Zeta Tau Alpha is an international women's fraternity. The fraternity was founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. 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.
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, Kappa Delta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and Zeta Tau Alpha. 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.
Philanthropy
The Zeta Tau Alpha 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, 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. Notable past partners include the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which the Foundation partnered with from 1992 to 2015. Zeta Tau Alpha trademarked the phrase "Think Pink" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2010. 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. The fraternity's open motto is "Seek the Noblest."
Membership
Zeta Tau Alpha has 257 collegiate chapters as of March 2020. 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. ZTAlways is a virtual alumnae chapter for members who do not have the opportunity to interact with sisters among a land-based chapter. 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 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.
