By: Conor Lowery (lowecp29@uwgb.edu) and Elliot Kwitek (kwitem17@uwgb.edu)
Sigma Tau Delta President Jeremy Thompson stepped onto stage dressed as a pirate, as did two other members of the organization. This was the beginning of Sigma Tau Delta’s Open Mic Night at 5:00PM on April 11. Sigma Tau Delta is UWGB’s chapter of a national English Honors Society. The first piece of the night was a rendition of “The Wellerman,” an old sailing shanty that gained popularity among college-aged American citizens through a TikTok trend during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next was a rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s 1980s rock hit “Holding Out For A Hero.” The next was one of Jeremy Thompson’s poems, titled “The Tower of Chronos.” After another student provided a reading of their poetry, Sigma Tau Delta played Radio GBX during a transitional period. The next was two students’ covers of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Thompson returned to the stage for a rendition of “Joli Rouge” by The Dreadnoughts, requesting audience participation during parts of what he called an unconventional sea shanty.
After a temporary pause, a student stood onstage and read the prologue of their fantasy fiction piece, the name of which was not disclosed to the audience. Another student continued the trend by reading a story they had written called “Crashing Tides.”
The Sigma Tau Delta Open Mic Night was not particularly eventful; few students stepped up to present their pieces. It provided a marked contrast against events like Sigma Tau Delta’s Celebration of Thought and Beauty, an event that saw a large degree of student output. Anonymous students located in the Common Grounds Coffeehouse cited the Open Mic Night’s proximity in time to the GB Nites event as a reason to not participate as well as simple stage fright. Sigma Tau Delta has run a number of these events over the course of years. Participation has proven inconsistent.
Jeremy Thompson, President of Sigma Tau Delta, had this to say about the event: “I would have loved to see more people there. I feel like people were nervous and that’s okay; it’s hard, expressing yourself. For the people who did go up on stage, it was fantastic. I think it was very successful.” Thompson expressed further that he believed that Sigma Tau Delta had a number of successful events in the past year and have participated a lot on UWGB campus. “Frankly, we’ve been doing a lot! As of right now, we are a very community-based organization trying to elevate the voices of the community.” Thompson followed up on his motives as leader of Sigma Tau Delta: “It’s all about giving a platform for people to express what they’re doing.” Sigma Tau Delta’s Open Mic Night may not have seen a significant participation on this Open Mic Night, but others have been considerably more populated.
In the 2024-2025 academic year, Thompson cited a number of events he perceived as significant successes. “We’ve had a lot of events,” said Thompson. When asked about the most successful of 2025, Thompson responded: “This year, definitely our English Professor Social. There’s food, professors are awesome. I think we’ve got a great English community.” He then mentioned the success of an event from 2024: “All year, Fall’s Celebration of Thought and Beauty. I wasn’t here, I was in the hospital, but I heard there were a lot of faces and a lot of great performances.” Thompson was not at the Celebration of Thought and Beauty in 2024 due to suffering an injury and being hospitalized. The 2025 Celebration of Thought and Beauty sees its doors open at 5:00PM on May 2nd.
Thompson then outlined the organization’s plans to advertise itself: “It’s what we’re doing right now, sitting at this table every Tuesday. We’ve been working toward collaborating with other clubs, getting involved with other orgs, and getting involved with the University Union.” Thompson was, at the time, advertising Sigma Tau Delta outside the Social House dining area.
The future plans of Sigma Tau Delta are broad but firm, Thompon says:
“Definitely being a bridge between a lot of things, frankly. I know that in the time I am spending here, I want people on this campus getting excited for the National Honors Society that happens yearly. I also want people excited about the literary arts. I know that in my time as president of Sigma Tau Delta, I want to really increase the visibility of Sigma Tau Delta as a platform for the community.”
Sigma Tau Delta will be inducting its Honors Society members on Friday, May 9 at 5:00PM. This ceremony will be its final event for the 2024-2025 semester.