top of page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Founding Date: January 16, 1920

National Founding Location: Howard University; Washington, D.C.

Sorority Motto: Scholarship, Sisterly Love, Service, Finer Womanhood

Sorority Colors: Royal Blue and Pure White

Famous Members: Violette Andersen, Zora Neale Hurston, Sheryl Underwood, Wendy Palmer (A Tau Theta Initiate, Fall 1995)

Chapter Name: Tau Theta

Charter Date: April 2, 1978

Current Chapter President: Amber Finlay

Number of Current Active Members: 7

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/tautheta.zetas?fref=ts

              

 

 

 

CHAPTER HISTORY @ UVA

During the late 1970’s, the University of Virginia often felt like a school within a school. Although the university was racially integrated academically, the social atmosphere remained very segregated. Black Greeks were leaders on grounds recognized by both their Black and White peers. As student leaders, Black Greeks felt a significant responsibility to the UVa Black community and the Black race as a whole. More specifically, Black women oftentimes carried the burden of demystifying negative stereotypes and assumptions about their ability to be successful at an academically rigorous institution such as UVa. In 1976, the Black Greek community consisted of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. If interested in joining a historically Black sorority, Black women were forced to choose between the only two Black sororities represented on grounds (e.g., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.). Verna Reynolds, a Zeta legacy hailing from Washington, D.C., felt a need to create a third historically Black service sorority. She believed Zeta’s ideals of scholarship, service, sisterly love, and finer womanhood were a perfect match for the University.

 

In late November 1977, Verna Reynolds’ persistence and dedication paid off when she was introduced to Dwight Ford, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., who helped her contact the Alpha Phi Zeta Graduate Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia to host a rush to determine the level of interest in starting an undergraduate Zeta chapter at the university. Reynolds was told she needed at least five women to charter a new undergraduate chapter at UVa. To her surprise and heartfelt joy, one of her closest friends, Lauralyn Washington, volunteered to take the journey to Zeta with her. Similarly, Washington’s friend, Sophonia Christian, was also interested. Two additional women, Nancy Watkins and Monica Green, who met and became close friends, also wanted to blaze a blue and white trail on UVa’s grounds. With the unconditional support of Brother Ford and the Brothers of the Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., these six young women dedicated to the principles of scholarship, service, sisterhood, and finer womanhood chartered the Tau Theta Chapter on April 2, 1978. During the early years, the chapter set out to be strong role models for fellow university students and the Charlottesville community. Members prided themselves as smart, confident, friendly, and inclusive women who carried themselves with dignity and respect.

CHAPTER SERVICE PROJECT

Priding itself as a service organization, Tau Theta women organize and implement many programs for both the UVa and Charlottesville communities. Over three decades of Tau Theta women have upheld the sorority’s principles and made positive contributions to the UVa and Charlottesville communities through a variety of programs including: Hope Community Center Annual Fall Festival, Carver Recreation Center Youth Halloween Party, March of Dimes Walk-a-Thon, UVa Spring Step Show, Crohn’s Awareness and Fundraising, Annual End-of-Year Barbeque, Voter Registration Drives, Black History Month event co-sponsorships, UVa Move-In Day, and a variety of forums about safe dating, self defense and domestic violence awareness, business etiquette, and career success.


 

bottom of page