Hillsdale College Students Deliver Papers at National Classics Conferences
Several students won national recognition for their Classics accomplishments.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College Classics students delivered papers at two Classics conferences in March and earned several honors.
“Hillsdale’s liberal arts curriculum prepares them to engage thoughtfully with the foundational texts of Western civilization.”
“Our students have done outstanding work,” said Joshua Benjamins, visiting assistant professor of Classics and advisor to Hillsdale’s chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics honorary. “Hillsdale’s liberal arts curriculum prepares them to engage thoughtfully with the foundational texts of Western civilization, and it is exciting to see what they are accomplishing even as undergraduates.”
At the Eta Sigma Phi National Convention, held March 14-16 at St. Olaf College, two students delivered papers, and both received national honors. Zachary Chen ’27 delivered a paper titled “The ‘Iliad’ or the Poem of Gentleness: Μειλιχία, Memory, and Moments of Illumination in Homer’s ‘Iliad,’” which was chosen as the best paper of the convention. Chen was also elected as the Megale Grammateus (National Secretary) of Eta Sigma Phi for 2025-2026. Jonathan Rolfe ’25 delivered a paper titled “‘Medicator Mentium’: Philosophical Disagreements in the ‘Medicus’ Metaphors of Seneca and Boethius.” Rolfe also won first place in the Greek Declamation Contest for the fourth time.
At the Annual CAMWS (Classical Association of the Middle West and South) Meeting held March 19-22 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, three students delivered papers, and one won an award. Chen delivered a paper titled “‘Sana quippe ratio etiam exemplis anteponenda est’: ‘Exempla,’ ‘ratio,’ and reforming moral education in Seneca the Younger and Augustine of Hippo,” which won the outstanding undergraduate paper award. Rolfe delivered a paper titled “Socrates, True Student of the Poets: Homer and Hesiod in Plato’s ‘Ion.’” Maya Toman ’25 delivered a paper entitled “‘Dum Conderet Requiem’: The Foundation of Rome and the Death of Turnus in Augustine’s ‘Confessions.’”
“I am very proud of our students,” said Carl Young, chairman and associate professor of Classics. “This is a testament to both the hard work that our students have put in to excel at Greek and Latin and the dedication and commitment of my colleagues in the Classics department to help our students achieve their highest potential.”
For headshots of the students, click here. For photos from Classics courses at Hillsdale, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.