Zeta Tau Alpha’s response

ZTA sisters,

Thank you for your dedication to this sisterhood and for your commitment in ensuring that as an organization we continue to “seek the noblest” in everything we do.

On June 11, ZTA took a deliberate stance against racism and communicated that message to all members. Much of that email was focused on ZTA’s existing and upcoming inclusion efforts, driven by the Inclusion Committee. The presidents of ZTA’s three entities, the Fraternity, Foundation and the Fraternity Housing Corporation, spoke against racism and stated that Black lives matter in the State of the Fraternity address, given as part of the virtual Sisterhood Celebration on June 25.

ZTA is one year into a three-year plan that is being adapted, re-prioritized and expanded based on current, ongoing conversations. When the plan is complete, by Sept. 1, 2020, it will be shared publicly on the website’s inclusion page. As part of that plan, ZTA has partnered with, and will continue to seek guidance from, outside consultants. With the help of these experts we are reviewing and auditing all of our programming, materials and resources through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.

To further communicate our actions, intentions and commitment to inclusion, Zeta Tau Alpha has responded to each of your demands directly below.

1. Issue an immediate statement denouncing police brutality and announce that no member—alumni, current, or future—shall be negatively impacted by a protest-related arrest now or in the future.

ZTA does not tolerate violence in any form, including violence initiated by, or directed toward, anyone “within and without our circle.”

It is an individual member’s choice whether to protest. Judicial procedures are managed at the chapter level. Therefore, should a member be arrested during a protest, it is up to their chapter to decide whether it merits a judicial hearing based on the individual circumstances.

2. Allocate dues and housing funds from the 2020 spring semester toward Black Lives Matter, Colors of Change Fund, NAACP fund, Loveland Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, and other pro-Black and civil rights organizations. Additionally, ZTA should encourage collegiate and alumni chapters to create fundraising events for these organizations.

Zeta Tau Alpha cannot disperse funds paid by members for any purpose other than what those funds were allocated for in the approved budget at the time. Therefore, ZTA cannot re-allocate previously remitted fees.

The ZTA Foundation accepts donations that are restricted by donors exclusively for use in providing scholarships, educational programming, and breast cancer education and awareness. The Foundation is legally required to use restricted gifts as specified by the donors, and cannot redirect those gifts to be utilized for other purposes. Unrestricted donations are used to support the budgeted management and fundraising activities of the Foundation. In addition, such gifts must be spent for purposes consistent with the Foundation’s articles of incorporation, corporate bylaws, and its application for exempt status filed with the United States Internal Revenue Service.

For these reasons, ZTA shared opportunities for members to donate directly. We also communicated to chapters that they could fundraise directly for this important cause if they chose, and many are doing so.

3. Implement a 5-year plan, including a diversity audit, for the fraternity to make their hiring and outreach strategy at the National level more equitable plans should be built with external consultation. Additionally, the diversity plan should prioritize equity, racial justice, and diversity within each ZTA collegiate and alumni chapter. These plans must be built with external consultation.

ZTA is one year into a three-year plan created by the Inclusion Committee. The remaining two-year plan is being adapted, re-prioritized and expanded based on current, ongoing conversations. When the plan is complete, by Sept. 1, 2020, we will share it publicly on the inclusion page of the website where other efforts and plans are also shared.

As part of that plan, ZTA has partnered with, and will continue to seek guidance from, outside experts and consultants. With the help of these experts and consultants we are reviewing and auditing all of our programming, materials and resources through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.

In collaboration with third party management companies, ZTA has prioritized an update to its hiring procedures for staff, including both International Office and local chapter employees. Training for staff, volunteers, and chapter and alumnae leadership is also being evaluated and updated.

4.Provide transparent updates on ZTA’s development and progress on their anti-racist efforts to ensure accountability. These should be provided in each issue of Themis in addition to social media posts and email blasts.

ZTA recognized the need to be more deliberate about communicating our efforts in this important space. That is why we created a permanent Inclusion page on our website that is, and will continue to be, updated with information about our actions and intentions related to diversity and inclusion.

Themis magazine, as ZTA’s largest communication platform and a historical record for the organization, is a key platform for sharing all important news and updates. We featured our commitment to inclusion in the spring 2020 issue of Themis, published in March, and there is an article planned for the upcoming summer issue, arriving in mailboxes in August.

5. National should include BIPOC collegiate and non-national officer alumni on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, as well as establish an email or contact for members to reach out regarding D&I initiatives.

We introduced the members of our Inclusion Committee during ZTA’s virtual Sisterhood Celebration the week of June 22 and will share more about its members soon on social media as well. The committee is composed of alumnae, collegians and staff who represent the many communities and identities of our members. The committee members live in different regions of the country and have an understanding of inclusion from a variety of backgrounds.

ZTA is finalizing an application process that will allow us to continually add new voices, identities and perspectives to this committee. Any suggestions or feedback for the committee are welcome and can be shared directly with the committee through the public form on the inclusion page of the website.

6. Require ZTA members to take the Project Implicit test to evaluate their own biases to build, sustain, and maintain an ongoing educational discussion that coincides with their Inclusion programming.

ZTA agrees that understanding biases is an important aspect of inclusion training. We are exploring an option that will allow us to use single sign on capability and ensure all collegiate and alumnae members and volunteers, including staff and Leadership Consultants, have easy access and that participation can be tracked at the national level.

7. All chapters, both collegiate and alumni, must uniformly implement anti-discrimination policies and include such in their written by-laws.

ZTA’s national membership policy states that as an organization we do not discriminate based on race, creed, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability. Zeta Tau Alpha membership is open to individuals who consistently live and self-identify as women. This national policy must be adhered to by every chapter, and National Council is holding a vote to make this a required clause for all chapter bylaws on July 12, 2020.

8. Implement safe and effective means for collegiate and alumni members to report racist behavior for further transparency and accountability, including a defined hierarchy system for internal reporting.

We agree that it’s imperative to have clear paths for communication. Current collegiate chapter members should report incidents of any kind through an advisor or collegiate national officer that works with their chapter. A member may also contact International Office directly at any time. Additionally, ZTA has a contact form on the inclusion page of its website to ensure any issues can be reported directly, even by non-members.

ZTA is committed to hearing each report and taking the appropriate action.

9. Integrate anti-discrimination programming into New Member Learning and Risk Management learning modules, including class-specific programs, de-escalation training, and information on safe, local avenues for reporting.

ZTA reached out to experts in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion this past winter to create a six-part My Sister, My Responsibility® series specifically focused on our Key Value of “Seeking Understanding that We Might Gain True Wisdom.”

This series will roll out this fall to all collegiate and alumnae chapters to dive deep into the following important topics:
-Genuine conversation
-Personal and social identity
-Cultural appropriation
-Microaggressions
-Unpacking power and privilege
-Identity, access and experience

All collegiate Vice President I/Coordinator of Committees and Inclusion Chairmen will be trained on this new MSMR program in July 2020 to help facilitate conversations around inclusion within their chapters.

For context, the Inclusion Chairman position was created in fall 2019 as a part of collegiate chapters’ Programming Council. Starting in the fall 2020 semester/quarter, every chapter is required to fill this position. The goal of this position is to create a sense of belonging for members of the chapter and educate them on diversity and inclusion topics.

Furthermore, ZTA will use outside consultants and experts to facilitate important training and discussion about racism, privilege and the role of inclusion within our organization with Leadership Consultants in July 2020. This training will aid our LCs as they visit chapters and can directly influence and encourage productive conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion.

These are examples of first steps toward required diversity and inclusion training, and ZTA will continue to consult with outside experts and reevaluate its programming. Updates will be provided regularly through the inclusion page. Additionally, any chapter may develop its own programming/training to meet the needs of its members.

10. Make a public statement in support of Trans BIPOC, and ensure that each step towards implementing new diversity standards are inclusive and supportive of transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary BIPOC members.

We support every member regardless of their identity, including sisters within the LGBTQIA+ community, though to qualify for membership they must self-identify as female, per our status as a single-gender organization. The purpose of ZTA’s efforts are to be fully inclusive of every sister, regardless of race, color, heritage, disability, sexual preference or other identity.

ZTA, along with all 25 other NPC groups are single-gender organizations, creating an important space just for women. Sororities give women an opportunity to feel ownership of a piece of their college experience by creating something built by women for women. Read more about the Stand up to Harvard lawsuit and the importance of single-gender organizations.

11. Educate members about the history and necessity for NPHC, NALFO, and NAPA organizations and acknowledge ZTA’s role in discriminating against members of these groups.

Great suggestion! We know this is an important part of inclusion efforts and education and we will incorporate recognition and education of these groups into our inclusion calendar moving forward.

ZTA encourages collegiate chapters to partner with these organizations on their campuses to learn more about their history and traditions and to promote open conversations around diversity and inclusion.

12. Integrate anti-racism learning into New Member Learning, Recruitment, and Risk Management modules using empirically successful diversity training such as perspective-taking and goal-setting modules.

Please see our response to point number nine above. ZTA recognizes the importance of education and training for our members, both collegiate and alumnae, and will continue to add D&I training to all programming, including training materials for new members, recruitment, risk management, and alumnae.

13. Expand ZTA’s Non-Discrimination Policy to include color and gender identity. The current policy includes only race, creed, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

ZTA membership is open to persons who live and self-identify as female, and the protected classes listed in our non-discrimination policy apprioriately address a wide breadth of identities. If someone would like to elaborate on what is meant by “color identity” by reaching out to International Office, we’d be happy to discuss further.

Outside of membership selection, our members, in upholding the values of our Creed, should not discriminate against anyone, for any reason.