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I am not aware of that ritual but what a great opportunity for alumnae associations to welcome recent grads. A nice gesture by the Pitt group and others. I am definitely going to check it out.
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I think the NM period goes by too quickly even with only 14 or 15 girls!
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LucyKKG - That is interesting coming from an active. Usually it seems to be the oldies who think it was better back in the day...:)
Why did you think it was too fast? |
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i definitely agree with the NM period going by so quickly. we didn't bond much (there were 38 girls in my pledge class!), besides the retreat we had. before we knew it, it was initiation time. i'm not complaining since i was able to move into the house as a pledge since i was a sophomore & it was nice to not feel that separation anymore from the initiated members.
it's crazy to think that my mom was given a bid in the spring & not initiated until october! |
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I, too, had to wait until Feb for initiation. Ah the old days! I know it has its drawbacks - I have heard and read the arguments - but I really do think 6 weeks is too short for August pledges. Fall semester is insane on many campuses - football games, getting acclimated to college, etc. There is simply not enough time to schedule the myriad of activities pledges should be allowed to participate in. The new member period is a fun time but should also serve a purpose.
After watching my daughter go through the new member period within the past few years, I think this format really leaves a void in what the pledges know about the fraternity. There were no organized or structured ways for her to learn fraternity history, etc. Sure, she got the new member handouts, notebook, and was told to read them, but now that we no longer give pledge tests (hazing), or memorize the Greek alphabet, etc there is little incentive to learn what Kappa is all about. Thus, the focus becomes more social. (IMO) |
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I had an full semester pledge period back in the 80s. We pledged in early-mid September and then initiated on the weekend following the first academic week of the spring semester. This ensured that the chapter could see pledges' fall grades. We didn't get tested on anything but I vaguely recall learning about our history with the pledge chair. We did not have to memorize the Greek alphabet. IIRC, National was really starting to change pledge requirements in this era and our actives were really worried about requiring activities that would be considered forced and nonvoluntary.
Although I am not a history buff, I actually liked learning about Kappa and read my pledge manual thoroughly during my pledge period. In fact this notebook still sits on a bookshelf that I can easily access if need be. Here's hoping I will be able to pass it down to one of my nieces someday. |
It's not the Fraternity who necessarily wanted to make the switch to the shorter new member program, it was the pressure from various universities and the fact most all NPC organizations had installed a shorter new member program. IIRC, Kappa was one of the last to change theirs.
I was the last pledge class in my chapter to go through the semester-long program. It did have its benefits - making sure everyone had grades, more one-on-one time with the NME, separate NM meetings - but I don't know that it necessarily made me learn more about the Fraternity or Greeks in general. A lot of that I did on my own out of personal curiosity. I think the shorter program *can* work, but it's rarely utilized to its full potential. I think there needs to be better training for the NME and Chapter Council on how to make it more effective and fun for the new members and actives. I know officers are encouraged to come up with their own variations of the programs offered in the Leadership Guide to make them more fun, but so many of them just end up reading right off the page that it's boring and no one learns anything. Part of it depends on how good your NME is and how well her predecessor did. If you get one NME who doesn't want to put in any effort into the program and she just lets everything slide, then the next one will probably think that's how it's supposed to be done and the whole program goes out the window (this happened at the chapter I advised). I think the new member program is something that is constantly scrutinized by the Fraternity and they're always trying to think of ways to make it more effective and let each chapter tailor it to their own specific needs. |
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I agree ISUKappa! I may be all wrong, but I think this program would improve if there were more interactive, learning activities, etc for the girls to draw from. (but, there may be this type of material already in place). I am thinking of the type of teaching guides and options for presenting material that are available to classroom teachers. These complete lessons, handouts, activities, etc could be such a help to young women. And, just like a classroom teacher, the individual chapters could take the materials and tweak them to meet their own individual needs. |
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I don't see us ever changing back on any of these issues, but I do think it's unfortunate. IMHO, we have lost much more than we have gained. With no big/littles, shortened pledge periods and many girls living in house only their sophomore year, I feel the ties to the fraternity are not formed as deeply as in years gone by. This makes me feel old. . . off soapbox. :p |
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I think the initial decision to move to Kore was to let the new member get to know more members - especially when they had Kore families switching every semester. A good idea in theory, but in realization not always feasible. It's really up to the NME and chapter to make the most of the Kore families. If anyone is interested, the entire Leadership Guide and each officer's supplement are on the Members Only side of the Kappa site. You can read through it to get an idea of what the program currently entails. Of course, having just had a Convention, some things might change slightly. Quote:
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