About Ars Sapientiae

Ars Sapientiae is Latin for "The Art of Wisdom". As stated in our constitution, the purpose and aim of the Society is to promote literature, debate, dialogue, and the liberal arts.

Our Mission

We are a literary and debate society that seeks to promote literature, debate, dialogue, and the liberal arts. We hold weekly book discussions and lectures. Periodically, we also host guest speakers.

In our book discussions we go through classic works that you might find in collections like The Harvard Classics or UChicago's Core. The lectures are an opportunity to go in depth into liberal arts topics with an instructor. In our guest speaker series, we seek to bring subject matter experts from Lehigh and beyond to speak to the Society on a wide variety of topics.

Our Structure

The Council of Elders

The Council of Elders consists of five positions:

• Princeps – presides over all meetings and conducts all official organizational business, including elections and voting processes. Additionally, he is in charge of all communications internal and external.
• Magister – plans and presides over all lecture meetings, including the selection and/or approval of guest speakers.
• Quaestor – keeps official records and is responsible for keeping accurate records of all financial matters and collecting dues.
• Pontiff – conducts all official organizational business when the Princeps assigns him to do so, or in the Princeps's absence. Additionally, he ensures that all meetings are run in accordance with the Lex Societatis. Additionally, he is responsible for branding and merchandise. Additionally, he assists the Quaestor in record-keeping.
• Tribune – leads all recruitment efforts and generally works to assure the satisfaction of the Plebian members of the Society.

The Senate

The Senate consists of:

• The Council of Elders
• The Senators

Plebian members may be promoted to Senator at the discretion of the Council of Elders through various methods including interviews, test batteries, and attendance data.

The General Body

The General Body of the Society consists of all Plebian Members. Senatorial membership and Plebeian membership are mutually exclusive.

Our Events

We hold two kinds of regular meetings:

• Lecture – led by the Magister
• Oration – led by the Consul

Additional meetings are held as needed, such as when guest speakers are scheduled, at the discretion of the Council of Elders.

Join Us

According to our constitution, general membership in the Society is open to any Lehigh University student in good standing with the University who subscribes to the ideals and policies of the Society and University.