CHICKEN. FINGER. FRIDAY.

The look on my sisters’ faces when our house manager Liz Flury announced that the first Friday of September was Chicken Finger Friday, can only be described as pure joy. Shrieks and tears of happiness followed. 

Chiara shows off her typical CFF lunch. 

Fondly referred to as CFF, Chicken Finger Friday is a lunch hosted at Zeta that features chicken fingers, coleslaw, baked beans, vanilla pudding, and (my personal favorite) macaroni and cheese. We are encouraged to bring our friends to this special occasion, and the lucky few that are invited always want to come back for more. I invited one of my best friends, Holly, to meet me at the Zeta house that Friday for what she thought was going to be a just quick lunch... but if you’re going to chicken finger Friday, you better do it right. So after multiple trips back to the food table for extra helpings of mac and cheese, our quick lunch soon turned into great conversation with the rest of my sisters. We spent about two hours talking about how fun the previous night’s date event was, the struggle of having early morning classes on a Friday, and how we were so full but did not want to stop eating the delicious chicken and macaroni! Everybody Holly talked to was so happy and welcoming, which made sharing this delicious meal with her even better. I loved being able to share two of my great loves with her that day-- food and my sisters! Chicken Finger Friday is the perfect way to treat yourself after a hard week of classes, and I know I speak for the rest of the chapter when I say that we can’t wait for the next one!

PC '12 Courtney Kercher, Ashton Groves, and
Sydney Braasch are all smiles eating their chicken fingers!

ZL,
Chiara Geremia PC '12

Bid Day 2013

The morning of Bid Day began outside of the Zeta house. I, along with my chapter, stood in the front yard anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new members. With my sunflower and name tag in hand, I felt the excitement of meeting my new sisters build up inside of me. Giddy murmurs filled the air and it was very evident that everyone was counting down the minutes until the moment our new Zeta members would arrive. Finally a voice quieted all the chatter and gave us the news we had been waiting for all morning…“Here they come!” I whipped around and sure enough, headed straight down Nueces Street were 73 smiling faces in sundresses charging our way!

What was once chatter had now turned into hollers of excitement! “Welcome Home!” was the cry we all yelled as our new members smothered us with hugs, joyful tears, and yes, more hugs. I scanned the crowd of new members and sought out a familiar face, my friend Rachel. Rachel and I cheered together in high school, so to have her as an addition to the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter was thrilling beyond words! I buddied up with my friend Rachel and immediately the whirlwind of picture taking began! Bid Day is funny, because the new members take pictures with each other like they have been best friends since birth! I love this aspect of Bid Day! It’s so easy to embrace one another because there is a mutual understanding that you will all be great friends within a matter of a few weeks!

After picture taking, Rachel and I decided to enter the Zeta house. I think it is fair to say the room inside looked like it had exploded turquoise and steel grey (the official colors of Zeta). Posters, flowers, t-shirts, decorations, and baskets covered the floor and couches, all as gifts to our new friends. Rachel was so excited and the joy on her face just made me even more anxious to show her around the rest of the house. We ended up parking next to a basket that I personally made for her. Rachel looked like a little girl on Christmas as she sifted through the various gifts in her basket. We chattered about the excitement of the day and it was at that moment that I felt a sigh of relief. Rush week was over, and the wait was done. We officially could welcome our new friends to share this place we call like to call home. I am so excited for Rachel and the rest of the new members to experience life as a Zeta. Wonderful friendships and opportunities are going to be their reality in just a matter of time. So I guess all I can say is welcome home Zetas, welcome home.

ZL Courtney Groos (PC 12)

UT Rodeo Club, Founded by PC '12 Member

I have been working on getting a rodeo team started at UT this past year along with three other ambitious students that I met over the summer.  After starting a facebook page and spreading the word in every way we could think of, the club actually grew to about ten members. I was the only member who was able to compete in actual college rodeos last year though. I ran my horse, Vegas, in the barrel racing competition, and we ended up 5th out of about 100 barrel racers at the end of the year. I am expecting at least 4 to 6 more people to start competing with me next year from UT. The more students we can get from UT to compete, the closer we will be to having a school recognized college rodeo team. UT is one of the few large schools that does not have a college rodeo team (Tech, A&M, OSU, etc..)  Back in the 1950s, UT had a large team that competed against other schools and even put on their own rodeo for the University right here in Austin. 

The word is spreading slowly. Nevertheless, thanks to Longhorn Network, who filmed a special on our club, and the Austin Statesman, who wrote an article about us in the sports section of the newspaper, the UT rodeo team has been positively publicized. Although we have existed for one year, the potential and necessity for a UT rodeo team is inevitable, considering UT's rich western traditions and heritage.

ZL,

Janie Johnson PC '12

Sk-ETA

New members Lindsey Peet (left)
and Erica Kitchin (right) crown it
while skating!

Still being on a Zeta high from bid day, PC’13 could not wait to come together again and celebrate the sisterhood they’d all just recently been selected for. The only clue they’d received about the activity they’d be doing was that they needed to bring socks. Naturally they assumed that it would be bowling or skating, so when they’d all arrived at the house that evening and were asked if they’d guessed it, Mama Ash was surprised to find out that her new babies were a little smarter than she’d thought. They’d figured out that they would be skating but still were surprised to find out that a face painter would also be there, along with pizza and ice cream sundaes.

New members Maddie Silvers, Kendall Coleman,
Hailey Williams, and Samantha Katz (left to right)

 Zeta PC’13 piled into cars and raced (carefully) over to Playland, a skating rink that had been rented out just for them. But as soon as they figured out that the face painter was already there and setting up, the girls didn’t seem to be that interested in skating anymore. PC’13 was soon transformed into a group of tigers, puppies, unicorns, seahorses, and plenty of other exotic animals they’d thought of. Once they’d all been painted on, the girls selected their skates and attempted to roll around the rink while dropping that thun thun thun but without falling. Pizza and ice cream were perfect refreshments and probably raised more excitement within the group than the actual skating. 
Overall it was a super fun night that brought the newest 
pledge class to the Zeta chapter at Texas together.

ZLAM,
Hannah Matula (PC '13)

ZTA House Room 13 Makeover

Former President LBJ's daughter once lived in this very room! Bet she wouldn't recognize it now! 

I'm a 10th legacy Zeta, and all the women in my family lived in the Zeta house. They all told me it was one of the best experiences they ever had with Zeta Tau Alpha, but never did I think that experience could be made even more special by being able to live in the historical Room 13, President LBJ's daughter's room on the first floor. It's newly renovated, with light turquoise painted on the walls, a black and white color scheme for the counter and drawers, and an incredible walk in closet. I even have my own bathroom! The addition of the TV is awesome, and makes late night chillin' with my roommates so much more enjoyable. The room is relaxing, yet fun all at the same time. Its high ceiling and larger dimensions make the room a bigger place to hang out with all the House Girls, and it's super close to the kitchen, which is always a plus. I thought I'd be missing out on the House life by being downstairs, away from everyone, but I go upstairs any time I want to see my big and my Zistas while also still being able to have my own space when I need some down time. I'm so fortunate to live in the house as a sophomore, and I count my lucky crowns that I'm blessed with Room 13. 

I was born to be a Zeta, and here at the house, I'm living as a Zeta. 

Hook 'em and ZLAM from Room 13, 
Leigh Larson PC '12

5 Tips You’ll Want to Know for Rush

5 Tips You’ll Want to Know for Rush

Rush week is the week you will find a sisterhood that lasts a lifetime. It’s also the only thing between you and opening that bid card. If you keep an open mind and stay true to yourself Bid Day will be one of the happiest days of your life!

The best advice I can give is to be yourself. If you hate sharks, don’t say you went swimming with great whites in Hawaii. It’s important to know that rush is not about impressing people; it’s about finding your home for the next four years. Having gone through recruitment myself, here are a few more tips to live by…

Bring Flip-flops! When I went through recruitment I had to go all the way across west campus in just a few minutes. Rush requires lots of walking and yes… maybe even running, that’s what happened to me! I was bare foot running around Austin in a dress looking for my next house and just hoping my hair wasn’t loosing its curl. And trust me when I say if your feet hurt it’s really hard to keep a smile on and pretend like this is the happiest moment of your life. As for the shoe? If you want to wear a heel make sure its easy to slide right off so you don’t have to worry about spending time putting shoes on!

Get the Texas App! You already have so many things on your mind; the last thing you want to deal with is getting lost. Remember, on the back of your rush packet there is a map that labels the streets and sorority houses. A useful tool to navigate your way through rush is the University of Texas at Austin app! It will not only be useful for rush but also on your first day of class at UT! I still use this app and I am going into my Junior Year, lets just say I hope you’re better at directions than I am!

Don’t smack! Gum is never a good thing to be chewing especially when you’re having a face-to-face conversation. I realized a few seconds into a house that I had a big piece of peppermint gum in my mouth… There was nothing I could do. Spitting it out in a napkin would have been awkward with her looking at me and she had already seen it so if I swallowed it that would be obvious and gross. Is there any way to chew gum politely? The best solution to keeping your breath smelling fresh is breath mints! Altoids are the way to go.

Bring a fan! As you know, it’s going to be a hot week. Temperatures will probably be up in the 100s. Even if little portable fans are nerdy, you will be glad you have it! Trust me, it can get awkward when you ask a girl, “Hey can I borrow your fan?” because chances are she’ll pretend she didn’t hear you. It’s all about staying cool, calm and collected! Don’t forget to drink lots of water. 

Bring toiletries to freshen up! Oil wipes are always a good idea on a hot summer day; Sweat dripping down your face can be a huge buzz kill. Don’t second-guess yourself when it comes to deodorant; always bring it. A trial size is the perfect fit for your limited space! On nights like Skit and Pref when you may dress up more bringing a small tube of hairspray can keep you looking like you just walked out the door!

♛

I wish you all the best of luck and I am so excited to meet all of you!

ZLAM,

Courtney Norris PC ‘11

Recruitment Team

Rush ZTA 2013- What to Wear for Recruitment

If you are anything like me, you’re probably freaking out on what to wear for recruitment. To help you out a bit, I’ve put together a couple of outfits to give you a feel for what most girls will be wearing throughout the week!

The two biggest things to remember about recruitment week are that you will be HOT and you will be walking (running) A LOT! That being said, you will want to stay away from polyester (because it doesn’t breathe well) and any other material that easily shows sweat.  I’m not kidding about the walking, you will want to bring an extra pair of sandals in your tote bag each day to make your transition from house to house easier and more comfortable.

The first two days of the week are Open House. These are the days where you all wear your cute little Panhellenic t-shirts, a pair of khaki shorts and some tennis shoes. Because the shirts are provided, you don’t really need to worry about anything other than your shorts. Ideally, your shorts should have a three inch (or more) inseam; most girls find appropriate length shorts at stores like J. Crew, Old Navy, The Gap, etc. 

Okay, so moving on to your third and fourth day of recruitment - Philanthropy Day. Philanthropy Day is super fun because this is the day where you all get to learn about the awesome things that each sorority does to benefit their philanthropy! On these two days, wear a fun, summer dress with cute sandals or wedges, light jewelry and fresh, natural make-up. If you are a hugger (and Zeta’s are) be careful of jewelry that gets caught on hair.  Because Philanthropy Day is split into two days, you can always re-wear the same dress if you want to, buy two different dresses or switch off with one of your friends!

 

            The fifth day (and my personal favorite) is Skit Night. This is probably the most fun night of rush! Each house will put on some kind of skit for you, which is really cool because you get to see the different and fun personalities of each sorority. You will want to wear a dress that is a little dressier than the one for Philanthropy; fun cocktail dresses are appropriate.   It can still be a summer dress, but maybe dress it up a little with some jewelry and throw on some heels or wedges!

The final night of recruitment is Preference Night or “Pref”. Hopefully by this night you will have found your perfect “home away from home.” This is a cocktail dress event, and many girls wear a “little black dress”.  However, there are about a million black dress options out there. Some important things to remember when choosing this dress are that the dress should not be extremely tight or short. We find it is very difficult to maneuver during recruitment if your dress is too tight or short, so keep in mind all the sitting, standing and sometimes kneeling you will do in this dress.  Adding classic jewelry (think pearls), or something fun (think Kendra Scott), can really add some personality to your dress. Most girls will be wearing heels since it is the most formal night of rush, so do not forget your extra pair of sandals to wear in between houses!

I hope this has been helpful in making your wardrobe selection a little easier. 

I can’t wait to meet you all!!!

ZLAM,

Annick Rivas PC '11

Recruitment Team