Last Saturday, on October 17th, the Keck Center hosted the installation ceremony for the Omicron Omega Chapter of the French Honor Society (Pi Delta Phi). The goal of this society is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and its literature among students in the United States, as well as overall academic excellence. The motto of Pi Delta Phi is Probaínomen Diakritoi Philogálatoi which means Avançons, amis fidèles de la culture française (Forward, Faithful Friends of French Culture).
This afternoon was made possible by Professor Hélène Julien and Professor John Gallucci who both underlined the importance of such a society for the students as well as for the university.
President Jill Harsin took part in the ceremony and was able to tell us about her love for French history. She reminisced about her research work digging up archives in France to decipher what the clerks had written about in their cryptic handwritten manuscripts.
Under the direction of Dr. Eileen Angelini, Northeast Vice-President of Pi Delta Phi, the ceremony inducted several new members into Pi Delta Phi’s newest chapter:
Rachel E. Cohen
Elizabeth B. Hein
Matthew R. Miller
Christianna L. Mills
Hope R. Morrison
Mariam Nael
Danielle Elizabeth Norgren
Julia B. Norton
Hang Ren
Dana M. Smith
As well as these Honorary Members :
Jill Harsin
John A. Gallucci
Hélène M. Julien
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to enjoy two performances by some Colgate students of texts that were indirect references to the name of the chapter Omicron Omega and played on the idea of a big/small dichotomy.
First, Romy Zhang read one of Jean de La Fontaine’s fables: “Le Lion et le moucheron” that tells the tale of a battle between a mighty lion and a tiny fly. The morals of the story being that one should fear even the tiniest of enemies and also that one should never boast too much about their victories.
Then, Félix Taube read an extract of Voltaire’s Micromégas, an early work of science fiction in which gigantic aliens living around Saturn and Sirius take pity on the insignificant beings dwelling on planet Earth who seem to think that the entire universe is only meant for mankind.
Overall, this afternoon felt like a truly interesting glimpse into the realm of Honor Societies, which is something that is unknown to the French and seems inherently American.