July 26, 2007 :: No. 10

Cal State Fullerton’s Theta Phi Chapter of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority has received national recognition for its excellence in leadership, chapter operations and philanthropic efforts as breast cancer awareness advocates.

Theta Phi received the Crown Chapter Award, given by the Zeta Tau Alpha National Council at its 2007 National Leadership Convention, held July 12-15 in Indianapolis, Ind.

This is the second consecutive year the chapter has received the award, said Nikki Nguyen, president of the Theta Phi Chapter.

“The Crown Chapter Award means that we have done an all–around great job and that we’ve met the criteria a chapter needs in order to succeed,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen of Fullerton, along with Theta Phi First Vice President Chelsea Clapper of Anaheim and Fullerton residents Alexis Amato, special events coordinator, and Brittnee Goodwin, Panhellenic delegate, accepted the Crown Chapter Award at the recent National Leadership Convention. Also in attendance were the sorority’s advisers Jillian Dauer of Los Angeles and Kay McKelvey of Palos Verdes.

Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) excels in meeting chapter standards in the areas of membership, fund raising and giving to the community, specifically to breast cancer awareness, noted Juanita Razo, Cal State Fullerton’s assistant dean of students.

“The chapter is demonstrating to Zeta Tau Alpha national officials that it is running an excellent organization and providing sorority women with an exceptional experience,” Razo added. “The organization is also demonstrating the outstanding leadership and commitment that sororities can have on women, universities and greater community.”

A chapter is eligible to receive a Crown Chapter Award by meeting criteria in areas such as programming, fraternity operations, membership, finances and activities, Nguyen said. Chapters across the country that also meet the criteria received the recognition.

Theta Phi, which has 70 members with eight women living in its off-campus sorority house, also received ZTA’s national Quota/Total Award for meeting and maintaining chapter membership during the fall 2006 recruitment. The group also was honored with the Major Donor Award for donating more than $5,000 to the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation, the national philanthropy, in support of breast cancer awareness and research.

Throughout the year, the CSUF Zeta Tau Alpha sorority members participate in various fund-raising efforts to support women touched with breast cancer. This year, they will host their annual Monte Carlo Casino Night in December for alumnae, parents and supporters. Members also will participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in February 2008 in Pasadena to raise money for breast cancer causes. In October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Theta Phi Chapter members work with the Student Health and Counseling Center to distribute information to CSUF students about the disease.

“Breast cancer awareness and research is the most important aspect of our chapter and organization as a whole,” Nguyen said. “We have been trying very hard to help out the cause.”

Nine women at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Va., sought to make a difference in the community and founded Zeta Tau Alpha in 1898. Today, there are 237 collegiate chapters across the United States, as well as alumnae chapters in Canada and Great Britain. Of the 26 Panhellenic sororities, Zeta Tau Alpha is the third largest organization.

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