or four) schools from our event (not the top three teams) will receive an invitation to send one team each to the national event. Schools that have two or more winning teams only receive a single invitation. If a school with a winning team declines to accept the invitation, it passes down the list again. To make matters more complex, teams may receive “undistributed places” at the national event. That is, after the national organizers distribute the guaranteed places, they sometimes end up with a few left over. They then fill those places with runner-up teams from regional events. Therefore, even if a team does not win one of the top three places, it may still find itself invited to compete nationally.

Seven cases, written by a committee, will be available in September for use by all regional events.

For more information, contact Andrew Brei, Ph.D., Director of the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl and the Center for Professional Ethics at 210-436-3073 or abrei@stmarytx.edu.