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badge
The badge of the Fraternity is a small, black, enameled shield super-imposed upon a gold or silver shield, bearing a five-pointed crown with the letters ZTA arranged around it, and below it the word “Themis” in Greek.
Banner
ZTA’s turquoise and gray satin banner bears the letter “A,” the Greek word “Themis” and a burning torch. The banner’s meaning is secret, but it may be hung in a visible place in chapter housing.
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-letter name, is added to the chain.
p.s. Epsilon is the fifth link!
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
Only initiated members may use the crest in any manner, which must be dignified and in good taste. The secret, ritualistic meaning of the Coat of Arms is revealed to each member during her Initiation.
official logo
Zeta Tau Alpha’s logo, unveiled at Convention 2014, is an important piece of the ZTA brand. The logo features the crown as the prominent, identifying symbol of the Fraternity.
crown
The significance of the crown’s five points is revealed to each member upon her Initiation. Members may use the crown from the official logo or the one found atop the ZTA Coat of Arms.
fraternity flag
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.
chapter flag
For ZTA’s Centennial in 1998, a gray and turquoise flag was produced to honor each Chapter, bearing the college name plus Greek letter Chapter name. Flags for every Installed chapter are housed at International Office.
flower
Founder Ruby Leigh Orgain chose the white violet as the flower of the Fraternity. The flower’s significant meaning is explained in the Initiation Service.
honor ring
The Fraternity’s highest individual honor is presented to alumnae for outstanding, sustained post-collegiate ZTA service. The ring is silver with the Coat of Arms on a turquoise stone, flanked by an open Bible and crown.
mother's pin
Featuring a white violet embossed upon a turquoise and silver crown, this pin may be presented to mothers of initiated members and to ZTA house directors.
official seal
The circular seal with fluted edges bears the Fraternity’s name and year of founding. It is used on official Fraternity documents. Replicas of the official seal may be used for decorative purposes.
patron goddess
The Founders chose Themis, goddess of divine justice and law, to represent ZTA. Themis is one of the mythical Greek Titans, daughter of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven) and mother of the Fates and Seasons.
new member pin
All duly pledged new members of the Fraternity wear this pin, a silver carpenter’s square enameled in turquoise.
the purple of the fraternity
The National President wears this purple regalia, adorned with the torch and Coat of Arms, as a symbol of her office at all official ZTA functions, including Convention Business Meetings and Chapter Installations.
recognition pin
New and initiated members may wear the gold “ZTA” recognition pin.
recognition pin
Only initiated members may wear the gold crown recognition pin.
strawberry
A gift of strawberries inspired Mary Campbell Jones (Batte) and her group of eight friends to host their first social gathering and officially become a campus-recognized organization.
25-year pin
To commemorate a quarter century of membership, Zetas who have been initiated for 25 years may purchase this special piece of jewelry from the Fraternity’s authorized jeweler.
white violet pin
Members of 50+ years wear this pin, depicting the Fraternity’s white violet, as a recognition pin or as a guard to the badge.
white violet charm
Members of 75+ years wear this charm in the shape of a white violet.
seek the noblest
our motto:
our creed:
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, and 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.”
\Who we are...
Mission
To make a difference in the lives of our members by developing the potential of each individual through innovative programming, which emphasizes leadership development, service to others, academic achievement and continued personal growth for women, with a commitment to friendship and the future based on the sisterhood, values and traditions of the past.
Purpose
The purpose of Zeta Tau Alpha is the intensifying of friendship, the fostering of a spirit of love, the creating of such sentiments, the performing of such deeds, and the moulding of such opinions as will be conducive to the building up of a purer and nobler womanhood in the world.
9 key values
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Lifelong Learning
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Leadership
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Responsibility
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Being Rather than Seeming
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Service and Philanthropy
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Seeking Understanding that We Might Gain True Wisdom
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Humility
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Loyalty and Commitment
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Love