Zeta Tau Alpha hosts Think Pink Week
By Elise Coby
Organizations Editor
Zeta Tau Alpha, an international women’s fraternity at High Point University, hosted Think Pink Week, a philanthropy-inspired event held every semester.
A member of the National Panhellenic Council, Zeta Tau Alpha’s national philanthropy is breast cancer education and awareness through local and national partnerships, campus and community initiatives and the traditional distribution of millions of pink ribbons since 1992.
Since 2004, the fraternity members have distributed 25 million ZTA “Think Pink” ribbons to support breast cancer survivors and the memory of those who have lost their lives to the disease.
By distributing pink ribbons and selling pink T-shirts, ZTA spreads the philanthropy’s message throughout campus each semester.
Talia Scheyer, the philanthropy chair for Zeta Tau Alpha, discussed the importance of these events on campus.
“We host events that not only raise money but honor those who have fought breast cancer,” Scheyer said. “For example, [we post] our ‘We Fight For’ sign outside of the [fraternity] house. Our goal is never to raise the most amount of money; it is to raise awareness around campus by handing out our pink ribbons and selling pink T-shirts.”
Outside of Think Pink Week, ZTA continues to raise awareness through other events that members are passionate about.
“We constantly raise awareness for breast cancer, but we love to dig deeper two weeks throughout the year,” HPU junior Cailey McKinney said. “We do events like Seeds for Hope, where students or members that have a tie to breast cancer speak at a very emotional ceremony to honor their loved ones.”
Despite COVID-19’s impact on everyday life, ZTA has pushed through the challenges of community involvement restrictions through virtual platforms, such as Instagram Live, to host events like Big Man on Campus, an all-male, in-person talent competition.
In the competition, contestants from different campus organizations compete to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education.
“I am hoping COVID restrictions will be able to change for next semester,” Scheyer said. “COVID has had me thinking outside of the box with virtual events and other events that are COVID-safe and friendly.”
Further sisterhood events, such as Galentine’s Day Brunch and food trucks for Zeta, allow the members to still interact with the community and stray away from virtual platforms.
“During chapter [meetings], I recognize a few different girls a week to make everyone feel acknowledged still,” McKinney said. “Ultimately, I hope for us to grow even more as a sorority within this pandemic, and we are doing the best we can with what restrictions we have. It’s important to continue to do as much as we can but with[in] the restrictions and keeping everyone safe.”
For further information on Think Pink Week, students can reach out to Talia Scheyer at tscheyer@highpoint.edu. Those with questions about upcoming Greek events can contact the office of student life at studentlife@highpoint.edu.