Theta Sigma Phi
Theta Sigma Phi
ΘΣΦ
Theta Sigma Phi badge
FoundedApril 8, 1909 (1909-04-08)[1]University of Washington
TypeProfessional
Former affiliation
StatusDefunct
Defunct date1996
SuccessorAssociation for Women in Communications
EmphasisJournalism
ScopeNational
Colors Violet and  Green
PublicationThe MatrixProfessional Communicator
Chapters74+
Alternate nameWomen in Communications, Inc.
HeadquartersUnited States

Theta Sigma Phi (ΘΣΦ) was an American honor society and professional fraternity for women in journalism. It was established in 1909 at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It was a founding member of the Professional Panhellenic Association in 1926.

In 1972, Theta Sigma Phi was renamed Women in Communications. In 1996, the organization was dissolved. The nonprofit Association for Women in Communications, a professional organization for women in the communications industry, was formed in 1997 to carry forward the mission of Theta Sigma Phi; it went defunct in 2023.[2][3][4]

History

Theta Sigma Phi

Theta Sigma Phi was established on April 8, 1909, at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, as an honor society and professional fraternity for female students of journalism.[2][4][5][6] Its founders were seven female students enrolled in the university's new journalism program, the second of its kind in the country.[7] Georgina MacDougall came up with the idea for a women's journalism society Blanche Brace, Helen Graves, Rachel Marshall, Olive Mauermann, Helen Ross, and Irene Somerville.[7]

A second chapter was established at the University of Wisconsin in 1910, followed by the University of Missouri in 1911, and Indiana University, the University of Kansas, and Ohio State University in 1913.[6][8] Theta Sigma Phi's national officers were the officers from the Washington chapter.[7] In March 1915, the fraternity started publishing TheMatrix: For Women in Journalism.[6][9][8]

Theta Sigma Phi held its first convention in Lawrence, Kansas in 1918.[8] In 1919, women in Kansas City, Missouri created the society's first alumna chapter, later called professional chapters.[7] Theta Sigma Phi became the de facto professional association for women journalists, who were not accepted into the men's-only Society of Professional Journalists.[10]: 36

More women began working for newspapers when their male colleagues fought in World War I.[7] Several Theta Sigma Phi members were war correspondents, including Alice Rohe who was stationed in Rome, Italy for United Press International and Bessie Beatty of the San Francisco Bulletin and Sigrid Schultz of the Chicago Tribune who were in Germany.[7] However, in the postwar economic slump, men returned to their former jobs, and many editors relegated women to society pages, rather than "hard" news.[7] Women's suffrage passed in 1920, but there was no support for other reforms.[7] Theta Sigma Phi's national president in 1931, Ruby Black, noted that women could not get reporting jobs at the same pay as similarly qualified men.[7]

Theta Sigma Phi held its second national convention in April 1920 in Madison, Wisconsin, followed by its third convention in Norman, Oklahoma in April 1923.[8] Its next convention was held in Seattle, Washington in June 1925.[8] In 1925, Theta Sigma Phi was a founding member of the Professional Panhellenic Association in June 1925.[8] It established an endowment fund in 1927 to fund the fraternity's activities.[8]

Theta Sigma Phi had 34 active chapters in 1930.[6] The fraternity hired a professional director and opened its first national office in 1934.[11][7] In 1939, it introduced the Headliner Awards to honor members who had made outstanding contributions to journalism.[7]Eleanor Roosevelt received an honorary membership to Theta Sigma Phi for her efforts to aid women journalists, including closing her new conferences to male reporters.[7] Roosevelt wrote several articles for TheMatrix.[7]

Theta Sigma Phi had chartered 39 chapters in 1940.[7]World War II expanded employment opportunities for women journalists; however, inequality persisted, and women were regarded as "temporary or less serious workers".[7] At its 1946 convention, the fraternity removed all race restrictions from its membership.[7] In 1950, it had 47 chapters and 29 alumni groups.[7] The fraternity moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, in 1964, marking the retirement of Jo Caldwell Meyer, who had been Theta Sigma Phi's executive secretary for 24 years.[7]

Marjorie Paxton was the president of Theta Sigma Phi from 1967 to 1969.[12] During her tenure she transformed the organization from a social group into a professional association.[12][13] Paxson campaigned for a more professional approach, a stance which was not popular with all members, many of whom disagreed with her emphasis on education and training.[10]: 37 She led the group to establish a headquarters in Austin, Texas; previously, the organization's files had been stored in the national secretary's garage.[13][12][14] She also lobbied to change the name from the Greek letters to Women in Communications, which she considered a more businesslike title; the name change occurred after her time in office ended.[10]: 37

Women in Communications

In 1972, Theta Sigma Phi was renamed to Women in Communications, Inc. (WICI).[2][4][15][16] That year, the organization also voted to admit men into membership.[17][18][15][16] The organization also decided to focus on women's social issues, such as the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and the support of affirmative active to create more women journalism professors, and to end the discrimination that blocked women's advancement in academia.[16]

WICI stablished an awards program in 1973 to recognize excellence in communications; this became the Clairon Awards.[16] The national WICI also began publishing the monthly National Newsletter, in addition to Matrix.[16] In 1979, WICI was one of eleven communications organizations that formed the First Amendment Congress, which worked to preserve First Amendment rights.[16]

To monitor national legislation, Women in Communications established a public affairs office in Washington, D.C. in 1980.[19] At this time, its members were using WICI regional meetings to raise thousands of dollars to support the Equal Rights Amendment. WICI created the "Family of Americans for ERA" display featuring a ten-foot-high house made of colorful planks that represented the states that had ratified the amendment. WICI displayed "Family of Americans for ERA" at the 1980 Republican National Convention.[19]

Women in Communications established the Vanguard Award in 1980, recognizing positive portrayal of women.[19] Its first recipient was United Technologies for the "Let's get rid of the girl" advertisement.[19] WICI replaced TheMatrix and The National Newsletter with PRO/COM, later called Professional Communicator.[19] Although ERA failed to pass by June 1982, WICI continued its defense of freedom of the press and freedom of speech.[19] It protested the news blackout during the United States invasion of Grenada.[19] More than 100 WICI chapters coordinated letter writing campaigns to Congress to protest the proposed changes to the Freedom of Information Act.[19] WICI also joined the National Committee on Pay Equity and recognized Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar's leadership on the pay equity issue with an honorary membership to WICI.[19]

WICI's membership peaked in the mid-1980s at around 13,000.[20] To be closer the Washington, D.C., the fraternity moved its national headquarters to Arlington, Virginia in 1988.[19] WICI, Gannett, and the University of Southern California collaborated on the "Women, Men, and Media" conference in the spring of 1989.[19]

Continuing to support social issues, WICI advocated for the Civil Rights Act of 1991, signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.[21] The fraternity also supported the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 signed into law by President Bill Clinton.[21] WICI also partnered with Capital Cities/ABC Inc. for its "Stop Sexual Harassment" campaign in 1993.[21]

WICI's headquarters moved to Fairfax, Virginia and its officers began a restructuring process to increase financial stability between 1993 and 1995.[21] In 1995, WICI was in significant debt and its membership had declined to around 800 members.[20] At the fall 1996 annual conference in Portland, Oregon, the delegates voted to dissolve Women in Communication.[21]

Association for Women in Communications

The organization was reformed in 1997 under a new board and new charter as the Association for Women in Communications (AWC).[2][3][4][22][23][21] The AWC national organization closed in 2023.[24][25]

Symbols

The Theta Sigma Phi badge was a gold linotype matrix, bearing the Greek letters "ΘΣΦ" and a torch.[6][9] Its colors were violet and green.[9] Its publication was The Matrix (aka Matrix: theMagazine for Women in Journalism and Communications), named for a mold used to cast type, representing the beginning of mass communication.[26][9][6][27] The fraternity replaced TheMatrix with PRO/COM, later called Professional Communicator in the 1980s.[19]

Activities

Starting in 1939, the fraternity presented the Headliner Award for members who had made significant national accomplishments.[28][7] It also presented the Matrix Awards, honoring professional women in the arts, advertising, books, broadcasting, entertainment, film, magazines, newspapers, public relations, new media, television, and theater.[15][29][30] The award continues to be presented annually by the New York WICI, a former chapter that now operates as a local organization.[31][15]

The fraternity introduced its Rising Star Award for outstanding student members in 1990.[21] The first recipient of the Rising Star Award was Laura Glad, a student at California State University at Fullerton.[21]

Chapters

Theta Sigma Phi chartered at least 74 collegiate chapters before going inactive.[32][33][34]

Notable members

Theta Sigma Phi became the de facto professional association for women journalists[10]: 36 and had many notable members.

See also

References

  1. ^Theta Sigma Phi. Nu chapter papers at University of Minnesota
  2. ^ abcdBurt, Elizabeth V. (2000). Women's Press Organizations, 1881-1999. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 11–20. ISBN 9780313306617. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  3. ^ abKopecki, Dawn (1996). "Makeover gives group new identity, no staff". The Washington Times.
  4. ^ abcdSterling, Christopher H. (2003). Encyclopedia of Radio. Taylor & Francis. pp. 177–179. ISBN 9781579582494. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  5. ^"Journalism Sorority has a large program". University Daily Kansan. Lawrence, Kansas. 14 May 1920. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ abcdefShepardson, Francis Wayland, ed. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 12th edition. Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company, 1930. p. 428. via Hathi Trust
  7. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrs"AWC is One of the Originals". Association for Women in Communications. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  8. ^ abcdefg"Chronology of Theta Sigma". The Matrix. 14 (3): 4. February 1929 – via Hathi Trust.
  9. ^ abcdMartin, Ida Shaw (1921). The Sorority Handbook (7th ed.). Boston: Ida S. Martin. p. 120 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ abcdVoss, Kimberly Wilmot (2018). Re-evaluating women's page journalism in the post world war II era: celebrating soft news. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 9783319962139.
  11. ^Hatton, Isabel (October 1938). "Theta Sigma Phi Convention"(PDF). The Key. Vol. 55, no. 3. p. 325.
  12. ^ abcVoss, Kimberly Wilmot; Speere, Lance (2007–2008). Anderson, Bill (ed.). "Marjorie Paxson: from women's editor to publisher"(PDF). Media History Monographs. 10 (1). Elon, North Carolina: Elon University: 7. ISSN 1940-8862. Archived(PDF) from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  13. ^ abHarper, Kimberly. "Marjorie Paxson (1923–2017)". State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  14. ^"Washington Press Club Foundation oral history project. Interview with Marjorie Paxson by Diane K. Gentry: Session 3. January 16, 1991". Washington, D.C.: Washington Press Club Foundation. 1991. pp. 53–89. OCLC 28012996. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. ^ abcdWyeth, Deirdre. "Our History". NYWICI. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
  16. ^ abcdef"The 1970s: New name, new strengths". The Association for Women in Communications. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  17. ^Marzolf, Marion (1977). Up from the Footnote: A History of Women Journalists. Hastings House, ISBN 9780803875029
  18. ^Nadler, Lawrence B.; Nadler, Marjorie Keeshan;, Todd-Mancillas, William R (1987). Advances in Gender and Communication Research.University Press of America, ISBN 9780819164780
  19. ^ abcdefghijkl"The '80s: A Decade of Growth, Change and Leadership". Association for Women in Communications. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  20. ^ abDrale, Christina S. (2003). Association for Women in Communications. In Sterling, Christopher H., Ed. Encyclopedia of Radio 3-Volume Set. Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781579582494
  21. ^ abcdefgh"The 1990s: Embracing the Future". The Association for Women in Communications. Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  22. ^"The Association for Women in Communications Celebrates 100 Years of Championing Women in Communications". Women's Health Weekly via HighBeam Research. 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2012.(subscription required)
  23. ^Bulkeley, Christy C (2004). Whose news? Progress and status of women in newspapers (mostly) and television news. - Seeking Equity for Women in Journalism and Mass Communication Education: a 30-year update. Taylor & Francis. pp. 183–204. ISBN 9781135624002. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  24. ^"History of The Association for Women in Communications". Association for Women in Communications Tulsa. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  25. ^"AWC-SB – OUR STORY". AWC Santa Barbara. 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  26. ^"6 Women to Receive Awards For Roles in Communications". The New York Times. 1984-04-08. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
  27. ^Matrix : the magazine for women in journalism and communications. Theta Sigma Phi, Inc. April 1968 – via Internet Archive.
  28. ^"Headliner Award". The Association for Women in Communications. 2022-02-27. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
  29. ^"Overview: The Annual NYWICI Matrix Awards". New York Women in Communications, Inc. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  30. ^"Theta Sigma Phi Honors Three". The Tampa Tribune. 1971-02-25. p. 61. Retrieved 2025-11-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^de Bonvoisin, Arlane (April 8, 2008). "The Matrix Awards". HuffPost. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  32. ^Lasher, George Starr, ed. (1957). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (16th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Co. p. 630. OCLC 19297015.
  33. ^Robson, John, ed. (1977). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (19th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. 535. OCLC 3551247.
  34. ^"Directory". Matrix: the Magazine for Women in Journalism and Communications. 53 (4): 15–17. April 1968 – via Internet Archive.

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