Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta partnered with

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, par ...

in 1999 as the first non-corporation partner to be named the St. Jude partner of the year. With over 200,000 living initiates, Tri Delta is one of the largest

National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alum ...

sororities.

History

The founders of ΔΔΔ: Delta Delta Delta was founded by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Florence Isabelle Stewart, and Isabel Morgan Breed at

. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
Three women's fraternities were already represented at Boston University in 1888 ( Kappa Kappa Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, and Alpha Phi). Shaw enlisted the help of Eleanor Dorcas Pond and told her, "Let us found a society that shall be kind alike to all and think more of a girl's inner self and character than of her personal appearance." The two young women began the work of creating a new national fraternity. Later Sarah wrote "...The two enthusiastic friends were unaware of the fact that there was something stupendous about the task they had set hands, heads and hearts to accomplish. They were working for a principle, and it never occurred to them that there could be such a thing as failure. Earnestness of purpose, energy and enthusiasm had brought them both success in college and why should not these same qualities bring assurance of good fortune to the new venture." Shaw and Pond wrote the rituals and constitution and designed the emblems. Choosing the name was a mutual decision. Pond suggested a triple letter while Shaw chose the actual letter and developed Greek mottos and passwords. Inspiration came from Egyptian Lore,

Hindu mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

Greek Mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

and

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

, reflecting Shaw's wide and various interests. In the 1960s,

G. William Domhoff George William "Bill" Domhoff (born August 6, 1936) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus and research professor of psychology and sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a founding faculty member of UCSC's Cowell College. He i ...

, writing in '' Who Rules America?'', listed Tri Delta as one of "the four or five sororities with nationwide prestige."

Symbols

Dartmouth College campus 2007-06-23 Delta Delta Delta 01

The

Greek alphabet The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as ...

letters Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ) are the official symbols. The

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...

is recognized as an additional symbol as it was considered to be a good omen by the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

. The colors of Tri Delta are silver, gold, and

cerulean blue Cerulean (), also spelled caerulean, is a shade of blue ranging between azure and a darker sky blue. The first recorded use of ''cerulean'' as a colour name in English was in 1590. The word is derived from the Latin word '' caeruleus'', "dar ...

, while the

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

is its jewel. The sorority recognizes the pansy as its official flower and the

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ac ...

as its official tree. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

consists of a quartered shield, first and fourth quarters in blue with a silver

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mar ...

on each, second and third quarters in gold with green pine tree on each. The sorority crest is placed above the shield and consists of a torse with six folds in alternating gold and blue, from which a white, gold and blue pansy rises. Below the shield, the Greek motto ''Asfalos Agapomen Allaylas'' ("Let us steadfastly love one another") is inscribed in Greek characters on a scroll.

Official insignia

Tri Delta's official badge is the Stars and Crescent, consisting of three golden stars and a crown set with pearls, within a gold crescent of three hundred degrees bearing three deltas in black enamel. An initiate receives a badge with her initials, the Greek letters of her chapter, and her chapter Initiation number engraved on the back. The badge belongs to the sorority and is "lent" to each member during her lifetime or as long as she remains a member, with the expectation that the badge will be returned upon the member's death or resignation. Prior to initiation, new members wear a new member pin, which is a green and silver enamel badge described as an "inverted Delta surrounded by three Deltas." A new member may also display a trident, which symbolizes the first degree of initiation and is returned prior to initiation into the Stars and Crescent degree. A gold trident may be worn as a badge guard. Tri Delta also has various circle pins to celebrate years since the member's initiation. Introduced in 2004, the Silver Circle Pin may be worn by members who have reached the 25-year anniversary of their initiation. It features the anniversary number engraved on the stars and crescent design. The Golden Circle Pin was originally created by Sarah Ida Shaw for the Circle Degree of Initiation, but its current usage to celebrate 50 years since initiation dates to 1962. This pin consists of three deltas made of gold inside a golden circle, surrounded by six spherical triangles in blue. The Diamond Circle Pin honors members who have served for 75 years with the fraternity. While the design is alike to the Golden Circle Pin, this token features a diamond in the center. This pin was introduced in the year 1996 and the first pin was awarded to Mary K. Wise of Butler University.

Programs

Philanthropy

Many chapters observe "Sleighbell Day" on the first Tuesday of December, following the tradition of Sleighbell Luncheon, first held in the 1940s by 13 Southern California chapters to benefit a doctor researching blood diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, a national survey established that Tri Delta chapters were interested in children, hospitals, and cancer. At the 1974 Tri Delta Convention, the three were combined to support children's cancer charities as the designated philanthropy. In 1999, Tri Delta partnered with

. St. Jude (through the fundraising branch, the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities) assists Tri Delta chapters in planning philanthropy events that benefit the children and subsidize research costs at St. Jude. Many chapters coordinate fundraising activities such as pancake breakfasts, called Delta House of Pancakes or DHOP, and football tailgates on their campuses each year. Since 1999, Tri Delta has raised more than $30 million for St. Jude. In 2002, Tri Deltas committed to raising $1 million to build a Teen Room at the St. Jude Hospital in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

, fulfilling the commitment in 2005. In July 2006, Tri Delta committed to raise $10 million in 10 years to build a new patient treatment floor focusing on brain tumor research at St. Jude, instead raising $10.4 million in 4 years. In 2010, a new philanthropic goal was announced to raise $15 million in 5 years. On February 1, 2014, it was announced that Tri Delta surpassed the $15 million goal in just 3.5 years. On July 4, 2014, Tri Delta announced a new philanthropic goal to raise $60 million over 10 years, the largest single commitment by a partner of St. Jude in the history of the hospital. Only three-and-a-half years into the 10 year commitment to raise $60 million, Tri Delta hit the halfway point and announced $30 million raised for St. Jude in January 2018. Their pledge funded the Tri Delta Place, St. Jude's only on-campus housing facility. It includes 64 hotel-style rooms and 36 suites. Tri Delta was also named the St. Jude partner of the year for 2014, making Tri Delta the first non-corporation to receive this honor. As of February 2018, Tri Delta has reached the halfway point of this commitment. Since 1999, Tri Delta members have raised more than $70 million to St. Jude. Tri delta continues every year to increase their philanthropy goals for St. Jude. In addition to the national partnership, Tri Delta continues to raise money for local Children's Cancer Charities, including two Canadian Hospitals, the Hospital for Sick Children in

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in

Ottawa, Canada Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, and local children's cancer charities in various states. Every year, chapters host a variety of events to raise money for these causes. This includes sporting events such as Greeks at Bat (an inter-fraternity

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

tournament) and Tri Delta Triple Play ( kickball tournament), pancake breakfasts commonly named "Delta House of Pancakes," "Delta Diner," or "TriHOP", and spaghetti dinners. Every Tri Delta member also participates in "Sincerely Yours", an international writing campaign to raise money for St Jude. Other St. Jude specific philanthropic endeavors includes a Gold Level National Team participation in the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer.

''The Trident''

''The Trident'' is Tri Delta's official publication, published continuously since 1891. The publication includes news about collegiate and alumni members, chapter events, topics in women's health, editorials, and upcoming events.

Membership

Leadership

Active members of each Tri Delta chapter may join a committee or be slated into an office in order to serve the organization and develop leadership skills. During the slating process, members adhere to the mantra "The Office Selects the Officer,” and undergo the process of determining the officer that is best suited for each office based on her skills and previous experience. Each collegiate chapter president oversees chapter business, including membership in every team and committee. Each subsequent office is organized into one of the following teams, each headed by a Vice-President: Administration, Chapter Development, Finance, Public Relations, and Membership. Further committees, assistants, and chair-positions are tailored to each chapter's specific needs. A new officer structure was introduced in 2020 which consists of the collegiate chapter president and Vice Presidents of Operations, Chapter Programming and Development, Community Relations, and Membership Experience. Each officer team consists of one VP and a set of directors.

Chapter Development Consultants

Since 1910, Tri Delta has utilized a consultant program, in which recently graduated alumna members are trained and employed by the executive office to visit chapters to provide resources and advice on their chapter business. Chapter Development Consultants provide constructive feedback in order to align the chapter with standards determined by the executive office. Consultants have gone by many names over the years, including field secretaries and field consultants. In 2015, the name was changed to Chapter Development Consultants.

Alumnae involvement

After graduation, alumnae may continue to support Tri Delta and stay active within the Greek community via means such as joining an alumna chapter, attending and hosting philanthropy events, donating to the Tri Delta Foundation's scholarships, contributing to The Trident, writing reference letters for potential new members, and volunteering. Alumnae who wish to stay connected to or make a more direct contribution to a specific collegiate chapter may join its alumna advisory team. Members volunteering on an international level include members of the National Housing Corporation, who manage fraternity properties, and members of the Foundation.

Notable members

Beauty pageant contestants * Donna Axum ( Delta Iota) – Miss America 1964 * Brittany Brannon ( Gamma Rho) – Miss Arizona USA 2011, top 15 at Miss USA *

Leanza Cornett Eva Leanza Cornett (June 10, 1971 – October 28, 2020) was an American television personality and beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned Miss Florida 1992 and Miss America 1993 the same year. Early life Cornett was born in Big Stone Gap, ...

( Beta Gamma) – Miss America 1993 and television host * Darynne Dahlem ( Delta Iota) – Miss Arkansas 2019 * Bethany Gerber ( Theta Gamma) –

Miss Kansas USA The Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. In 1992, the state joined the Va ...

2010 *

Julie Hayek Julie Lynne Hayek (born October 4, 1960) is an American actress, model, charity worker and beauty queen who won Miss USA 1983. Early life Hayek is of Czech and German descent on her father's side and Norwegian, Scottish, Irish, and English on ...

( Theta Pi) – Miss California USA 1983, Miss USA 1983 * Lynn Herring ( Delta Omega) – Miss Virginia 1977 * Nicole Jordan ( Delta Mu) – Miss Tennessee 2010 * Crystal Lee (

Omega Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/ isopsephy ( gematria), it has a value of 800. The ...

) – Miss California 2013, first runner-up to Miss America 2014 *

Lexie Madden Lexie Madden, (born February 18, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Torrington, Wyoming, who was named Miss Wyoming 2012. Biography Madden is a 2009 graduate of Torrington High School, and attended the University of Wyoming. M ...

( Theta Eta) – Miss Wyoming 2012, 3rd runner-up to Miss America 2013 *

Carly Mathis Carly Mathis is an American attorney and beauty pageant titleholder from Leesburg, Georgia who was named Miss Georgia 2013. Biography She won the title of Miss Georgia on June 22, 2013, when she received her crown from outgoing titleholder Leig ...

(Alpha Rho) – Miss Georgia 2013, top 10 at Miss America *

Rebecca Podio Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblic ...

(Theta Eta) – Miss Wyoming 2013 * Jaclyn Raulerson (Beta Lambda) – Miss Florida USA 2010 * Jaclyn Stapp (Alpha Delta) – Miss New York USA 2004 and Mrs. Florida America 2008 * Abilene Lortz ( Delta Xi) – Miss Missouri Teen USA 2019 * Anna Long ( Delta Xi) – Miss Missouri Teen USA 2021, top 15 at Miss Teen USA * Rylie Spicker (

Alpha Psi Alpha Psi () is a professional Veterinary Medicine fraternity started at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1907. History Founded by twenty-two students in Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University, Alpha Psi wa ...

) – Miss Florida Teen USA 2020 * Jillian Driscoll (

) – Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2022 * Ashley Thompson – University of Oklahoma (Theta Gamma) – Miss Oklahoma – 2018 *

Shawn Weatherly Shawn Nichols Weatherly is an American actress and beauty queen who won the titles of Miss USA and Miss Universe in 1980. She went on to star as Cadet Karen Adams in the film '' Police Academy 3: Back in Training'' (1986), and as Jill Riley in th ...

(Beta Theta) –

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall St ...

1980, actress *

Tyler Willis Tyler Colie Willis Avary (born January 2, 1980) is a beauty queen from Brownfield, Texas who has competed in the Miss USA pageant. She was born to James & Joetta Warren Willis. She has one sister named Kaci. Miss Texas USA 2005 Willis won the Mis ...

(Phi Eta) – Miss Texas USA 2005, top 15 at Miss USA 2005 *

Melissa Witek Melissa Ann Witek (born April 9, 1981) is an American actress, model, television personality, and beauty queen who competed in the Miss USA pageant and appeared on the reality television show '' Treasure Hunters''. Biography Witek was born in Roc ...

(Alpha Psi) – Miss Florida USA 2005, 4th runner-up at Miss USA 2005 Business and education * Madeleine Wing Adler (Upsilon)- Former and first female president of West Chester University of Pennsylvania * Sara Blakely (Alpha Eta) – Founder of Spanx and Celebrity Judge * Betsy Boze (Theta Kappa) – President of The College of The Bahamas * Maureen Kempston Darkes (Canada Alpha) –

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

recipient Entertainment media * Elizabeth Banks ( Psi) – actress * Maude Apatow (

Upsilon Upsilon (, ; uppercase Υ, lowercase υ; el, ''ýpsilon'' ) or ypsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, grc, Υʹ, label=none has a value of 400. It is derived from the Phoenician waw . E ...

) – actress * Lee Phillip Bell (Upsilon) – talk show host *

Shannon Beveridge Shannon Beveridge (born March 19, 1992) is an American YouTuber, actress, photographer and LGBT advocate. Born in Texas, she started her YouTube channel, nowthisisliving', in 2012 and now has over 600,000 subscribers. In 2017, she won the best ...

(Theta Gamma) – YouTube personality/Actress/LGBT Advocate * Jodi Benson (Delta Epsilon) – actress * Dixie Carter (Delta Sigma) – actress * Kellie Coffey (Theta Gamma) – musician * Mary Crosby (Theta Zeta) – actress, ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' * Farrah Fawcett (Theta Zeta) – actress * Joanna Garcia (Alpha Eta) – actress *

Cynthia Geary Cynthia Geary (born March 21, 1965) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelly Tambo on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life Encour ...

(Chi) –

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-nominated actress * Leeza Gibbons (Alpha Lambda) – actress, talk show host *

Cathy Guisewite Cathy Lee Guisewite (born September 5, 1950) is an American cartoonist who created the comic strip ''Cathy'', which had a 34-year run. The strip focused on a career woman facing the issues and challenges of eating, work, relationships, and having ...

(Iota) – comic strip author * Lynn Herring (Delta Omega) – actress, ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...

'' *

Natalia Livingston Natalia Livingston (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Emily Quartermaine (for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award) and Rebecca Shaw on ABC's ''General Hospital'', and for playing Taylor Walker on the NBC ...

(Alpha Omega) – actress, ''

'' *

Beth Ostrosky-Stern Beth Ostrosky Stern (born July 15, 1972) is an American actress, author, model, and animal-rights activist. Early life Stern was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Judy (), is a former model and her father, Robert Ostrosky, is a d ...

(Alpha Theta) – actress, model, wife of Howard Stern *

Amanda Schull Amanda Schull is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film '' Center Stage'', and for her recurring roles on the American television series '' One Tree Hill'' and ''Pretty Little L ...

(Delta Omicron) – actress, ''Center Stage'', '' One Tree Hill'' * Savitree Suttichanond (Beta Upsilon) – singer on

TrueVisions TrueVisions is a cable and satellite television operator in Thailand. TrueVisions is owned by the True Corporation. Until February 2007, it was called the United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), or UBC-True. History International Broadcasting ...

's Academy Fantasia * Molly Sims (Delta Gamma) – actress, model *

Candace Whittemore Lovely Candace Whittemore Lovely (born March 15, 1953) is an American impressionist painter known for her paintings of contemporary American life, including landscapes of treasured locales and people at play in idyllic locations. She lives and works in ...

(Eta) – painter News media * Kiran Chetry (Alpha Pi) – CNN anchor * Katie Couric (Beta Sigma) – news anchor, '' CBS Evening News'' *

Catherine Crier Catherine Jean Crier is an American journalist and author of ''A Deadly Game'' and ''The Case Against Lawyers''. She was the youngest elected state judge in Texas history at age thirty and served as a Texas State District Judge for the 162nd Di ...

(Theta Zeta) – award-winning broadcast journalist, best-selling author, and former Texas State District Judge. *

Hoda Kotb Hoda Kotb ( ; arz, هدى قطب, ''Hudā Quṭb''; ; born August 9, 1964) is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show '' Today'' and co-host of its entertainm ...

(Beta Nu) – news anchor * Vinita Nair (Upsilon) – news anchor *

Deborah Norville Deborah Anne Norville (born August 8, 1958) is an American television journalist and businesswoman. Norville is the anchor of ''Inside Edition'', a syndicated television news magazine, a position she has held since March 6, 1995. She markets and ...

(Alpha Rho) – news anchor * Kathy Orr (Omicron) – meteorologist *

Janet Shamlian Janet Shamlian (born May 14, 1962) is a correspondent for CBS News reporting for CBS This Morning and the CBS Evening News. Previously, she was a correspondent for ''NBC News'' and reported for ''The Today Show'', ''NBC Nightly News'' and MSN ...

– NBC news correspondent * Sally Stapleton (Delta Xi) – award-winning journalist Literature * Joan Didion (Pi) – author *

Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of several U.S. presidents, including ''Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream ...

(Alpha Upsilon) –

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winning author and historian * Jill Marie Landis (Phi Kappa) – author *

Anne Rivers Siddons Anne Rivers Siddons (born Sybil Anne Rivers, January 9, 1936 – September 11, 2019) was an American novelist who wrote stories set in the southern United States. Early years The only child of Marvin and Katherine Rivers, she was born in Atla ...

(Phi Theta) – author Politics and public service * Kelley Ashby Paul (Delta Psi) – political figure, wife of Sen. Rand Paul * Pamela Bondi (University of Florida , Alpha Psi) – Attorney General, State of Florida (2011–present) * Lisa Boscola (Gamma Beta) –

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

* Debra Bowen ( Phi Gamma) – California Secretary of State *

Bobbe Bridge Bobbe Bridge is an American former judge who served as Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court. After serving 10 years as a King County Superior Court Judge, she was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court by Governor Gary Locke ...

(Theta Alpha) – Former Associate Justice of the

Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retire ...

Kathy Castor Katherine Anne Castor (born August 20, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer currently representing in the United States House of Representatives, serving since 2007. The district, numbered as the 11th district from 2007 to 2013, is base ...

(Alpha Omega) – Democratic Congresswoman for *

Nellie Connally Idanell Brill Connally (February 24, 1919 – September 1, 2006) was the First Lady of Texas from 1963 to 1969. She was the wife of John Connally, who served as Governor of Texas and later as Secretary of the Treasury. She and her husband we ...

(Theta Zeta) – Former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

* Elizabeth Dole (Alpha Omicron) – U.S. Senator from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, Former

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

* Caroline Fayard (Gamma Gamma) –

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

political figure * Terry Gabreski (Delta Omega) – Vice Commander,

Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command ( MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Co ...

, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base * Rita B. Garman (Delta Pi) – Justice of the

Supreme Court of Illinois The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ...

Adele Khoury Graham Adele Khoury Graham (born April 4, 1938) is an American educator and the former First Lady of Florida from 1979 to 1987. She is the wife of the 38th Governor of Florida and former United States Senator Bob Graham. Adele Graham was the First Lady ...

(Alpha Psi) – Former First Lady of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

(1978–1986) * Michelle Lujan-Grisham (Phi Delta) – Democratic Governor of New Mexico *

Dina Habib Powell Dina Powell, also known as Dina Powell McCormick (née Habib , ar, دينا حبيب; June 12, 1973) is an American financial executive, philanthropist, and political advisor, best known for having been the United States Deputy National Securit ...

– U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy] * Helen F. Holt, Helen Froelich Holt (Upsilon) – Former Secretary of State of West Virginia Sports * Sophie Caldwell (Gamma Gamma) – Finished 6th in the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Olympic Women's Cross Country Freestyle Sprint. This is the best finish by any American woman in this event. * Meryl Davis (Iota) – 2014 Olympic Gold Medalist Ice Dancer * Muffy Davis (Omega) – Paralympic cyclist, sit-skier and mountain climber * Roberta Cullen (Iota) – Shot Put, 1954 Olympics *

Annika Dries Annika Madsen Dries (born February 10, 1992) is an American water polo player. She won the national championship with Stanford University in 2011, and went on to win the gold medal with the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She stands at ...

(Omega) – 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Water Polo * Abby Johnston (Alpha Omicron) – 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist

Synchronized Diving Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, usually while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-co ...

Mariya Koroleva Mariya Koroleva (born April 10, 1990) is a Russian-born American synchronized swimmer. After emigrating to the United States, Koroleva began participating in synchronized swimming, and competed at Stanford University. She was a member of the team ...

(Omega) – 2012 USA Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet Team

Local chapter and individual misconduct

Southern chapters

In 2011, the chapter at the University of South Carolina was placed on probation after a party they hosted resulted in 31 citations for underage drinking. The sorority was forced to temporarily suspend all social activities as a result. In 2013 and 2014, sorority women from multiple chapters at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

– including Delta Delta Delta,

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

Chi Omega Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities. Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chap ...

, Kappa Delta, Alpha Gamma Delta,

Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AOI ...

, and Phi Mu – alleged that either active members or some of their alumnae had prevented them from offering membership to black candidates because of their race. An anonymous Delta Delta Delta member spoke to the school newspaper, The Crimson White, stating: "To my knowledge, the president and the rush chair and our rush advisors upported recruiting a black candidate and if we had been able to pledge her, it would’ve been an honor. However, our lumnaestepped in and went over us and had her dropped. The only thing that kept her back was the color of her skin in Tri Delt. She would have been a dog fight between all the sororities if she were white.” Students held a campus march to integrate Greek life on campus, and following media and national outcry, the university held a second round of recruitment in hopes of offering membership to more women, including black women. In 2015, the chapter at the University of West Georgia was shut down for violating the university's policy and code of conduct. Serious allegations of hazing were charged against women of the sorority, and the Tri Delta executive board refused to release specific details of the investigation.

Midwest chapters

In 2009, the chapter at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

was suspended for hazing. Pledges were blindfolded and taken off-campus, where they were given an excessive amount of alcohol, causing some women to need medical attention after the incident. In 2017, the chapter at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

was shut down following an investigation which found that chapter members were "involved in activities that do not represent our high standards or align with Tri Delta's purpose." Chapter members also "violated the chapter's previous probation terms." The national organization declined to specify further, but noted that the chapter had "been on probation for three consecutive semesters, and each time was asked to take responsibility for their actions. Each time ... the chapter chose to ignore advice and recommendations, sending a strong message that they had no intention of making positive change." On January 20, 2019, a member of Tri Delta sorority at the University of Oklahoma was removed from the organization after posting a video in which her friend appears wearing blackface and saying a racial slur.

Eastern state school chapters