Zeta Tau Holds Annual Booksgiving Event
Zeta Tau hosted its annual Booksgiving at its faculty advisor’s home Nov. 16 for members to come together in community and enjoy a meal prepared by the honor society’s officers.
Zeta Tau is Liberty University’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. According to faculty advisor Carolyn Towles, who is also an assistant professor of English, Zeta Tau provides its members with the ability to attend conferences and apply for internships that advance careers. The honor society is also a great “sounding board for being in leadership.”
Towles said she opens up her home every year for the members to have an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company off campus.
Zeta Tau officers arrived at Towles’ home around 3 p.m. to cook and bake all the food for the event’s Thanksgiving meal. While some officers made mashed potatoes, stuffing and salad, others baked cinnamon rolls, pumpkin cake and pumpkin pie. By 5 p.m., the dining
table was completely covered with homemade food.
Senior Emma Heagney, an officer of Zeta Tau, said she loves being behind the scenes of the events Zeta Tau hosts.
“I love hospitality and enjoy being able to influence how an event is run,” Heagney said. “Baking, cooking and hosting are how I show other people love.”
Nathan Valle, an assistant professor of English, will be taking over Towles’ position as Zeta Tau’s faculty advisor in Fall 2025. Once all the members arrived at the event, Valle led the group in prayer before everyone sat down to enjoy the meal. Zeta Tau members then filled their plates before making their way into the living room to get to know and hang out with one another.
Junior Audra Horton, an officer of Zeta Tau, said the community that Zeta Tau provides has been one of the greatest blessings in her life.
“With Sigma Tau, I’ve been able to get close with many people from the English department and grow long lasting friendships,” Horton said. “This group of people has been the greatest blessing in my life.”
Junior Alvaro Larrea, an officer of Zeta Tau, agreed that the community is one of the best parts of being plugged in with Zeta Tau.
“College can be a hard place to make meaningful connections with others, but organizations and societies like Sigma Tau are an amazing way to get plugged in with like-minded people,” Larrea said. “Without Sigma Tau, I don’t think I would’ve met the people that are now some of my greatest friends.”
Around 6 p.m., the actual Booksgiving part of the event began. This was run similarly to the game of White Elephant, in which each person drew a number from a bowl and picked what book to unwrap from the collective pile. The unwrapped books were able to be stolen three times before being locked in with whoever made the final steal.
Some of the favorite books unwrapped included “The Scarlet Letter,” “The Canterbury Tales,” and a graphic novel edition of “Hamlet.” Horton jumped for joy when she unwrapped the graphic novel “Hamlet” after her original book was stolen. Towles laughed when she opened up a collection of five “Little Golden Books,” one of which was titled “Elton John.”
Junior Rylee Garman enjoyed being able to spend time with the other members at the event.
“I loved getting to spend time with other Sigma Tau members who have similar interests as I do. I also loved the delicious food, and I’d never pass up a free book,” Garman said.
Members began to depart from Towles’ home around 8 p.m. while the officers stayed behind to clean up. A total of 36 people were present at the event, which was the highest attendance for Zeta Tau’s events this semester. Zeta Tau’s next event will be its White Elephant gift exchange Dec. 3. For more information, visit @lu_sigmatau on Instagram or
www.liberty.edu/arts-sciences/english/sigma-tau-delta/zeta-tau.
Sturek is the campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.
