Proudly donning their colors of royal blue and white, more than 200 women representing every Illinois chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., met at the 41st Annual State of Illinois Leadership Conference held Saturday at Northwestern.

Though the location of the conference is typically chosen eight years in advance, attendees at last year's state conference chose the Nu Sigma chapter of Zeta Phi Beta at NU to host this year's conference.

"They saw how hard we were pushing to shine the light of Zeta," said Noreen Stewart, a SESP senior and vice president of NU's chapter of Zeta Phi Beta . "It's a huge honor to host (the state conference) because all these dignitaries and elected officials come. It was our chance to shine and put our chapter out there."

Officially chartered on Aug. 28, 2005, NU's chapter has five members. Its recent establishment and small membership notwithstanding, the sorority's officials chose NU to host the event because of the many accomplishments of NU's Zeta Phi Betas, said Weinberg junior Kelila Venson, president of NU's chapter of Zeta Phi Beta.more »

Mayor Don Parrott has proclaimed Friday through Sunday as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Weekend and Saturday as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Day in Greenville in honor of the sorority's community service efforts presented through its ideals of scholarship, sisterhood, finer womanhood and service.

The proclamation also recognizes that the sorority is holding its North Carolina Leadership meeting in Greenville assisted by Greenville's Rho Zeta Zeta chapter and the Lambda Mu chapter of East Carolina University.

This article was provided by: The Daily Reflector

Local HIV awareness is growing.

Lloyd Kelly, director of the Let’s Talk, Let’s Test Foundation, and State Rep. Constance Howard (D-34th), spoke to the NIU community Monday night about Illinois’ growing concern for blacks affected by HIV.

The Zeta Phi Beta Sorority invited both speakers to the event to be a part of HIV/AIDS awareness week, which started Monday.

“African-Americans are not accepting the number of HIV-affected that is growing rapidly,” Howard said.

Kelly said he knew 247 people who have died from the disease.   more »