Reconnecting Through Bulletin Boards
Throughout the second floor of Taylor Hall are bulletin boards dedicated to different parts of the English Department. They usually weren’t much to look at. Most were plastered with flyers for events from 2013, old yellowed newspapers with literary articles, or publications from faculty who no longer teach at Arcadia. They were beyond in need of updating.
Bulletin board in Taylor Hall before.
To the rescue came Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honor Society. This year, I serve on the officer’s board as treasurer. One project we all decided to put our efforts behind was redesigning Sigma Tau Delta’s dedicated bulletin board. When some of the faculty heard our plan, they approached us with a request to take on all the boards. We accepted without hesitation. We’ve teamed up with the graduate assistant for the Creative Writing M.F.A. program to clear out the outdated postings on the boards and make them more relevant to current department happenings.
One major improvement is that the boards now display information on new student clubs. For example, The Writer’s Bloc is a student writing club that was started during the 2020-21 academic year. With the reorganization of the hall, we’ve been able to dedicate a board to their club. They can use it to share student work from meetings, as well as information about club events and resources for students to use.
We’re hoping this update can also open new opportunities for student-faculty collaboration. After all, the students are just as much a part of the department as our professors.
– Brigid Whelihan
The student literary magazine Quiddity also has a new board. This gives them a dedicated space to share information about publications and contests that they host. Sigma Tau Delta is doing the initial change, but then the boards will be free for students who are a part of the clubs to use however their club wants. Meeting with peers is a great chance to share your interests and studies with other English majors, but also with anyone outside of the department who wants to participate. The boards are also a great way to see what these clubs are doing and join throughout the semester. It reminds me of a year-round Activities Fair, which takes away some of the pressure from joining right away. It also helps students like me who have class during typical meeting times stay caught up with what clubs are doing.
Bulletin board in Taylor Hall today.
Several English majors have already submitted to be featured in the different student highlights on boards. We’re hoping this update can also open new opportunities for student-faculty collaboration. After all, the students are just as much a part of the department as our professors.It’s been a great effort of teamwork from the five of us responsible, alongside faculty and other students. Everyone has enjoyed working together to showcase what makes the English Department at Arcadia so great (I promise English majors aren’t as stuffy as you might think!).
This project has brought Taylor Hall back to life after such a stagnant past three semesters. With the return to campus is the return to campus life, and I’m glad to be a part of the effort to get everyone reconnected again.
