About Zeta Tau Alpha
In 1898, nine young women at the Virginia State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) formalized their friendship by forming Zeta Tau Alpha. Away from home for the first time, these teenagers longed for companionship while they studied to be teachers. Fearing their unique friendship would fade without a formal bond to sustain it, they met in secret by candlelight in the bathroom of their dormitory. At the start, they used only three question marks as their group name. The first minute book of regular meetings states Zeta Tau Alpha was organized Oct. 15, 1898.
Learn more about how Zeta Tau Alpha was founded.
We now have more than 300,000 initiated members, 172 active collegiate chapters and more than 225 alumnae chapters across the country.
The Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation is the philanthropic and fundraising arm of the Fraternity. The Foundation leads our efforts in breast cancer education and awareness, provides around $1 million in scholarships annually, and sponsors educational and leadership opportunities for our members and others.
The ZTA Fraternity Housing Corporation is the largest in the Panhellenic world and provides safe, secure and competitive housing for all our collegiate members.
Explore the national ZTA website to find additional information about our Nine Key Values, policies, dedication to inclusion, programming and more.
Who is Beta Iota?
Beta Iota is proud to exemplify the best aspects of modern womanhood. Zeta Tau Alpha’s commitment to build a nobler womanhood in the world is the foundation of our chapter. Our pursuit of a nobler womanhood means standing firm in our nine key values: humility, being rather than seeming, lifelong learning, leadership, loyalty and commitment, responsibility, service and philanthropy, seeking understanding that we might gain true wisdom, and most importantly, love.
Our chapter values diversity and inclusiveness by respecting and encouraging the diverse backgrounds and points of view of our members. At Beta Iota, we encourage the uniqueness of our members while helping them achieve their personal goals. Our sisters have gone on to do incredible things, both at Centenary College of Louisiana, and past graduation. We take pride in the achievements of our members, proud to know we helped the grow into the women they are.
As a sister of Beta Iota, we highly encourage our member to achieve academically. Our members are in a wide range of majors, and we help each other succeed through the power of community and mentorship. One of the most important aspects of being a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha is giving back to the community. We participate in many service opportunities, both for our national philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness, and for the Centenary and Shreveport community. Volunteering is an integral part of the Beta Iota experience.
At its core, Beta Iota is a group of college women and alumnae who are committed to the vision of a nobler womanhood in the world. We achieve this goal by empowering our sisters to grow as individuals while giving back to the community. As sisters, our most important value is love, which we know to be the greatest of all things.