The Perfect Match

With rumors of a date event flourishing in the new members’ group chat, all I could think about was a scene from the movie “Sydney White,” when the new members had fifteen minutes to find a random date for a date dash. Fortunately, this is Austin, Texas, not Hollywood. With a week in advance and no official word of when the date dash would actually be, many girls invited dates so they wouldn’t be scrambling the day of. Because I am an out-of-stater, I didn't have any guy friends I could just casually invite, so I decided to wait until the date event was officially announced. At a chapter meeting one Monday, one could feel all of the new members’ nerves and questions running through their minds: is the date dash tomorrow? Is it happening at all? Will there be a theme? No one knew for sure since everything was based off of previous rumors, but sure enough, a post on our pledge class Facebook group alerted us that the rumors were true; we had exactly 24 hours to find our perfect match.

            Excitement filled the room as everyone asked their prospective dates, and started coordinating themes. While girls started talking about the perfect matching outfit, all I could think about was who was I going to ask. My friends helped me decide on who to ask and the planning begun. After many failed ideas of creative matching outfits to fit the theme of “twins,” my date and I decided to do matching Texas jerseys, since that was the only thing both of us had. A group of girls that lived in my building piled into my room to get ready that night; every mirror and plug were taken as the music and laughter grew louder as time went on. We were having so much fun we almost forgot it was time to meet our dates and head to the party. Eventually, when I walked into the event with my friends and our dates, we were greeted by seniors who looked excited to see us and welcomed us with those famous Zeta hugs.

            The best part about the date event was not finding a date, planning an outfit or getting ready with friends, but the opportunity to meet other girls outside of my own PC. I met so many girls who were so friendly and inclusive. Now walking around campus I can recognize girls outside of my pledge class without having to read the letters on their shirt. I wanted to join Greek life because coming from out of state I wanted to find my place at UT. At the end of the night, I realized that the date dash helped me see that Zeta Tau Alpha is my perfect match here at UT!

ZLAM

Elisabeth Carpenter PC ‘15

Game Day in ATX

The day was finally approaching! My long-awaited very first Texas football game as an official Longhorn had me unable to contain my excitement. Being an out-of-stater from Maryland, I had only been able to hear about game day and all the tailgates, seas of burnt orange, and fun I would be experiencing. It was one of the many reasons I chose The University of Texas at Austin in the first place, so I couldn't wait to finally cheer on our team against Rice University for myself! I prepared the night before, trying on more outfits than I'd like to admit, and taking my brand-new cowboy boots out of their Allen’s Boots box.

To start the day, I headed over to the ZTA house with some sisters so we could meet up with everyone and take the pictures that would eventually flood our Instagram feeds for the next 24 hours. Sporting our Texas Zeta face tattoos and burnt orange and white outfits, we walked hand-in-hand to the tailgates. I had so much fun meeting new people, enjoying the cookouts, and getting pumped up for the game. As I entered the stadium with my sisters, I was overwhelmed (in the best way) by what was all around me. Being in the student section, horns up in the air, was more fun than I could've imagined. Seeing new and familiar faces all with the same look of excitement as mine evoked a sense of pride in the stadium that I had never experienced before. Our team put up a fight and marked our territory, finishing strong with a win, 42-28!

The sense of spirit and community that I experienced as we all occupied those stands made me feel like I was now truly a part of not only the Longhorn family, but also my new ZTA family. I know game days will continue to be a reminder that I made the best decision of my life when I chose Texas and Zeta. Saturday is quickly becoming my new favorite day, and I cannot wait for the coming games!!


Hook ‘Em!
Lilliana Hatoum PC ‘15

New Members, More Fun!

Rolling out of bed at 9:30 to be at the ZTA house at 10, I didn’t know what to expect for the PC ’15 New Member Retreat. I didn’t even know where we were going, much less what to pack. Being a new member of anything is awkward and intimidating, but I can honestly say that I have never felt more welcomed than I have at Zeta. When we got to the house, we were surprised with personalized, hand-painted coolers filled with each of our favorite snacks and candy from some of the actives. We all raved over this until the buses pulled up and we filed in. I would share the details of the ridiculous conversations that took place on the bus, but I was one of the many who took advantage of the opportunity to nap on the way to Camp Champions. 

The first thing that we did when we got there, after putting our over-packed bags in our assigned cabins, was eat- because there’s not much that can top a day that has fries and lake time in it. Although giving up our phones was a little difficult, once we were in the water we completely forgot about them. We struggled with the blob, as most of us slipped off the sides before actually being blobbed, and couldn’t deny the laughter of the failures that happened with the rope swing. Once we were worn out from that and the slide, we floated in life jackets on the water or laid in the sun on the dock and talked about all of the interesting things that we didn’t yet know about each other. One could expect awkward ice breaker games and a separated group made up of smaller cliques to fill the rest of our day. Even though there were games, they weren’t awkward. In fact, it was the first time that I could really see the group as a whole as we mocked the roll call from Bring it On: All or Nothing with our own personal twists. 

I was pleasantly surprised to feel the true meaning of zlam earlier than I ever expected. Gathered in a large circle, sharing stories ranging from hilarious-yet-humiliating to the explanation of our where our deepest fears stem from, I knew that I would never have to feel alone on the forty-acres. Regardless of the bugs and lack of air conditioning, I absolutely loved painting ZTA letters, creating songs and skits about our sisterhood, and making s'mores. I had an incredible weekend with my sisters that I will never forget, and I am so excited to be a part of the newest Texas Zeta pledge class.

ZLAM,

Kaylyn Cole PC '15

Another First Day Done

As the excitement of bid day slowly dwindled down, not only every student in Greek life at UT, but every student from across campus set their alarms for an early Wednesday morning – the first day of the school year. As each student made their trek across campus to their first class of the year, the excitement and memories of summer slipped away and were replaced by the anticipation of the upcoming semester. Tailgate season, Austin City Limits, Texas/OU weekend, and even just cooler weather are a few of the many things all students have on their radar for the fall semester. A clean start to a new year and new classes readily refreshed everyone’s outlooks on the days ahead.

Going on my second year at the best university in the nation, I started my semester last week with just enough experience to know what I was doing but with plenty to still discover and to look forward to. I’m comfortable enough on campus now to walk around without that scared look and awkward hesitance of a freshman, and I can even head to class without pulling up the UT building map on my iPhone (barely). But I, just as probably everyone else, will say – there’s always something new to be learned and something new to be experienced at this school. The beauty of going to such a big university with so many opportunities is just that – even when you think you’ve done it all, there is still so much more room to grow.

Between Greek life, internships, on-campus clubs, student government, and much, much more, there is constantly something going on around Austin to keep us all busy. Before we know it, the leaves will change (or at least as much as they can here in Texas) and the school year will be well on its way, faster than we can believe. I think I speak on behalf of most students at Texas when I say that the 2015-2016 school year will bring about some of our most exciting, memorable experiences yet!

Kelly Bauman
PC '14

                                            

Bid Day Best Day!

On the glorious day of August 24^th, 2015, the Kappa Chapter at Zeta Tau Alpha was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our spectacular New Members. We had worked so hard to get the most amazing pledge class during recruitment, and we worked even harder to make sure they had a spectacular day. 

 

PC 14 arrived at the house bright and early, ready to set up the house with presents for the girls. We each brought baskets full of T-Shirts, stickers, necklaces, shorts, candy, and any Zeta gear we could find. We entered the chapter room only to find even MORE goodies and gear to put in our baskets. We made posters, gushed about the new pledge class, and of course, had a dance party to get us even more excited.

We stood out in the front yard with our crowns and sunflowers in hand, forming a tunnel, squealing & anxious to shower the girls with love. We couldn’t help but scream and cheer at the top of our lungs once we saw the new pledge class running towards the house.

After lots of picture-taking in front of the house and with Bevo, we all changed out of our sundresses and heels and into our festive bid day attire. We got decked out in face stickers, sharpie tattoos, glitter, and everything crowned, and dropped the babies off for a fun time at Punch Bowl Social. They went bowling, played shuffleboard, played darts, did karaoke and had an awesome time getting to know their new Zisters. Not to mention, have an awesome dinner!

 

The rest of the sorority was waiting patiently (or trying) for the moment when we would be able to take the new members back home and hang out with them. Everyone had an awesome bid day and I had the greatest time celebrating such a special day with the new members! We are so excited for all of the new additions to the Kappa Chapter and cannot wait to spoil them even more. Hello PC '15!!

ZLAM
Savanna Fields, PC '14