ZTA loves ΔΔΔ! TriDelta Courtyard Cookout

          Considering it was my first time to partake in Roundup festivities, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard all of the stories about the different performers each fraternity would have but hadn’t really thought about the events the sororities would be putting on. Of course I would have offered my talents up at any of them as somewhat of a singer/dancer but after attending a few of the events I realized that they could hold their own without any big name artist providing the entertainment. Zeta’s Backyard Bash was a blast on Friday and a great way to kick off my first Round Up. Along the same lines, Tri Delt’s Courtyard Cookout was also a great way to start off my Saturday.

           I have many friends in Tri Delt and they supported our Backyard Bash so it was not even a question that I’d be attending their philanthropy event the next day. The burgers were definitely solid and I got to see a few people get soaked in the dunk tank. It gave me the opportunity to catch up with everyone on how their first day of Round Up had gone and allowed me to just relax during such a hectic weekend.

          I would say that the philanthropy events of the sororities are definitely underrated factors that contribute to the Round Up experience. You fill up on food with all of your friends and can plan out what you’re going to do for the day. Zeta and Tri Delt’s philanthropy events both started early enough to where they didn’t conflict with any of the performances put on at the different fraternities, and they got me out of bed so I didn’t sleep the day away like I do most of the time. If you didn’t make it out to any of the philanthropy events this year, I highly advise you to do so next year!

ZLAM,

Hannah Matula

PC'13

A Fun-Filled Weekend: Backyard Bash and Round Up

          In September I sat around with my new sisters, chit chatting about our lives and getting to know each other. I strictly remember the reference of Round Up and my instant questions regarding what it was. The girls around the table all gasped and asked if I have been living under a hole. I was at a huge disadvantage considering my out-of-state upbringing. 

Taylor Eisenberg (AEPhi) and Samantha Katz

          The buzz and excitement built up around the weekend of Round Up was nothing short of monumental. A sorority girls first Round Up was repeatedly described as the greatest weekend of your freshman year. The speculation began building in December. The thought of a weekend in March seemed so far away, but preparation needed to begin ASAP.  Once the list of Round Up gear was released (T-Shirts, neon shorts, temporary tattoos, glow sticks, etc.), the mayhem truly began. Ordering one of everything, I justified my actions by the importance of an out-of-staters first roundup. 

          The weekend finally came upon us as Zeta’s all over UT shrieked from an overwhelming amount of excitement. Without shame, I had to go to class until 2 o’clock that afternoon, meaning my arrival at Zeta had directly after. I wore all my new goodies to class, decked out in Zeta from head to toe. Although my friends laughed at my bold class attire, numerous girls and boys stopped me on campus and asked about our philanthropy that afternoon. I think the most important thing occurring from this weekend was the uniting force philanthropy has across the Greek system. Everyone was excited and wanted to support one another by attention their events. 

          As I walked into Zeta for our event, Backyard Bash, I was welcomed with hugs from Momma G and Franny, our president. As laughs and food were shared amongst friends, I scanned my surroundings. I could easily pick out my sorority sisters who matched my exact outfit, but was even more excited to meet all their friends from across the Greek community supporting the Silver Spurs and Zeta that afternoon. In that moment, everyone

had devoted a couple hours of their lives to help us for the greater good. And of course, the biggest hit of all was the Zeta’s signature face painters.

           Backyard Bash was the perfect event to start off the weekend and all the philanthropy opportunities. The yard was packed; the emotions lively and the entire atmosphere showcased the pure happiness everyone felt while being here. The entire experience was a hit to say the least. When you mix good friends, food, and music for a good cause, one can just smile at the Zeta and Spur’s achievement. 

Samantha Katz

PC'13

Enjoying music during Round Up

Throwback Thursday: Panhellenic Bounceback

          I few weeks ago was a big game for Texas Men’s Basketball. With a surprising last minute win, we crushed the Baylor Bears. Even more exciting was what UT Panhellenic had planned. In an effort to increase attendance, Panhellenic (by way of our very own Juliet Mullins, PC’11) made a deal with Men’s Athletics that if we could bring 1,000 girls to the Baylor game, they would give us a dollar per ticket to donate to UPC’s new philanthropy, Circle of Sisterhood! The more people we got there, the more money we made! 

         Panhellenic-arranged busses packed with girls and their guy friends left in droves from West Campus on their way to Frank Erwin Center for the game. Panhellenic provided burnt orange Mardi Gras beads and pompoms for all the fans to gain attention to the cause. We even got a shout out during the halftime show! Everywhere you looked, a Panhellenic sister was there. It was a great chance to get to know some new faces and spend a night with great friends and sisters! More than 100 Zetas attended the event, ensuring we reached our goal of 1,000 sorority women.

         Circle of Sisterhood is National Panhellenic Council’s official sorority. Sororities were originally started to help women get their foot in the door and receive a higher education in a male-dominated society.  Circle of Sisterhood sheds new light on the original purpose, and helps educate women without access in the third world. It is based on the Half the Sky Movement, which seeks to empower women through education, to break the cycle of poverty and prostitution.  If you want to learn more about Circle of Sisterhood, visit http://www.circleofsisterhood.org/. This is a cause we are very passionate about and excited to take on!

ZLAM,

Regan Seckel, PC’12

Panhellenic Delegate

Professor Dinner at Zeta Tau Alpha

           Think of one of your professors; one you hear lecturing in front of hundreds of students daily.  Now think about that same professor, sitting next to you enjoying a nice prime rib meal.  This is the opportunity Zeta presents us with via Professor Dinner.  This is held at the Zeta house towards the middle of each semester and allows every girl to ask any professor of her choice to attend.  Some ask the teachers who they have the most in common with, some ask the teachers they want to learn their life story, and some (aka me) ask the teachers of the class they need the most help with because hey, you never know when a personal connection down the road might help you out a little.

          The day of the actual event, the Zeta house is decked out with an elegant dinner setting and the entire place is spotless.  An unbelievably mouthwatering meal is served (shout out to Chef Holly) with cake and coffee as the cherry on top.  During the course of the meal, I talked to my professor about countless things, jumping from subject to subject, as if I was grabbing coffee and catching up with a fellow zista.  We touched on everything from her life story to my experience with rush to the macroeconomic theories behind the circular flow model.  After a lengthy conversation, we had the privilege of hearing the keynote speaker, Professor Clint Tuttle, speak about how he viewed success.  His inspirational message about how failure is really what makes you a more successful individual really resonated with the students and the professors in the room.

          Although the majority of our chapter does not choose to participate in the Professor dinner, it is in fact a very special event to me.  You can always introduce yourself to your teachers after class or attend their office hours if you have a question over some of the material, but having the chance to sit down, relax, and talk about anything in the world with an individual who has so much to teach you is truly an experience you cannot find anywhere else.  Yes, it can be scary.  Yes, the pauses in conversation can be very awkward; but yes, it is totally worth it.  I still keep in contact with the professor I took last semester, because of the special bond we formed that night, which is truly an exceptional relationship to have.  I love Professor Dinner because now, when I am sitting in a class of 400 students and Professor Bencivenga is teaching us the differences between equity and debt finance, I can smile because I know that she prefers iced tea over water and followed her college boyfriend to Canada to attend graduate school, unlike the other 399 students in the class.  I now know this and more, all thanks to the Zeta Professor Dinner.

ZLAM

Jeana Thompson

PC'13

The Zeta living room during this year's professor dinner.

She will be forever Crowned

Informing Elementary Students about bullying

         Imagine a middle school aged girl surrounded by a close-knit group of her “best friends” all with similar interests and all getting along. Now imagine this same girl being ridiculed, teased, physically and verbally tormented by this same group of transformed “mean girls.”  This may sound like a movie script or TV program you have seen, but this was me, and my life that was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. My experience of having been bullied has had a huge impact on every aspect of my life. It affected how I felt about myself, my relationships with my family members, how I fit in with others, and how well I performed in school. I will never forget the anxiety of not understanding why this was happening, or my helplessness in determining what I could do to stop it. 

          It has taken me many years and the support of my true friends and family to understand and overcome the effects of having been bullied. Part of my growth into young adulthood has been to educate myself on the subject of bullying, by looking at what happened to me, and by talking to and for other kids who have had similar experiences. 

          One problem in combating bullying is that most people that hear the word “bully” have a picture of a big tough boy beating up the skinny nerd. However, what many people do not realize is that girls’ involvement in bullying is just as common as it is with boys and its emotional and social impacts are similar. Girls may bully because of jealousy, a need for attention, or fear of competition. Girl bullying can be more behind the scenes and often occurs as rumor spreading, ignoring, excluding from groups and activities, insults or body language, such as eye-rolling and smirks, and therefore may easily go unnoticed by adults.  Our schools and communities do not adequately recognize this form of bullying and girls continue to grow up believing that being bullied or seeing others bullied by a “mean girl” is a normal part of life. We must challenge this belief and create a new sisterhood of girls and women who know we are all better off when we stand up for ourselves and for others.

          Several years ago I was invited to compete in the Miss America Organization and as a part of that, was obligated to create a public platform. My platform “Nice Girls Rule” intends to educate young girls about the hidden forms of bullying. “Nice Girls Rule” reminds us to stand up for ourselves, our friends, and anyone bullied around us. Competing in Miss America scholarship pageants has afforded me the chance to meet hundreds of committed and dedicated young women who have inspired me to be a leader and voice for change. This platform has become one of my greatest passions and motivations. The judges must have seen my conviction as they crowned me Miss Houston’s Outstanding Teen 2012, and then Miss Texas’ Outstanding Teen 2012. I then enthusiastically carried my message to a national stage at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant in August of last year, finishing in the top 8 of 53 state winning contestants. 

Top 8 at Miss America's Outstanding Teen

          During my time as Miss Texas’ Outstanding Teen and even now, my goal is to make public the damaging effects of the hidden form of bullying. I will continue to concentrate at the source, which are our elementary and middle schools, promoting the idea of girls banding together, and making pledges to each other to appreciate and nurture our strengths as well as our differences. I was fortunate enough to have been afforded a unique opportunity to publicize this issue across the state of Texas. I was able to make guest appearances at numerous middle and elementary schools, and many other public events. I feel honored to have impacted the lives of young people by showing them that if someone like me, who has lived through and overcome being bullied by her so-called friends can become Miss Texas’ Outstanding Teen, then other girls will be inspired to follow their dreams and overcome similar challenges in their lives. I believe without a doubt, through education and dedication we can accomplish my goal of ending bullying in our schools.

         Now, after I have passed on the crown to another deserving titleholder

and as I have entered a new chapter of my life (literally),  I have been blessed with all of the Texas Zetas, knowing their love is unconditional and they will always love and support me no matter where my endeavors take me. I just can't wait to see my Zistas supporting me in the audience as I compete in the hopes of, one day, becoming Miss Texas or maybe even Miss America (yeah.. a girl can dream). Next  fall, I plan to compete in local Texas scholarship pageants, continuing to promote my anti-bullying platform and carry on the legacy of the Miss Texas Organization.

*I guess it was destiny for me to become a Zeta... now I can always wear the crown.

Love always,

Margana Wood PC'13

Assistant Historian

Like Father, Like Daughter: Zeta Tau Alpha Dad's Weekend 2014

         Dad’s weekend is by far one of my favorite weekends of the spring semester. But really, how often do you get to spend 48+ hours alone with your Dad? My Dad had texted me weeks in advance to make sure he was packing all the proper attire for the Zeta events we had planned! I just knew it was going to be a successful weekend!

Rachel and her dad at the 360 Overlook

        Dad’s weekend started off as my Dad drove in from Houston. Friday night we enjoyed a fun dinner before heading to our planned Zeta event at Buffalo Billards. When we arrived at Buffalo Billards, we met up with a few of my pledge class sisters. My Dad felt right as home as he was around tons of familiar faces from previous Parents’ and Dads’ weekends. We played rounds of shuffleboard, pingpong, pool, and darts before realizing it was after midnight! The night literally flew away from us at the amount laughter we were sharing. Saturday morning my Dad and I woke up early to go eat breakfast at our favorite Crêpe restaurant. Following a delicious breakfast, we headed to 360 Overlook and Mount Bonnell. Both hikes were exquisite and definitely an amazing time spent with my Dad!                       Later in the afternoon, a few of my pledge class sisters, Jenna, Lauren, and Morgan, took our Dad’s to lunch before the Baseball Game. It was great to be able to spend time with my sisters as well as our Dad’s. The baseball game was a great Zeta event! We filled two sections along the first base side! Immediately following the baseball game, we headed to the Zeta house for a crawfish boil! It was great to spend time at the Zeta house eating great crawfish with our Dads’. 

          Overall, it was an incredible weekend filled not only with my Dad but also spending time with my sisters and their fathers. I look forward for to my next two next years of Dads’ weekends even more!

ZLAM,

Rachel Miller, PC'12

Director of Alumni Relations

Lauren Sanders, Morgan Willett, Rachel Miller, Jenna Nelson with their dads

        Between crawfish and baseball, I’m pretty sure my dad was in heaven. For the weeks leading up, all I received were phone calls and texts from my father telling me how excited he was. Practically every voicemail, regardless of the subject, ended with something along the lines of “looking forward to Dad’s Weekend” or “just a few more days until the big event!” I even got a few texts from my mom saying she was excited for Dad’s Weekend simply so my dad would stop talking about it. I’m sure she was just jealous it wasn’t Mom’s Weekend instead.

Lindsay and her dad at the UT vs. Stanford Baseball Game

        When the “big event” finally arrived, my dad and I were extremely excited to see each other. He came in on Saturday afternoon so unfortunately we missed the Friday night events, but there was no way we were going to miss the baseball game. Growing up, baseball was a really big deal in my family. My dad played baseball, my brother played baseball, and even I played baseball in an all boys league (yes, I have pictures to prove it) so we were thrilled to be going to a game together after so long. The whole time we reminisced over all the funny baseball memories we had so we really appreciated Zeta putting this together. It definitely meant a lot to both of us.  

        After the game, we headed back to the Zeta house for the crawfish boil. We grabbed seats with Hayley Onofrey and her dad and the whole time Hayley and I were beaming since our dads were hitting it off just like we had only months before at the very same house. I guess you could say it was meant to be! My dad and I had actually been planning on just stopping by, but we had so much fun that we ended up staying the whole time. While, of course, eating tons of “mudbugs” as my dad calls them. It was a perfect way to finish off the day.

        Overall, I’d say Dad’s Weekend was a major success. Between the activities and just getting to hangout, I think my dad wishes every weekend was Dad’s Weekend. Now, all I get are texts and phone calls from him saying how much fun he had in Austin. I’m sure we will be talking about it for a while!

ZLAM

Lindsay Smith

PC'13