Please join us as we assist the Eta Phi collegiate chapter with their 2009 recruitment, August 27-30. Help is needed for administrative assistance - counting points, etc. -- between parties. Alumnae are also invited to stand with our collegiate sisters during the preference party rituals. Do you hear "the call of Zeta?"
The Yoplait pink lid collection campaign is coming this fall! During the fall of every year, ZTA chapters collect lids in collection boxes provided by Yoplait. Boxes and other advertising materials not only display Yoplait’s logo, but ZTA’s as well! The best news is that when lids are turned in through our International Office, Yoplait donates 10 cents per lid to Susan G Komen AND 5 cents per lid to ZTA Foundation!
Last year, our alumnae chapter collected 500 lids. We can do even more this year! Logical locations for collection boxes are break areas or faculty lounges at work, health clubs, or other locations where people may be eating Yoplait yogurt. If you have an area where a box can be placed, please notify Maggie McCormick at ray.mccormick@comcast.net or at 318-614-1759 (cell.)
*** ALUMNAE RECRUITMENT PARTY ***Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.Medici Restaurant, 120 W North Street, Normal
Join us for the food and fun and to meet ZTA alumnae you may not have met before! You will have a chance to pay your dues for the 2009-2010 membership year. Gina has to submit them by the end of October, so this is a good time to get them in. Come to Medici and invite a fellow alumna to attend with you! Please RSVP to Maggie McCormick at ray.mccormick@comcast.net or at 318-614-1759 (cell.)
The insignia of the Fraternity are symbols of great meaning. They are a heritage from the past, significant because of what Zeta Tau Alphas believe. Many insignia have secret meanings that are revealed during the Initiation service. In order that the insignia of the Fraternity may be protected from imitation and to insure that only those who have the right to wear it may have access to it, the Fraternity selects authorized jewelers to handle orders for all official Fraternity jewelry.
(Listed alphabetically)
 | Badge – The badge of the Fraternity is a small, black, enameled shield super-imposed upon a gold shield, bearing a five pointed crown with the letters ZTA arranged around it, and below it the word “Themis” in Greek. |
 | Banner – The banner of the Fraternity is rectangular and made of turquoise and gray satin. It bears the letter “A,” the word “Themis” in Greek, and a burning torch. The meaning of the banner is secret, but it may be hung in a place that is visible to anyone entering a chapter house, lodge, suite or chapter room. |
 | Chain of Chapters – A gold link inscribed “Alpha” begins Zeta Tau Alpha’s chain of chapters. Each time a new collegiate chapter is Installed, a silver link, etched with the chapter’s Greek name, is added to the chain. |
 | Colors – The colors of Zeta Tau Alpha are turquoise blue and steel gray. The significance of these colors is explained in the Initiation Service. |
 | Coat of Arms (Crest) – Only initiated members may use this in any manner, which is dignified and in good taste. The ritualistic meaning of the Coat of Arms is secret and is revealed to each member at the time of her Initiation. |
 | Corporate Logo – Zeta Tau Alpha’s current corporate logo (for general purposes referred to as “the ZTA window”) was designed in the early 1990s. It represents the rising sun with five rays that are symbolic of the warmth and the brightness that the Fraternity brings to her sisters. These five rays also represent the five points of the ZTA Crown (see below). |
 | Crown – The five-pointed Crown is an official symbol of the Fraternity. The significance of the five points is revealed to each member upon her Initiation. Many examples of crown artwork can be found within ZTA, and all are acceptable as long as the crown contains exactly five points. |
 | Flag, Fraternity – The official flag of the Fraternity was adopted at the 1950 Convention and is in the Fraternity colors with a Coat of Arms surrounded by the words “ZETA TAU ALPHA.” |
 | Flag, Chapter – In honor of ZTA’s Centennial (1998), a flag was produced to honor each Chapter. The flags are gray and turquoise with the Chapter name in Greek letters. A flag will be made for each successive chapter upon its Installation. The flags are housed at International Office. |
 | Flower – The flower of the Fraternity, chosen by Founder Ruby Leigh Orgain, is the white violet. Its symbolic meaning is explained in the Initiation Service. |
 | Honor Ring – adopted at the 1915 Convention, it is silver with the coat-of-arms superimposed upon a turquoise stone, flanked on either side by an open Bible and the crown. The national Fraternity upon approval of National Council shall award the Honor Ring. Presentation of the Honor Ring is based upon the provisions previously outlined. |
 | Mother’s Pin – A turquoise and silver crown with a white violet embossed upon it, this pin may be presented to mothers of initiated members and to Zeta house directors. |
 | Official Seal – The official seal of the Fraternity is circular with fluted edges bearing the name of the Fraternity and the date and place of founding. It is used on official documents of the national Fraternity. Replicas of the official seal may be used for decorative purposes. |
 | Patron Goddess – The Founders chose Themis to represent the Fraternity. Themis is, in Greek mythology, one of the Titans, daughter of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven), and the mother of the three Fates and the Seasons. The goddess of divine justice and law, Themis was the constant companion of the god Zeus and sat beside him on Olympus. In ancient art she is represented holding aloft a pair of scales on which she weighs the claims of opposing parties. |
 | Pledge Pin – This pin is a silver carpenter’s square enameled in turquoise, to be worn by all duly pledged new members of the Fraternity. |
 | The Purple of the Fraternity – The purple of the Fraternity is the purple regalia, adorned with the torch and Coat of Arms, worn by the National President as a symbol of her office. It is worn at all official Zeta Tau Alpha functions such as Convention Business Meetings and Chapter Installations. |
 | Recognition Pins – A recognition pin consisting of three Greek letters in gold, “ZTA,” may be worn by new and initiated members. The recognition pin of a small gold, five pointed crown may be worn by initiated members only. |
 | Strawberry – In the late 1800s, an admirer of one of ZTA’s Founders, Mary Campbell Jones (Batte), sent her a gift of strawberries. The scrumptious present prompted the group of nine friends to host their first purely social gathering and to become officially recognized as a campus organization. |
 | White Violet Pin (50 year pin) – Only those who have been members of the Fraternity for 50 or more years and thus are recipients of the Order of the Shield may wear this pin, in the shape of the white violet. It may be worn as a recognition pin or as a guard to the badge. |
 | White Violet Charm (75 year charm) – Those members who have been a member or 75 years receive this charm, which is in the shape of the white violet with 75 superimposed upon it. |
At the Diamond Anniversary Convention in 1974, delegates voted unanimously to move the International Office to its first Fraternity-owned building in Indianapolis, Ind. The Circle City was selected because of its central geographic location, lower construction costs and the absence of property tax for not-for-profit corporations. ZTA broke ground in 1977 and eventually took residence at 3330 Founders Road. In less than 15 years, ZTA’s day-to-day operations outgrew its 9,000-square-foot building. Taking advantage of a favorable building market, the ZTA Fraternity Housing Corporation sold the 3330 Founders Road residence to Theta Chi Fraternity and built a new 20,000-square-foot International Office less than ¼ of a mile away at 3450 Founders Road in 1993. The International Office staff is comprised of more than 25 personnel supervised by a team of Directors. For more information about International Office, please download our brochure.
Zeta Tau Alpha’s first Central Office was established by Grand Chapter in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pa, home of Chi Chapter member Alpha Burkart Wettach. For ten years, the Grand Chapter (now National Council) housed the Fraternity’s operations in the city where the President resided. This included Richmond, Va., in 1926 and Beaumont, Texas, in 1928. In 1930, when ZTA’s membership totaled 20,000, Convention delegates voted to secure a fixed location for the Central Office. Evanston, Ill., was selected as the host city. In 1968, the name “International Office” (IO) was selected to represent the growth of the Fraternity.
Erin Andrews Susan Ford Bales Phyllis George Brown Betty Buckley Deborah Platt Majoras Nicole Paggi Lynda Johnson Robb Shonda Brewer Shilling Dr. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
Brigadier General Margaret A. Brewer, U.S.M.C.
Faith Skowronski Daniels
Geralyn LucasSpecial Initiate of Theta Xi Chapter at Author of “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy” which become a Lifetime Television movie in 2006Director of Public Affairs for Lifetime TelevisionMember of Lifetime's Stop Breast Cancer for Life initiative
| Zeta Tau Alpha was founded Oct. 15, 1898, by nine women at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Va. Only 14-15 years of age, these young women desired permanence to their friendships and hoped to perpetuate their sisterhood long after college. Though dedicated to the formation of a Greek-letter group, the band of nine delayed selecting a formal name. A temporary name of “???” was taken when, as legend has it, a member of another group met with the Founders. Raising her eyebrows and forming her fingers in the shape of a question mark, she asked “Who are you?” In unison, the group answered “Yes, Who? Who? Who?” Thus, the group came to be known as “???” while they sought an appropriate Greek name and symbols. During this time, the group received valuable assistance from two of the members’ brothers -- Maud Jones Horner’s brother, Plummer Jones, and Frances Yancey Smith’s brother Giles Mebane Smith. Both were students at the college of William and Mary, members of men’s Greek-letter organizations and knowledgeable of Greek lore. After a year of careful contemplation, the group chose the formal name, the patron goddess and the badge. |  |
 | Today, Zeta Tau Alpha consists of three entities: Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity (for general purposes referred to as Zeta Tau Alpha or ZTA), Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation, Inc. (for general purposes referred to as the Foundation or ZTAF) and Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity Housing Corporation (for general purposes referred to as the National Housing Corporation or NHC). The names Zeta Tau Alpha, ZTA and National Fraternity are often used when referring to the three organizations as a whole. |
The Founders of Zeta Tau Alpha:
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The nine Founders and first three pledges pose for their first official photograph, the Mystifying Picture in 1899. Originally believed to be a photograph of some long forgotten ritual of the Fraternity, it was later discovered that this picture was instead intended to “Mystify the Normal” through its publication in The Normal Light (the school annual), and did not represent any ritual. Rather, it was created completely in good humor. The explanation of the famous “Mystifying Picture” as given by Odelle Warren Bonham, the first pledge: Alice Coleman, whose brown eyes and irresistible manner are so often mentioned, was the Flirt. She is holding a handkerchief between her hands in an old time flirting signal. Della Lewis, the Judge, gazes at her in stern rebuke, while Maud Jones, the Angel, is lovingly pointing to higher aims. Fannie Smith, the Preacher, holds the Bible in her hand. Never would she have done it lightly, for even in those days she lived the life that could only come from an intimate acquaintance with the Book. Helen Crafford, the Teacher, was setting a “copy” on the slate.Ethel Coleman and Ruby Leigh were Lawyers. Alice Welsh, the Poet, was holding a quill pen and madly writing verse. Cammie Jones, the Light, held a burning candle. Grace Elcan was our Child of Nature; her hair was hanging and she was covered with wild flowers. Grace was one of the most perfectly natural people I ever knew – sweet to the core. I (Odelle Warren Bonham) was Grandma. I wore a black silk dress with a soft old lace shawl and brooch. My hair was parted in the middle and drawn down over my ears in a day when girls showed their ears. Ellen (Armstrong) was at my knee, wearing a high-waisted dress and playing with a toy monkey. She was the baby. |
The Purpose of Zeta Tau Alpha:
The purpose of Zeta Tau Alpha is to intensify friendship, promote happiness among its members, to perform such deeds, and to mould such opinions as will conduce to the building up of a purer and nobler womanhood in the world.
Open Motto: “Seek the Noblest”
The Creed of Zeta Tau Alpha:
To realize that within our grasp, in Zeta Tau Alpha, lies the opportunity to learn those things which will ever enrich and ennoble our lives; to be true to ourselves, to those within and without our circle; to think in terms of all mankind and our service in the world; to be steadfast, strong, and clean of heart and mind, remembering that since the thought is father to the deed, only that which we would have manifested in our experience should be entertained in thought; to find satisfaction in being, rather than seeming, thus strengthening in us the higher qualities of the spirit; to prepare for service and learn the nobility of serving, thereby earning the right to be served; to seek understanding that we might gain true wisdom; to look for the good in everyone; to see beauty, with its enriching influence; to be humble in success, and without bitterness in defeat; to have the welfare and harmony of the Fraternity at heart, striving ever to make our lives a symphony of high ideals, devotion to the Right, the Good, and the True, without a discordant note; remembering always that the foundation precept of Zeta Tau Alpha was Love, “the greatest of all things.” -- Shirley Kreasan Strout
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