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Delta Zeta
ΔΖ
FoundedOctober 24, 1902; 122 years ago (1902-10-24)
Miami University
TypeSocial
AffiliationNPC
StatusActive
ScopeInternational
Motto"Truly"
Colors  Rose,   Green
SymbolRoman Lamp
FlowerPink Killarney Rose
JewelDiamond
MascotTurtle
PublicationThe LAMP of Delta Zeta
PhilanthropySpeech and Hearing; The Painted Turtle,
The Starkey Hearing Foundation
American Society for Deaf Children
Chapters163
Membersover 300,000 lifetime
Headquarters202 East Church Street
Oxford, Ohio 45056
United States
Websitewww.deltazeta.org

Delta Zeta (ΔΖ, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 163 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 180 alumnae chapters in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of 2013, there are over 300,400 college and alumnae members, making it the third largest sorority in the nation (after Alpha Delta Pi and Chi Omega).[1][2]

In 1954, the sorority adopted speech and hearing as its philanthropic cause, and is partnered with the Starkey Hearing Foundation and Gallaudet University. Throughout its history, it has absorbed several other smaller sororities and also opened its first Canadian chapter in 1992. Delta Zeta is one of 26 national sororities that are members under the umbrella organization of the National Panhellenic Conference; the sorority joined the Conference in 1910.

History

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Delta Zeta Sorority was founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1902, the same year that the university first allowed female students.[3] Miami is dubbed the "Mother of Fraternities" because of the many prominent men's fraternities which were founded there.[1]

Six of the newly admitted women consulted the university president Guy Potter Benton, regarding the founding of the first sorority chapter.[3][4] Having been a leader in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, he was familiar with the processes of a Greek organization and helped the women establish Delta Zeta, the first sorority at the campus. Benton aided in the preparation of the sorority's ritual, badge, and colors. For his contributions, he was named its Grand Patron.

The Delta Zeta Sorority was officially incorporated on October 24, 1902.

Delta Zeta's founders

Its founding members were:

  • Julia Lawrence Bishop
  • Mary Jane Collins
  • Alfa Lloyd Hayes
  • Anna Louise Keen
  • Mabelle May Minton
  • Anne Dial Simmons.[3]

The first National Assembly, with Lloyd as the national president, was held in 1907.[5] In 1910, Delta Zeta published the first issue of its national magazine, The LAMP, now issued three times a year.[5] That same year, the sorority joined the National Panhellenic Conference.[6]

Throughout the middle of the century, Delta Zeta absorbed four other sororities: Beta Phi Alpha in 1941, Phi Omega Pi in 1946, Delta Sigma Epsilon in 1956, and Theta Upsilon in 1962; most of these sororities had previously absorbed other, smaller sororities as well.[7][8][1] In 1992, Delta Zeta chartered its first Canadian chapter at the University of Windsor, marking the beginning of the sorority's international expansion.[5][1]

Symbols

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Delta Zeta headquarters in Oxford, Ohio

Delta Zeta's flower is the pink Killarney rose, while its stone is the diamond. The turtle is its mascot. The Roman lamp is the official symbol.[9] The badge consists of a lamp on top of a winged Ionic column, in gold, with a diamond set at the spout of the lamp and four pearls inset on the capital of the column.[10] The Greek letters ΔΖ are inscribed on the lamp. The original badge did not include pearls, which were added a few years later.[5]

The sorority's official colors are rose and green.[9] The 1905 Baird's Manual lists the colors as old rose and Nile green which some chapter websites used as of 2024.[11][12][10] The 1991 edition of Baird's says old rose and green. However, the sorority's national website lists its colors as rose and green.[9]

Delta Zeta is one of the first sororities to have had a Lilly Pulitzer print made with its symbols.[5]

Organization

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The Delta Zeta chapter house at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chapter house

The National Council of Delta Zeta is an alumnae board tasked with the governance of the organization.[13]

The Delta Zeta Foundation is a not-for-profit entity within the organization that provides various scholarships for members of the sorority as well as funding leadership, philanthropy, and education programs. There is a national philanthropic organization for active members of Delta Zeta known as the 1902 Loyalty Society, and members join by donating $19.02.[14]

Chapters

[edit]
Main article: List of Delta Zeta chapters

Delta Zeta has 165 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada and over 200 alumnae chapters in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1][15]

Notable members

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Controversies

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Main article: DePauw University Delta Zeta discrimination controversy

At the end of 2006, the Delta chapter of Delta Zeta at DePauw University became enmeshed in a controversy that would eventually make national headlines and result in the chapter's closure.[35] The Delta Zeta national leadership was criticized after The New York Times published an article accusing the national office of moving certain members of the Delta chapter at DePauw University to alumnae status based on their perceived attractiveness. Founded in 1909, the Delta chapter was the sorority's second-oldest active chapter and its fourth-oldest chapter overall (a "single letter" chapter). Despite its long history at DePauw, the chapter struggled with declining membership and had acquired a negative reputation on campus. As a result, Delta chapter members voted to request Delta Zeta Sorority to close the chapter due to falling numbers and a lack of interest in recruitment. When notified of the chapter decision, Delta Zeta Sorority arranged a chapter membership review and chapter reorganization rather than closing the chapter completely. Several of the members who were moved to alumnae status, and therefore required to move out of the Delta Zeta house at DePauw, argued that they were moved to alumnae status due to their perceived unattractiveness, weight, or ethnicity and contacted the media.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), section showing Delta Zeta chapters". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 30 December 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  2. ^ "Delta Zeta Sorority Selected to Colonize at University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)". Delta Zeta (press release). 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Delta Zeta History". deltazeta.org. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  4. ^ The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta. Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. 1912. pp. 131–132.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Delta Zeta History". Delta Zeta. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  6. ^ "Manual of Information" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference. Jan 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  7. ^ Becque, Fran (2015-03-02). "NPC Organizations That No Longer Exist; A Reflection on International Badge Day - Fraternity History & More". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  8. ^ The Spring 1995 edition of The Lamp of Delta Zeta, p.10, has an article about the sorority's several mergers. Accessed 25 Aug 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Delta Zeta Facts – Delta Zeta Sorority". Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  10. ^ a b "Delta Zeta - Panhellenic Association - Grand Valley State University". www.gvsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  11. ^ "History". Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  12. ^ "Delta Zeta Sorority | Epsilon Zeta Chapter". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  13. ^ "National Council". Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  14. ^ "1902 Loyalty Society". Delta Zeta. 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  15. ^ "Fast Facts". Delta Zeta. 2016-05-21. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  16. ^ "Tani Austin Honored".
  17. ^ "Up Close and Personal: OSU's Connection to 'Betty Crocker'". OSU Alumni Association. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  18. ^ "Women of Achievement – Law, Government and the Military". Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  19. ^ "Lamplighters host 50th Annual Flame Fantasy to Benefit the House Ear Institute". Delta Zeta. November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  20. ^ "The Lamp" (PDF).
  21. ^ "Delta Zeta Sorority – Edith Head". Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  22. ^ Becque, Fran. "A Saturday Afternoon with Edith Head, Delta Zeta". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Florence Henderson Official Site – FAQ". Florence Henderson Official Site. Archived from the original on 2000-01-19. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  24. ^ "Delta Zeta Woman of the Year". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ "Meet Dr. Helen Johnston, Delta Zeta Woman of the Year" (PDF). The Lamp of Delta Zeta. 47 (2): 74–75, 78–79.
  26. ^ Brewer, Nancy, and Rochelle Mackey. A Century of Sisterhood: The Story of Delta Zeta Sorority 1902–2002. Phoenix: Heritage, Inc., AZ.
  27. ^ "Delta Zeta Woman of the Year".
  28. ^ a b c "Famous Delta Zeta sisters". Tech Turtles of Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  29. ^ "Delta Zeta Sorority's Woman of the Year". Indiana Evening Gazette. October 27, 1962.
  30. ^ "Gail Patrick Believed Delta Zeta Worthy of Major Bequest". Delta Zeta. Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  31. ^ Wheeler, Lauren (November 8, 2012). "EMB grad makes a name for herself in L.A." The Northerner (NKU). Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  32. ^ "Spring 2005 – The Lamp of Delta Zeta" (PDF). Delta Zeta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  33. ^ {{|title=Arizona Woman Hall of Fame |url=https://www.deltazetaarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Fall-2023.pdf}}
  34. ^ "Kay Yow ΖΛ '62, 1987 Delta Zeta Woman of the Year". Delta Zeta. October 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  35. ^ "DePauw University severs ties with sorority/". MSNBC. Associated Press. March 12, 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  36. ^ Dillon, Sam (February 25, 2007). "Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
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