Zeta Tau Alpha (???) (known as ZTA or Zeta) is an international women's fraternity, founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. International Office is located in Carmel, Indiana. Zeta Tau Alpha is the second largest group in the National Panhellenic Conference with more than 257,000 initiated members.
Video Zeta Tau Alpha
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).
ZTA's founding sisters, known as the "Founders":
- Maud Jones Horner (Died August 20, 1920)
- Della Lewis Hundley (Died July 12, 1951)
- Alice Bland Coleman (Died June 11, 1956)
- Mary Campbell Jones Batte (Died December 3, 1957)
- Alice Grey Welsh (Died June 21, 1960)
- Ethel Coleman Van Name (Died January 24, 1964)
- Helen May Crafford (Died September 17, 1964)
- Frances Yancey Smith (Died April 23, 1977)
- Ruby Leigh Orgain (Died October 22, 1984)
Maps Zeta Tau Alpha
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 ZTA Foundation is the National Survivor Ambassador of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; the National Football League (partnership established in 1999), for which the ZTA 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. Notable past partners include the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which the ZTA 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. Since then, this term has become the umbrella theme for all of their breast cancer education and awareness projects.
Symbols
The Founders chose the colors, the flower, and the motto of Zeta Tau Alpha to represent the fraternity. The five-pointed crown is the primary official symbol of the fraternity. The strawberry is a secondary symbol after the crown. The white violet is the official flower of ZTA, and the official colors are turquoise blue and steel gray. 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.
Membership
Zeta Tau Alpha has 254 collegiate chapters as of January 2018. There are 171 active collegiate chapters and 238 active alumnae chapters. There are alumnae chapters in many cities and regions in the United States and a virtual alumnae chapter, ZTAlways.
Even as an alumna, a woman is always considered a part of ZTA. Current members of ZTA are referred to as Zetas, and the sorority is commonly shortened to Zeta or ZTA, opting for the English spelling, rather than the Greek letters. Their open motto is "Seek the Noblest."
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".
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.
Notable members
- Virginia Shehee (Beta Iota) - Member of the Louisiana State Senate, 1976-1980; Shreveport businesswoman and philanthropist
- Brigadier General Margaret A. Brewer, U.S.M.C. (Alpha Gamma) - First woman general officer of the United States Marine Corps
- Dr. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (Beta Gamma) - First woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in music and receive a doctorate in music composition from Juilliard
- Lynda Bird Johnson Robb (Kappa) - Daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of Charles Robb
- Betty Buckley (Gamma Psi) - Tony Award winning theater, film, and television actress (Cats, Eight is Enough, Tender Mercies)
- Phyllis George (Gamma Phi) - Miss America 1971, Emmy Award winning television host, network television's first woman sportscaster, author, former First Lady of Kentucky
- Cheri Daniels (Alpha Xi) - Wife of former Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels
- Faith Daniels (Theta) - News personality (48 Hours, Sunday Morning, The Today Show, CBS Morning News)
- Susan Elizabeth Ford Bales (Alpha Upsilon) - Daughter of President Gerald Ford, spokesperson for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, former chair of the board of the Betty Ford Center
- Deborah Platt Majoras (Delta Omega) - Former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, 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
- Betty Nguyen (Kappa) - CNN journalist, anchor for CBS Morning News and contributor for The Early Show
- Nicole Paggi (Theta Psi) - Actress
- Erin Andrews (Gamma Iota) - ESPN reporter and host of Fox College Football for Fox Sports
- 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
- Laura Rutledge (Gamma Iota) - 2012 Miss Florida; finalist in 2013 Miss America pageant
- MerrieBeth Cox (Alpha Theta) - 2012 Miss Indiana; finalist in 2013 Miss America pageant.
- Tiffany Maher (Eta Kappa) - Female runner-up on U.S. Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance
- Maddie Gardner (Theta Tau) - 2 time gold medalist at the All-Star Cheerleading World Championship
Chapters
References
External links
- Zeta Tau Alpha's official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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