Sigma Delta Tau

Not to be confused with Sigma Tau Delta.

Sigma Delta Tau
ΣΔΤ
File:SDT crest.jpg
Founded	March 25, 1917 (1917-03-25) Cornell University (Ithaca, New York)
Type	Social
Scope	National
Mission statement	"It shall be the purpose of this fraternal organization to form a close social and fraternal union of those of similar ideals and to foster, maintain and instill such ideals in the hearts of its members as will result in actions worthy of the highest precepts of true womanhood, democracy and humanity."
Motto	Patriae Multae Spes Una One Hope of Many People
Colors	Cafe au Lait      Old Blue
Symbol	Torch
Flower	Golden Tea Rose
Jewel	Lapis Lazuli
Publication	The Torch
Philanthropy	Prevent Child Abuse America
Chapters	103
Members	60,000+ collegiate
Mascot	Teddy Bear
Headquarters	714 Adams Street Carmel, Indiana, USA
Homepage	http://www.sigmadeltatau.org/

Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ) is a national sorority and member of the National Panhellenic Conference, was founded March 25, 1917 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The original name, Sigma Delta Phi, was changed after the women discovered a sorority with the same name already existed. Today, Sigma Delta Tau has over 60,000 initiates from 100 chapters around the United States. The 100th chapter to be initiated was the Delta Kappa Chapter at Western Connecticut State University on March 25, 2012, the sorority's 95th anniversary.

Sigma Delta Tau was founded by seven Jewish women: Dora Bloom Turteltaub, Amy Apfel Tishman, Marian Gerber Greenberg, Grace Srenco Grossman, Inez Dane Ross, Regene Freund Cohane, Lenore Rubinow. There is no religious requirement for membership to the sorority, nor is it affiliated with any one religion. Sigma Delta Tau accepts women of all walks of life, and is very diverse. The colors of Sigma Delta Tau are cafe au lait and old blue. The sorority's symbol is the Torch, which is also the name of its national publication.

The national philanthropy of Sigma Delta Tau is Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA).

Symbols

The membership badge is represented by the torch.

The current badge is a jeweled gold torch. On the front of the torch are the Greek letters ΣΔΤ, with 6 pearls and a diamond. The badge is worn strictly as an emblem of membership and only by initiated members. New Members of Sigma Delta Tau wear a different badge, a gold torch enameled in old blue, representing the colors of the sorority, cafe au lait and old blue. The new member pin is only worn during the new member period.

The teddy bear is the official mascot of Sigma Delta Tau. The official flower is the golden tea rose and the sorority jewel is the lapis lazuli. The sorority coat of arms combines all the elements of Sigma Delta Tau.

Philanthropy

At the 1982 National Convention, the convention body unanimously agreed to adopt Prevent Child Abuse America as Sigma Delta Tau's National Philanthropy. Prevent Child Abuse America is a voluntary organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse through citizen action.

Each Sigma Delta Tau chapter conducts an annual service project, educational program, or major fund raiser for the benefit of Prevent Child Abuse America. Together, the SDT chapters contribute more than $100,000 each year to their National Philanthropy.

Founders

Dora Bloom was “the leader.” She was the first chapter president and was calm and placid throughout the hectic first year of Sigma Delta Tau. Dora married John Turteltaub and at the time of her death, in March 1970, lived in West Orange, New Jersey. She was a community-minded woman, an extensive world traveler, and a proud mother and grandmother. Dora served as President of the Theresa Grotta Home for many years and was Secretary of the Conference of Jewish Women’s Organizations.

Amy Apfel was the “personality-plus coed.” She married Alexander Tishman and made New York City her home for many years. Amy was a member of many worthy charitable organizations and a devoted mother and grandmother. Upon her death, in 1982, the Tishman family bequeathed to the Sigma Delta Tau Foundation a scholarship in Amy’s name to be awarded to deserving members of the Alpha Chapter of Sigma Delta Tau.

Marian Gerber was considered “the brain” and was more interested in her studies than campus activities. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors in History. Marian married David B. Greenberg and they co-authored two books on travel: What to Buy in Europe and What to Buy in South America. Marian earned international recognition for her volunteer work as the first American Chairman of Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah. Marian taught courses at the University of Massachusetts in the Judaic Studies Department.

Grace Srenco was the “campus queen.” Grace was a freshman, assigned to a dormitory with a sophomore roommate. This roommate was Dora Bloom. Grace said, “This chance meeting led to many happy events in my life: the founding of Sigma Delta Tau and my marriage to a Philadelphia lawyer.” She helped found the Beta Chapter and met her future husband, J. Grossman, at their installation banquet. Grace devoted much of her time to the American Red Cross and to her hobby, painting. Grace had two sons and a daughter, Nancy, who joined SDT at the University of Pennsylvania.

Inez Ross was considered “the sophisticate” and helped Dora Bloom get the idea of Sigma Delta Tau rolling. Inez became a prominent social worker in New York City. During the Depression era of the 1930s, she was associated with several state and federal relief agencies where her outstanding efforts came to the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, who honored her at the White House. It was Inez who designed our National crest and selected the colors of “cafè au lait and old blue.”

Regene Freund called herself “the activity girl.” She balanced her work in campus organizations and her pre-law studies very well. After graduating from law school, she married Louis Cohane. They maintained law offices in Detroit the entire period of their marriage. In 1924, they earned the distinction of being the first married couple to try a case before the United States Supreme Court. Regene served as Sigma Delta Tau’s first National President from 1918-1922. She continued to serve as SDT’s National Counselor, a volunteer position she held for 35 years. Regene has been honored many times over the years for her leadership roles in civic and social welfare organizations, as well as for her contributions to Sigma Delta Tau. Regene was chosen one of Detroit’s “Women of Achievement” and her portrait has been placed in the Detroit Historical Museum. Sigma Delta Tau honored Regene in 1991 by establishing the Regene Freund Cohane Outstanding President Award.

Lenore Rubinow was known as “the idealist.” She studied dance during college and dreamed of a career on the stage. Lenore studied sociology in graduate school at Columbia University. She became a successful social worker in Newark, New Jersey. She organized and directed the Department of Social Service of the Neward Beth Israel Hospital. In connection with her profession, she spent three years in Germany after World War II as part of the displaced persons’ program.

Through Dora Bloom, the services of an idealist and poet were sought to write a ritual worthy of the philosophy of Sigma Delta Tau. Nathan House was such a person and he wrote the ritual keeping in mind the personalities of the seven young women. After leaving Cornell, Brother Nat was “lost.” In a chance look through the New York City phone book, Nat was “found” and brought as a surprise to the 1958 National Convention. From that time until his death, Brother Nat attended almost every Biennial Convention and maintained correspondence and visits with many alumnae and collegiate chapters. Brother Nat was the only man to wear the Sigma Delta Tau gold Torch pin.

Controversy

On January 22, 2015, national media outlets reported on immense damage caused by the University of Michigan chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu at Treetops Resort near Gaylord, Michigan. The fraternity was reported to have caused over $430,000 in damages including broken ceiling tiles, furniture and windows. Joshua Kaplan, president of the University of Michigan chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu during the events, stated he was "embarrassed and ashamed of the behavior of some members," and that "our chapter accepts full responsibility for this incident and we will be working with the management of the resort to pay for all damages and cleaning costs." However, after the damage caused by the fraternity reportedly topped $400,000, Treetops Resort officials said that Sigma Alpha Mu was "unwilling to accept liability and pay restitution." The chapter was subsequently suspended for four years following the events. Three members of the fraternity were criminally charged. University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel entered a four-year ban from campus life. This was "the most severe sanction that can be implemented against any campus student organization." He also asked the national fraternity's council to pull its charter.

University of Michigan's two disciplinary year suspension sanctions against sorority Sigma Delta Tau was justified because its members "stood by at Treetops Resort and allowed others to vandalize the facility."

Chapter List

Alpha, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, March 25, 1917

Beta, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1920

Gamma, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, February 26, 1921

Delta, SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, April 17, 1921

Epsilon, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 6, 1923

Zeta, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March 7, 1924

Eta, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, April 6, 1924

Theta, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, May 23, 1925

Iota, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, February 20, 1926

Kappa, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, March 6, 1926

Lambda, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, July 19, 1927

Mu, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, July 18, 1927

Nu, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 21, 1929

Xi, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, September 14, 1929

Omicron, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, February 5, 1934

Pi, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, April 8, 1933

Rho, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, May 10, 1935

Sigma, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, April 24, 1938

Tau, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, March 4, 1939

Upsilon, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, April 20, 1940

Phi, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1943

Chi, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 16, 1944

Psi, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, December 15, 1945

Omega, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, April 27, 1946

Alpha Beta, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, January 25, 1947

Alpha Delta, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, February 23, 1947

Alpha Epsilon, Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana, February 4, 1948

Alpha Zeta, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1950

Alpha Eta, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, April 29, 1951

Alpha Theta, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, March 22, 1952

Alpha Iota, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, May 1, 1955

Alpha Kappa, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, February 3, 1957

Alpha Lambda, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, September 7, 1957

Alpha Mu, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, October 25, 1957

Alpha Nu, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, November 16, 1958

Alpha Xi, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, May 3, 1959

Alpha Omicron, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, May 2, 1959

Alpha Pi, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, December 6, 1959

Alpha Rho, New York University, New York, New York, March 27, 1960

Alpha Sigma, Hunter College, New York, New York, May 15, 1960

Alpha Tau, George Washington University, Washington, DC, December 16, 1961

Alpha Upsilon, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, November 28, 1962

Alpha Phi, Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee, June 3, 1962

Alpha Chi, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, May 5, 1963

Alpha Psi, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, November 10, 1963

Alpha Omega, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, November 10, 1964

Beta Alpha, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, January 31, 1965

Beta Beta, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, November 1, 1964

Beta Gamma, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, March 21, 1965

Beta Delta, Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa, March 27, 1965

Beta Epsilon, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, November 3, 1966

Beta Zeta, Queens College, Flushing, New York, March 7, 1967

Beta Eta, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, May 12, 1967

Beta Theta, Long Island University, Brookville, New York, November 12, 1967

Beta Iota, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, February 23, 1969

Beta Kappa, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, March 9, 1969

Beta Nu, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, October 16, 1975

Beta Xi, Union College, Schenectady, New York, November 20, 1977

Beta Pi, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, April 1, 1978

Beta Rho, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, May 3, 1981

Beta Sigma, Herbert C. Lehman College, New York, New York, November 13, 1969

Beta Tau, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, September 13, 1981

Beta Upsilon, Stanford University, Stanford, California, May 15, 1983

Beta Phi, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, December 1, 1984

Beta Chi, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, May 5, 1985

Gamma Alpha, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, New York, April 21, 1985

Gamma Beta, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, November 15, 1985

Gamma Gamma, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, September 28, 1986

Gamma Delta, American University, Washington, DC, April 20, 1987

Gamma Epsilon, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, New York, April 30, 1987

Gamma Zeta, SUC Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, April 16, 1988

Gamma Eta, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, April 17, 1988

Gamma Theta, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, New York, March 24, 1988

Gamma Iota, University of Hartford, W. Hartford, Connecticut, April 9, 1989

Gamma Kappa, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, New York, March 14, 1989

Gamma Lambda, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, April 15, 1989

Gamma Mu, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, June 8, 1989

Gamma Nu, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, New York, April 30, 1989

Gamma Xi, Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey, January 26, 1990

Gamma Omicron, York University, Toronto, Ontario, November 11, 1990

Gamma Pi, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, March 9, 1991

Gamma Rho, Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey, April 28, 1991

Gamma Sigma, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island, May 4, 1991

Gamma Tau, Columbia University, New York, New York, January 19, 1992

Gamma Upsilon, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, New York, October 5, 1991

Gamma Phi, York College of Pennsylvania, York, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1991

Gamma Chi, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, New York, January 25, 1992

Gamma Psi, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, March 7, 1992

Gamma Omega, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, April 26, 1992

Delta Alpha, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, May 30, 1992

Delta Beta, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, October 9, 1993

Delta Gamma, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, April 30, 1995

Delta Delta, College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York, November 10, 1996

Delta Epsilon, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, March 31, 2001

Delta Zeta, Rutgers-Camden, Camden, New Jersey, December 8, 2002

Delta Eta, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, October 12, 2003

Delta Theta, Pace University, New York, New York, November 17, 2006

Delta Iota, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, November 12, 2006

Delta Kappa, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut, May 17, 2009

Delta Lambda, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, New York, February 2, 2013

Delta Mu, Manhattan College, Bronx, New York, November 17, 2013

Delta Nu, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, January 21, 2015

Delta Xi, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, March 8, 2015

Notable alumnae

• Joyce Brothers (Alpha Chapter, Cornell) - Psychologist, TV and Radio Personality, Writer
• Meredith Deane (Alpha Xi Chapter, Boston University; Mu Chapter, University of Southern California) - Actress
• Heather Dubrow (Omega Chapter, Syracuse University) - Actress and Real Housewife of Orange County
• Sherry Lansing (Sigma Chapter, Northwestern University) - Actress and Film Studio Executive, CEO Paramount Pictures, President of production at 20th Century Fox. First female to head a Hollywood studio. Named one of the most powerful women in America.
• Christy Carlson Romano - (Gamma Tau Chapter, Columbia/Barnard) - Broadway and Television Actress on Disney's hit television show "Even Stevens"
• Janice Schneiderman (Alpha Lambda Chapter, University of Missouri) - Honorary National President, National Council of Jewish Women
• Phyllis Snyder (Alpha Chapter, Cornell University) - National President, National Council of Jewish Women
• Flo Steinberg (Psi Chapter, University of Massachusetts, Amherst) - American Publisher
• Remy Zaken (Gamma Tau Chapter, Columbia/Barnard) - Broadway Actress
• Bari Lurie (Alpha Tau Chapter, The George Washington University) - non-profit executive

See also

• List of social fraternities and sororities

External links

• Sigma Delta Tau Official Website