ZETA DAY 2021 BECOMES VIRTUAL WEEKLONG CELEBRATION By Janet Vigen Levy, District President XVII-A
Each spring, alumnae and collegians gather in their states or surrounding areas to celebrate ZTA sisterhood at Zeta Day. After 19 Zeta Day events were canceled in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, National Council made the decision in summer 2020 to move Zeta Day to a virtual format in 2021. This pivot prompted a new approach to a longstanding, traditional event. For the first time, ZTA hosted a national-level virtual Zeta Day celebration. It became a weeklong series of virtual activities that led up to a national Zeta Day celebration on Saturday, March 6, and the selected dates coincided with National Ritual Celebration Week. National Council, District Presidents, the Zeta Day Committee and International Office staff contributed creativity and innovative ideas in planning a meaningful virtual experience. The Fraternity’s biennium theme doubled as the national Zeta Day 2021 theme and acknowledged ZTA’s “Steadfast & Strong” sisterhood. ZTA posted all content for the week to the ZetaDay.com website as well as in the Zeta Day Facebook event. No registration was required. Sisters around the world could opt-in for recaps and reminders throughout the week to ensure they did not miss any of the fun—and the week was filled with so much fun. VIRTUAL CHAPTER FLAGS One of the highlights of in-person Zeta Day events is the opportunity for sisters to pose for photos with their chapter flags. This year, the flags went virtual, too! ZTA’s 4
Themis Summer 2021 | Virtual Zeta Day 2021
Communication Department designed Facebook cover photo graphics of all 257 chapter flags for members to download. With virtual flags proudly in place, the historic virtual, national Zeta Day festivities began. MONDAY, MARCH 1: INTERNATIONAL BADGE DAY The week kicked off with International Badge Day, inspiring members to pin on their favorite accessory with pride and share a photo in the Facebook event and on social media accounts using #BadgeDay21. Monday morning featured a history lesson about ZTA’s badge. In a video episode of “What the HEC?” from ZTA’s Historical and Educational Center at International Office, ZTA Archivist Patti Cords Levitte shared how wearing the badge is a symbolic way to show how Zetas live the Fraternity’s values. She also explained the etiquette behind why the badge is worn on the inner layer of a member’s attire—the layer that touches the heart.
TUESDAY, MARCH 2: NATIONAL ROLL CALL For the virtual version of this crowd favorite, fun prompts encouraged on-screen participation throughout the day. Sisters selected all emoji that applied to their ZTA experience to create their own virtual nametags. From new member and 50-year member to intramural champ and dancing queen, comments in the Virtual Zeta Day Facebook event showed a variety of representation. Other prompts asked sisters to share their chapter, favorite ZTA symbol, what their ZTA badge looks like, a
