Eta Sigma Phi
Eta Sigma Phi is a national honor society for students of Latin and Greek. Founded in 1914 at the University of Chicago, it now has nearly two hundred chapters on college and university campuses across the United States. Nationally, Eta Sigma Phi sponsors meetings, scholarships, and other activities that support the study of classical civilization.
The University of California, Davis, chapter, Eta Mu, was founded in 2000 under the aegis of Charlayne Allen, who taught in the Classics program from 1990 to 2005, when she retired.
Undergraduate students who have successfully completed three quarters of Latin or Greek language study are invited to join the Chapter each spring, and those who accept are initiated in a ceremony in late April or early May. Currently, at UC Davis, the officers of the Classical Studies Association also serve as officers of Eta Mu and the faculty sponsor is John Rundin.
Maurine Dallas Watkins Translation Contests
Our local chapter, Eta Mu, also administers the Maurine Dallas Watkins Translation Contests, national competitions in Greek and Latin translation sponsored annually by Eta Sigma Phi. There are six competitions: intermediate and advanced Latin to English; intermediate and advanced Greek to English; Koine Greek to English; and English to Latin prose. Davis has participated in every year since its Chapter was first established.
The following UC Davis students have won honors in the Maurine Dallas Watkins Translation Contests:
2001:
Briana Fortenbach, Third Place in Advanced Latin
2002:
Andrew Ruis, Honorable Mention in Advanced Greek
2003:
David Devore, First Place in Koine Greek
2004:
Kenji Yamada, Third Place in Latin Composition
2005:
Nicholas Hogan, First Place in Intermediate Latin
Jeffrey Feland, First Place in Koine Greek, Third Place in Intermediate Latin
2006:
Jeffrey Feland, Third Place in Koine Greek
2007:
David Spencer and Genviève Burns, Tie for Third Place in Intermediate Greek
2008:
Tyler Fyotek, Third Place in Intermediate Greek
David Spencer, Second Place for Koine Greek
Deepti Menon, Honorable Mention in Intermediate Latin
2009:
Zoë Stachel, Second Place in Intermediate Greek
Scott Sorenson: Honorable Mention in Latin Prose Composition
Watch our Students Perform!