The Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority hosted “Think Pink Week” from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
According to the Zeta Tau Alpha website, its mission is “to make a difference in the lives of (its) members by developing the potential of each individual through innovative programming, which emphasizes leadership development, service to others, academic achievement and continued personal growth for women, with a commitment to friendship and the future based on the sisterhood, values and traditions of the past.”
University Quad
(Jacqueline Ayala | The Poly Post)
For the week, the sorority had many different goals besides hitting its $15,000 fundraising goal.
Lucy Yu, vice president of Zeta Tau Alpha and third-year hospitality major and Chinese minor, said, “We have multiple goals that we’re trying to reach. Whether it’s participation, whether it’s getting our entire campus involved or a money goal. Our money goal for the week is about $15,000; we would love to hit that. It would be a major increase, more than double, from last year. Our goal as a Greek community is to come together and raise as much awareness for breast cancer as possible.”
On Monday, the sorority kicked off the week by decorating houses in preparation for October. During this time, members went all-out decorating many fraternity houses in pink.
On Tuesday, the ZTA members hosted a pink lemonade stand in the University Quad. They passed out ZTA “Think Pink” ribbons to anyone walking by.
The same day the sorority also hosted a Yogurtland Profit Share where the proceeds would go to its foundation. The ZTA members also hosted a bra-decorating activity Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, ZTA members tabled with a “picture a cure” challenge and also passed out “Think Pink” ribbons.
Before the challenge, there was an event titled Coffee with a Cop. This event allowed students to talk to officers and staff to get to know them better. ZTA also sold pink officer patches during this event.
“A congresswoman (Norma J. Torres, D-Ontario) showed up … President Coley was there; we took pictures with her. Her entire staff showed up …. We were able to sell 30 patches … to our faculty, our staff, our teachers and our students,” Yu said about the Coffee with a Cop event.
Later on in the day, the sorority hosted a Pink Out Dodgeball tournament.
On Thursday, the sorority members tabled with a wall of hope where everyone on campus came and signed who they “Think Pink For,” while passing out ribbons. Moreover, the members also passed out ribbons during the Hot Dog Caper event hosted by Associated Students, Inc.
Zeta Tau Alpha also had a Pieology profit share the same day, where 20% of any purchase went to the ZTA Think Pink Week.
The week closed Friday with a Pink Tie Affair. Each ticket cost $30 and the attire was semi-formal. At this event, the ZTA members held trivia challenges, basket raffles and showcased music videos each team had worked on the entire week to create as “Think Pink Promo Videos.”
It is important to note that this event didn’t only serve to inform women. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, “Although rare, men get breast cancer too. The lifetime risk for U.S. men is about one in 1,000.”
Women are higher in risk with one in eight women developing breast cancer in her lifetime.
This is why the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority reminds students to be aware and to check themselves when they can, spreading breast cancer awareness among the campus community.
