Preparing to Celebrate #DeltaZeta112

Fall is such an amazing time. Not only are our campuses bustling again after a quiet summer, our collegiate chapters are welcoming in new members and Delta Zeta once again celebrates our founding. This year marks 112 years of sisterhood which was created by six forward thinking young women one fall in 1902. Our Founders had a college experience a lot like many of the hundreds of thousands of members who have come after them. Julia Bishop’s diary documents the founding of Delta Zeta. On September 5, 1902 young Julia was preparing her clothes for school. She tells us that she “cut out gray skirt.” How many of our newest members were preparing their clothes for their big moves to campus in September? And not that much later, on September 21^st, Julia recounts that “after supper we went down to Miss Alfa Lloyd’s to organize sorority.” What an amazing experience to go from packing for college to creating or joining a sorority. And, that is what continues to happen today across North America.

Delta Zeta was incorporated in the State of Ohio on October 24, 1902, which also happened to be Alfa Lloyd’s birthday which was perhaps not a coincidence. Founders Day was first set by the 1912 National Convention and was called a Homecoming. In the early days, it was celebrated by a formal banquet of both collegiate and alumnae members. Delta Zeta members still celebrate Founders Day in much the same way, no matter where they are located. We see the images on Instagram of our collegiate chapters welcoming alumnae back during Homecoming celebrations and the local gatherings of alumnae chapters in cities all over the world, connecting with each other to celebrate your sisterhood is a natural part of honoring our founding. Please share in sharing our sisterhood together this Friday by taking the Founders Day photo challenge by posting a photo of you, or your chapter, proudly celebrating Founders Day wearing your badges to Facebook, Instragram or Twitter with the hashtag #DeltaZeta112.

Delta Zeta’s i Have a Choice Supports National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week

Delta Zeta’s initiative to support National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (#NCAAW) is the i Have a Choice campaign. Collegiate chapters undertake campaigns in their local communities and on campus to educate about the dangers of alcohol abuse. The i Have a Choice campaign helps reinforce the idea that everyone has a choice when it comes to alcohol use. It is just as important now, as it was eight years ago with Delta Zeta started this campaign, to educate our members and communities about the healthy choices we can make regarding alcohol. 

October 19-25 Delta Zeta’s chapters are taking to social network feeds to chronicle their efforts in their communities with the i Have a Choice Campaign. Using the hashtag #iHaveAChoice our chapters and members will be spreading important knowledge about alcohol which directly impacts college students. High risk drinking, though decreasing, still impacts our communities. 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009). 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009). 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2009). And 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2009).

We hope that because of programs like i Have a Choice, we will see continued awareness among college-aged students about their choices relating to alcohol. In 2012, there was a record low of freshman drinking alcohol, a reported 33.4%, down from a high of 73.7% in 1982 (UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, 2012). And the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 84% of 18-24 year olds are NOT heavy drinkers (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2011).

What will you do to spread awareness about the choices you can make to use alcohol responsibly? Tell us by tweeting @DeltaZetaNatl with #iHaveAChoice.