The insignia of the Fraternity are symbols of great meaning. They are a heritage from the past, significant because of what Zeta Tau Alphas believe. Many insignia have secret meanings that are revealed during the Initiation service.

The colors of Zeta Tau Alpha are turquoise blue and steel gray. The significance of these colors is explained in the Initiation Service.

Only initiated members may use this in any manner, which is dignified and in good taste. The ritualistic meaning of the Coat of Arms is secret and is revealed to each member at the time of her Initiation.

Zeta Tau Alpha’s current corporate logo (for general purposes referred to as “the ZTA window”) was designed in the early 1990s. It represents the rising sun with five rays that are symbolic of the warmth and the brightness that the Fraternity brings to her sisters. These five rays also represent the five points of the ZTA Crown (see below).

The five-pointed Crown is an official symbol of the Fraternity. The significance of the five points is revealed to each member upon her Initiation. Many examples of crown artwork can be found within ZTA, and all are acceptable as long as the crown contains exactly five points.

The official flag of the Fraternity was adopted at the 1950 Convention and is in the Fraternity colors with a Coat of Arms surrounded by the words “ZETA TAU ALPHA.”

The flower of the Fraternity, chosen by Founder Ruby Leigh Orgain, is the white violet. Its symbolic meaning is explained in the Initiation Service.

The Founders chose Themis to represent the Fraternity. Themis is, in Greek mythology, one of the Titans, daughter of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven), and the mother of the three Fates and the Seasons. The goddess of divine justice and law, Themis was the constant companion of the god Zeus and sat beside him on Olympus. In ancient art she is represented holding aloft a pair of scales on which she weighs the claims of opposing parties.

This pin is a silver carpenter’s square enameled in turquoise, to be worn by all duly pledged new members of the Fraternity.

In the late 1800s, an admirer of one of ZTA’s Founders, Mary Campbell Jones (Batte), sent her a gift of strawberries. The scrumptious present prompted the group of nine friends to host their first purely social gathering and to become officially recognized as a campus organization.