UPCOMING CONTEXTUALIZATION TO BRING POLICY CHANGES TO LIGHT

By Christy Marx Barber, Staff Writer

Contextualization is a cumbersome word to say, to spell and to understand.

To contextualize historical events and processes is to connect them to the specific political, social and economic circumstances in which they occurred with the intention of seeking understanding. Contextualization is not a tool to make excuses or pass judgment.

In the fall 2021 issue of Themis, Zeta Tau Alpha will present a contextualization of our Membership Selection Policy and processes and how they resulted in the exclusion of young women solely due to their backgrounds or identities. For many years, our policy may have prevented potential members whose values reflect our values from benefiting from our sisterhood and finding a home in ZTA.

ZTA strives to acknowledge and improve upon past decisions and practices. We committed to this historical review in 2020 as part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. While the study will trace the policy from 1898 to 2021, it will detail significant national and ZTA events that prompted policy changes, with emphasis on the volatile 1960s and 1970s. Only 20% of our living members were initiated prior to that era. This transformative time is important for all members to know and understand.

The Creed of Zeta Tau Alpha encourages us to “seek understanding that we might gain true wisdom.” Understanding our past allows us to learn from our history and do better. Our goal is to turn a mirror on our present Fraternity to ensure exclusive practices of our past are not repeated in the future. We will continue to apply our founding principles, which are rooted in love and leadership and resonate within today’s college women, to current circumstances. Seeking Understanding that We Might Gain True Wisdom is one of our Nine Key Values. Introduced in 2016, the Nine Key Values use our founding concepts and The Creed to define the focus of chapter programming, the Annual Membership Survey and award criteria. Each Key Value has three associated expectations of how our organization and membership should live them.

These Nine Key Values and their expectations serve as the framework for our research and contextualization of the history of our Membership Selection Policy.

LIFELONG LEARNING:

• Applying past learning to new challenges • Continuously pursuing learning about members and our purpose • Looking for new learning opportunities for our members

Our purpose statement, written in 1904, pledges to build up a nobler womanhood. The archaic definition of noble is “aristocratic.” The contemporary definition of noble is “having high ideals”—a phrase included in our Creed. The study can teach us how to apply historical words to current challenges.

LEADERSHIP:

• Showing authenticity by remaining true to our values and our members • Looking for opportunities to serve and build others up • Thinking critically to find root causes and enact solutions

ZTA is committed to being transparent and authentic with our membership. Through contextualization, we will take a critical look at our past and work to enact solutions that build others up and open the door for more members to serve.

RESPONSIBILITY:

• Following through with obligations • Showing initiative • Holding our Fraternity accountable for actions and decisions

We have spent the past nine months researching pertinent archival documents and have learned from webinars offered by National Panhellenic Conference member organizations Delta Gamma Fraternity and Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, which have published their own contextualization findings. We will bring forward past actions and decisions in order to hold ourselves accountable and avoid repeating them.

BEING RATHER THAN SEEMING:

• Showing vulnerability and allowing others in • Interacting in an authentic manner • Showing a genuine interest in getting to know those within and without our circle

This study may result in criticism. Nevertheless, we will be steadfast in our efforts to become more inclusive and honest about how our Membership Selection Policy has not been inclusive in the past.

SERVICE & PHILANTHROPY:

• Giving freely of our time and resources to assist others • Seeking out opportunities to educate about community needs • Understanding our role in serving campus, local and global communities

Studying our history can prepare us for the nobility of service wherever there is a need. It can ensure that our service extends beyond benefiting those who have historically “looked like” us or believed like we believed and addresses the wider concerns of a more diverse membership.

SEEKING UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MIGHT GAIN TRUE WISDOM:

• Being open to new ideas • Seeking opportunities to interact with and learn from people of different backgrounds • Discussing differing values and beliefs in a comfortable manner

This is really the heart of our study— to become perhaps uncomfortable as we consider the impacts of our past. Through introspection, we can become more comfortable discussing our values and beliefs as we focus on inclusion and belonging.

HUMILITY:

• Admitting when we are wrong • Doing things without regard for recognition or need for appreciation • Sharing in the success of others in our community

Our research may show decisions that were wrong, although they may not have been perceived as wrong at the time. We will acknowledge past missteps to move forward humbly.

LOYALTY & COMMITMENT:

• Going above and beyond what is expected • Displaying devotion to our membership • Standing up for members and our community partners

In the past, ZTA has not openly discussed how the gradual changes to our Membership Selection Policy occurred. Now, our leaders are committed to studying and sharing the evolution of the policy with our entire membership.

LOVE:

• Putting member and community needs before the Fraternity’s • Loving others unconditionally, even during challenging times • Making members feel welcome and appreciated

We can disagree and still choose to show unconditional love. We believe all our members need to receive and understand this story, and we will provide an opportunity for all to share their thoughts after its publication in October.

Attendees of Convention 1972, at which Official Delegates voted to remove exclusionary language from ZTA’s Membership Selection Policy