Zeta Tau Alpha
| Zeta Tau Alpha | |
|---|---|
| ΖΤΑ | |
 | |
| Founded | October 15, 1898 (1898-10-15) State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) Farmville, Virginia |
| Type | Social |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | Seek the Noblest |
| Colors | Turquoise blue steel gray |
| Symbol | Five-pointed Crown (primary), Strawberry (secondary) |
| Flower | White Violet |
| Patron Greek divinity | Themis |
| Publication | "Themis" |
| Philanthropy | Breast cancer education and awareness |
| Chapters | 172 active collegiate chapters and 238 alumnae chapters |
| Members | 257,000 lifetime |
| Headquarters | 1036 S. Rangeline Road Carmel, Indiana United States |
| Website | zetataualpha.org |
Zeta Tau Alpha (known as ZTA or Zeta) is an international women's fraternity.
The fraternity was founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia.[1] its International Office is located in Carmel, Indiana. It is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and currently has with more than 257,000 initiated members.
Contents
1 History
2 Philanthropy
3 Symbols
4 Membership
4.1 Fraternity operations
4.2 Notable members
4.3 Chapters
5 References
6 External links
History
This women's fraternity was founded in 1898 at the State Female Normal School, now Longwood University, in Farmville, Virginia and is a part of the "Farmville Four." The "Farmville Four" refers to the four women's fraternities founded at the school, Alpha Sigma Alpha (1901), Kappa Delta (1897), Sigma Sigma Sigma (1898), and Zeta Tau Alpha (1898).[2]
The sorority's founding sisters were Maud Jones Horner, Della Lewis Hundley, Alice Bland Coleman, Mary Campbell Jones Batte, Alice Grey Welsh, Ethel Coleman Van Name, Helen May Crafford, Frances Yancey Smith, and Ruby Leigh Orgain.[3]
Philanthropy
The Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation (known as the ZTA Foundation) was established in 1954. It currently has partnerships with the American Cancer Society, in which the Foundation is the National Survivor Ambassador of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; the National Football League (partnership established in 1999), for which the Foundation distributes pink ribbons as part of the NFL's "A Crucial Catch" campaign; and Bright Pink, in which the Brighten Up Educational Workshop is brought to each collegiate chapter.[1] Notable past partners include the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which the Foundation partnered with from 1992 to 2015.
Zeta Tau Alpha has copyrighted the phrase "Think Pink," which is a registered trademark of ZTA with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[4] Since then, this term has become the umbrella theme for all of their breast cancer education and awareness projects.[5]
Symbols
The founders chose the colors, the flower, and the motto of Zeta Tau Alpha to represent the fraternity.[3] The five-pointed crown is the primary official symbol of the fraternity.[3] The strawberry is a secondary symbol after the crown.[3] The white violet is the official flower of ZTA,[3] and the official colors are turquoise blue and steel gray.[3] ZTA has no official jewel or gemstone.
In addition, the founders chose Themis in 1903 as their patron goddess to represent the fraternity. Today, Themis is also the name of ZTA's quarterly magazine which features collegiate and alumnae chapter news, photos and achievements.[6]
The fraternity's open motto is "Seek the Noblest."[7]
Membership
Zeta Tau Alpha has 254 collegiate chapters as of January 2018. There are 172 active collegiate chapters and 238 active alumnae chapters. There are alumnae chapters across the United States and a virtual alumnae chapter, ZTAlways.[7] As an alumna, a woman is still considered a member of ZTA.
Fraternity operations
"ZTA has 150 volunteer National Officers and more than 2,000 additional volunteers working at the local level. These women are helped by a professional staff of 36 at International Office".[3]
In the 2010–2012 biennium, the ZTA Foundation raised $6 million that went toward scholarships for 482 members, promoted the Zeta Tau Alpha philanthropy, developed leadership opportunities, and educated members on important women's issues.[8]
Notable members
Sarah Rose Summers (Gamma Psi) - Miss USA 2018
Virginia Shehee (Beta Iota) – Member of the Louisiana State Senate, 1976–1980; Shreveport businesswoman and philanthropist[9]
Brigadier General Margaret A. Brewer, U.S.M.C. (Alpha Gamma) – First woman general officer of the United States Marine Corps[10]
Dr. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (Beta Gamma) – First woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in music and receive a doctorate in music composition from Juilliard[10]
Lynda Bird Johnson Robb (Kappa) – Daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of Charles Robb[10]
Betty Buckley (Gamma Psi) – Tony Award winning theater, film, and television actress (Cats, Eight is Enough, Tender Mercies)[10]
Phyllis George (Gamma Phi) – Miss America 1971, Emmy Award winning television host, network television's first woman sportscaster, author, former First Lady of Kentucky[10]
Cheri Daniels (Alpha Xi) – Wife of former Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels[11]
Faith Daniels (Theta) – News personality (48 Hours, Sunday Morning, The Today Show, CBS Morning News)[10]
Susan Elizabeth Ford Bales (Alpha Upsilon) – Daughter of President Gerald Ford, spokesperson for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,[10] former chair of the board of the Betty Ford Center
Deborah Platt Majoras (Delta Omega) – Former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission,[10]chief legal officer and Secretary of Procter and Gamble
Shonda Schilling (Iota Delta) – Founder of the Curt and Shonda Schilling Melanoma Foundation of America, author, wife of Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling[10]
Betty Nguyen (Kappa) – CNN journalist,[12] anchor for CBS Morning News and contributor for The Early Show
Nicole Paggi (Theta Psi) – Actress[10]
Erin Andrews (Gamma Iota) – ESPN reporter and host of Fox College Football for Fox Sports[10]
Brittany Toll (Beta Nu) – Former Miss New Mexico USA, top 16 finalist at Miss USA, and "Fan Favorite" and former Miss New Mexico Teen USA[13]
Laura Rutledge (Gamma Iota) – 2012 Miss Florida; finalist in 2013 Miss America pageant[14]
MerrieBeth Cox (Alpha Theta) – 2012 Miss Indiana; finalist in 2013 Miss America pageant.[14]
Tiffany Maher (Eta Kappa) – Female runner-up on U.S. Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance[15]
Maddie Gardner (Theta Tau) – 2 time gold medalist at the All-Star Cheerleading World Championship[16]
Chapters
References
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^ "Kappa Delta". San Jose University. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
^ abcdefg Zeta Tau Alpha. New Member Workbook. Indianapolis, IN. Zeta Tau Alpha International Office, 2007.
^ "National Philanthropy". www.wcupa.org. Group Interactive Networks (GIN). Retrieved October 28, 2016.
^ Template:Cite webn
^ "Symbols". Zeta Tau Alpha Official Website. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
^ ab "ZTA international website". ZTA international website.
^ 2010–2012 Biennial Report. Zeta Tau Alpha. 2012.
^ "Virginia Ruth Kilpatrick Shehee". The Shreveport Times. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
^ abcdefghijk "Notable Zetas". Zeta Tau Alpha. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
^ "The heart of a healthy lifestyle". Themis. Winter 2013.
^ Fontenot, Rebecca (2008). "Word-Perfect". Texas Exes. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
^ Sanchez, Lorena (June 19, 2011). "Miss NM Brittany Toll out after swimsuit competition". El Paso Times.
^ ab "Wearing another crown: Miss Florida and Miss Indiana". Zeta Tau Alpha official site. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
^ "Tiffany Maher dances her way into the finals". Zeta Tau Alpha official site. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
^ "Officers". University of North Carolina ZTA. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
External links
- Zeta Tau Alpha's official website
