Zeta Chi Chapter History

Bringing the First & Finest to the Baylor Bears

The beginnings of the oldest national sorority on the Baylor University campus reflect the spirit of unity and sisterhood for which Alpha Delta Pi members constantly strive. Actual hopes and plans for Baylor's eighth sorority began about a year and a half before the dream became a reality.

The spring rush of 1980 was enough to convince Dean Virginia Crump and members of the Panhellenic Council that Baylor definitely needed another established sorority to accommodate the growing number of Baylor rushees. A poll of Panhellenic members showed that the choice was unanimously Alpha Delta Pi.

During the spring and summer of 1980, plans were made for a special fall colonizing rush for ΑΔΠ at Baylor. Five founding members (Sue Breisch, Lindy Laycock, Karen Nelson, Tammy Harmon, and Barbi Baines) worked with Dean Crump, the Waco ΑΔΠ alumni group, and the ΑΔΠ national office through the spring and summer in preparation for the fall rush activities.

During the weekend of September 12-14, 1980, approximately seventy ΑΔΠ members from the Alpha Zeta chapter at SMU and the Gamma Chi chapter at TCU came to Baylor to help conduct rush. Ninety charter pledges were taken.

Baylor's charter pledge class of Alpha Delta Pi was the largest pledge class to date of Alpha Delta Pi. During the fall of 1980, the pledge class followed its own pledge program and, at the same time, began preparation for spring 1981 rush activities.

Zeta Chi Charter Class

On November 15, 1980, the ninety charter pledges became the ninety charter members of the 130th chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. Mrs. Robert Stafford, Grand President of ΑΔΠ, presented the charter of Zeta Chi colony to Sue Breisch at a special Initiation Day banquet at Baylor. Dean Crump recalled the beginnings of the idea that ΑΔΠ would someday be a part of Baylor. Her audience consisted of ΑΔΠ national officers, the Waco alumni, the founding members, and the charter members. All had contributed to making the "first and finest sorority"-- Alpha Delta Pi-- a real part of the Baylor tradition.

Since its installation on November 15, 1980, Zeta Chi Chapter at Baylor University has been an integral part of the campus. In the last 26 years we have seen the following changes:

• Baylor has seen its Greek involvement grow to 30%.
• Zeta Chi started with 90 new members, the largest ΑΔΠ colony at the time, and initiated 90 into the First & Finest Sorority. Since then Zeta Chi has grown to include over 2,500 initiates.
• ΑΔΠ's have held numerous leadership positions on campus - from Student Body Vice President to Welcome Week Co-Chair and members of hundreds of leadership groups on campus, and alumnae continue to serve Baylor as professors and members of Baylor Administration.
• Alpha Delta Pi was awarded the prestigious Baylor Organization of the Year Award for Leadership in 2006.
• Zeta Chi has produced nine Dorothy Shaw winners (highest honor given to collegians), two Traveling Chapter Consultants, three International Officers, several chapter advisors, and many involved alumnae in Alpha Delta Pi International.
• Constructed a Homecoming float with Sigma Tau Gamma in Fall 2005.
• Won Greek Woman of the Year in Spring 2000, 2005, and Outstanding Greek Leader in 2006.
• Won the Herbert H. Reynolds Award for Fraternal Merit in Spring 2006.
• Six of our Sisters are members of the elite Baylor Ambassadors Organization.
• Won Recruitment Excellence Recognition from the ΑΔΠ International Organization several times, including 2006.
• Has won Baylor’s Spirit Points Award for the last two years.
• Won Outstanding Greek New Member of Baylor both in 2005 and 2006, and Sophomore Greek Member of the Year in 2006.

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