# Zeta Phi Eta

Zeta Phi Eta (ΖΦΗ) is a national professional fraternity for communication arts and sciences. It was founded in 1893, and is recognized as the oldest professional fraternity for women, though membership is now co-ed.

## History

Zeta Phi Eta was founded on October 10, 1893 as the first professional Communications fraternity at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois. The organization began in when Edith deVore conceived the idea of a club exclusively for students of the School of Oratory (later the School of Communication). DeVore was joined by Molly Connor, Laurine Wright, Maude Newell, and Leila Little, and the group called itself the "F.O.E. Club", vowing to be a Friend of Each, Each Our Friend. The women held secret meetings before receiving formal approval for the Zeta Phi Eta sorority in 1894 from Dean Cumnock of the School of Oratory.
The fraternity was incorporated on June 25, 1902 under the laws of the State of Illinois. Reflecting the organization’s status as a professional, rather than an honorary or social, society, the charter proclaims, “This society is to promote a greater excellence in oratorical and dramatic art, and to develop a social interest and a stronger friendship toward each other.”
In 1908, the fraternity began to expand when a Zeta at Northwestern corresponded with a friend at Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, Massachusetts, who belonged to an organization with similar values and goals, Phi Eta Sigma. When the two chapters affiliated under the name of Zeta Phi Eta, Alpha chapter status was bestowed upon the Emerson organization.
During the 1910s and 1920s, campus and alumnae chapters grew quickly at institutions around the country. The fraternity first published CAMEO in 1913, a national magazine which continues to be published quarterly.
In 1941, total membership of the fraternity was reported to be approximately 3,000 women across nineteen collegiate chapters and fifteen alumnae chapters. Since 1950 the fraternity broadened its focus in the speech arts, to include communications arts and sciences.
In 1955, the Zeta Phi Eta Foundation was established to contribute to "worthy speech and drama projects". One long-term project initiated by the Zeta alumnae in 1960 was a full-scale nationwide tape recording program for the Library of Congress, recording tapes of published works for access by blind patrons. Another national project, Graduate Assistantship Opportunities, was designed to provide professional guidance to senior members of campus chapters upon entering graduate school.
Affiliations over the years have included:
* The American Theatre Association
* The Professional Panhellenic Association now the PFA
* The Speech Communications Association
* The Children's Theatre Association

## Purpose

The Fraternity identifies four mission statements which guide its operations:
* To band together individuals committed to high standards in communication arts and sciences;
* To provide opportunities for sharing professional interests through participation in worthwhile activities in the fields of communication;
* To provide a climate in which members may develop sound professional philosophies; and
* To stimulate and encourage all worthy enterprises in the communication fields.

## Symbols

The cameo and pearl pin of Alpha became the national fraternity's official badge, and the shield and torch of Beta became its the coat of arms. The Zeta Phi Eta badge is a rose-colored cameo upon which is carved the letter name of the Fraternity in white, surrounded by 23 pearls. The fraternity's colors are rose and white. Its flower is the "La France Rose." Its magazine is the Cameo, along with occasionally a Prospectus and Pledge Manual.

## Membership

While originally established as a women-exclusive sorority, Zeta Phi Eta began extending its membership to male students in 1975.Since its founding, Zeta Phi Eta membership has expanded to welcome undergraduate and graduate students focusing on a wide range of communications-related fields. These include:
* Journalism
* Public relations
* Graphic design
* Photography
* Speech pathology
* Drama
* Marketing
* English literature and creative writing
* Language studies
* Political science

## Notable members
### Collegiate

* Isobel Carothers (Beta), co-creator and star of the 1930’s WGN radio program, “Clara, Lu and Em”
* Marcelline Hemingway Sanford (Beta), sister of author Ernest Hemingway
* Helen King (Beta), co-creator and star of the 1930’s WGN radio program, “Clara, Lu and Em”
* Louise Starkey (Beta), co-creator and star of the 1930’s WGN radio program, “Clara, Lu and Em”
* Winifred Ward (Beta), founder of the Children’s Theatre of Evanston

### Honorary

* Madge Evans stage and film actress
* Charlton Heston, actor
* Jessica Tandy, actress
* Ethel Waters, singer and actress

## Chapters
### Collegiate chapters

In 2024, there arefive active collegiate chapters of Zeta Phi Eta. Active chapters noted in bold, inactive chapters in italics:
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Beta | October 10, 1893 – 19xx ? | Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha | 1908 | Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | Active |
| Delta | 1914–19xx ? | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Inactie |
| Epsilon | 1917–19xx ? | Brenau University | Gainesville, Georgia | Inactive |
| Zeta | 1919–19xx ? | Southern Methodist University | University Park, Texas | Inactive |
| Eta | 1921–19xx ? | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Gamma | 1921–19xx ? | Drake University | Des Moines, Iowa | Inactive |
| Theta | 1924–1937 | Coe College | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Inactive |
| Iota | 1926–1942 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Inactive |
| Kappa | 1928–1936 | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis County, Missouri | Inactive |
| Lambda | 1930–1968 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive |
| Mu | 1930–1974 | University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | Inactive |
| Nu | 1930–19xx ? | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Xi | 1931–1951 | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Inactive |
| Omicron | 1932–19xx | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Pi | 1934–1969 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Rho | 1934–1972 | Alabama State University | Montgomery, Alabama | Inactive |
| Sigma | 1936–19xx ? | University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | Inactive |
| Tau | 1937–19xx ? | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana/Champaign, Illinois | Inactive |
| Upsilon | 1937–19xx ? | Florida State University | Tallahassee, Florida | Inactive |
| Phi | 1939–19xx ? | University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | Inactive |
| Chi | 1941–19xx ? | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Inactive |
| Psi | 1943–19xx ? | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | 1945–1974 | University of Science and Arts | Chickasha, Oklahoma | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | 1945–19xx ? | University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | Inactive |
| Alpha Gamma | 1945–19xx ? | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Inactive |
| Omega | 1945–19xx ? | Texas Woman's University | Denton, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | 1947–19xx ? | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, South Dakota | Inactive |
| Alpha Epsilon | 1947–19xx ? | Occidental University | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Alpha Zeta | 1950–19xx ? | Wichita State University | Wichita, Kansas | Inactive |
| Alpha Eta | 1951–19xx ? | University of Mary Washington | Fredericksburg, Virginia | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | 1952–19xx ? | Marquette University | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Alpha Iota | 1956–19xx ? | Southern Illinois University | Carbondale, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha Kappa | 1958–19xx ? | University of Miami | Coral Gables, Florida | Inactive |
| Alpha Lambda | 1958–19xx ? | University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | Inactive |
| Alpha Mu | 1959–19xx ? | American University | Washington, D.C. | Inactive |
| Alpha Nu | 1959–19xx ? | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Inactive |
| Alpha Xi | 1962–19xx ? | University of Portland | Portland, Oregon | Inactive |
| Alpha Omicron | 1966–1975 ? | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha Pi | 1967–19xx ? | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Inactive |
| Alpha Rho | 1968–19xx ? | West Virginia University | Morgantown, West Virginia | Inactive |
| Alpha Sigma | 1969–19xx ? | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Inactive |
| Alpha Tau | 1970–19xx ? | Baylor University | Waco, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Upsilon | 1972–1974 | University of Missouri–Kansas City | Kansas City, Missouri | Inactive |
| Alpha Phi | 1974–19xx ? | University of Wisconsin, Whitewater | Whitewater, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Alpha Chi | 1975–19xx ? | University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Psi | 1975–19xx ? | Texas Southern University | Houston, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Omega | 1978–19xx ? | University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | Inactive |
| Beta Alpha | 1980–19xx ? | Monmouth College | West Long Branch, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Beta Beta | 1981–19xx ? | Rider University | Lawrenceville, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Beta Gamma | 1992–19xx ? | Edgewood College | Madison, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Beta Delta | 1993–19xx ? | Clarion University | Clarion, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Beta Epsilon | 2005–202x ? | Slippery Rock University | Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Beta Zeta | 2005–20xx ? | University of Texas | Austin, Texas | Inactive |
| Beta Eta | 2013 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, New York | Active |
| Beta Theta | 2014 | University of Toledo | Toledo, Ohio | Active |
| Beta Iota | 2015 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, Florida | Active |
| Beta Kappa | 2015–201x ? | Morehead State University | Morehead, Kentucky | Inactive |
| Beta Lambda | 2017 | Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, Alabama | Active |
* ↑ Originated as Phi Eta Sigma (local)

### Professional chapters

Professional chapters are located in:
| Chaptar | Location | Status |
| Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | Active |
| Chicago North Shore | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Active |
| Porland | Portland, Oregon | Active |
| Southern California | Los Angeles California | Active |