I think that the difficulty arises with your statement "most initiations use blindfolds" because you cannot possibly know about every GLO's Initiation practices. It's a pretty sweeping statement and connects dots in a fashion that assumes facts not in evidence. The majority of posters will restrict themselves to commenting on what they know to be true, and that typically translates to their own GLOs (without divulging ritual or other private/confidential information).

With regard to blindfolds, if that's really the reason your organization shut down the chapter, that is totally and completely ridiculous.

Frankly, it's not even really all that believable.

Yes, many fraternity founders had a masonic background. Many others did not. Sometimes, rituals were written by someone other than the founders, and sometimes those ritual writers had a masonic background and sometimes they did not. Sometimes they had background in other fraternal organizations, sometimes they had familiarity with liturgy or cultural ceremonies, sometimes they had familiarity with classical mysteries, and so on.

The point is this: While it might be reasonable to speculate that, at least as to rituals written by founders and others who were masons, those rituals will bear signs of masonic influence, this is still speculation. It is equally reasonable to speculate that masons would avoid too much masonic influences in rituals they wrote so as not to lead to speculation of similarities. As AzTheta says, unless you are familiar with rituals of orgs other than your own, then you are only guessing. And unless you are familiar with "most" rituals, then you really can't make statements about what happens in "most" rituals.

As for sororities, I see no reason to automatically assume that masonic influence would "translate" to their rituals.

Jazing, the freemasons are not the first organizations around the world to use blindfolds in rituals.

Some traditions (which may or may not include rituals) of NPHC sororities and fraternities (founded in early or middle 1900s) are often directly and indirectly linked to African traditions, freemasonry, and what Black men brought back from the military.

Just food for thought.

I'll go on record saying Alpha Xi Delta does not use blindfolds, unless someone is hazing, and of course that would be against FHQ policy. Regarding the sequined cat suits and the levitation machines, I plead the 5th.

Which GLOs do or do not use blindfolds is really not the point. The point is that it is probably safe to assume that not all GLOs use blindfolds. I strongly discourage GCers from announcing what their GLOs do or do not do everytime someone makes a statement such as jazing's. That is a slippery slope as far as I am concerned. There is a difference between the running joke of killing goats and sequined cat suits versus feeling the need to dispute other statements.

As has been said numerous times on GC, different GLOs do different things and it is not automatically hazing just because "your" GLO (or conference/council) does not do it. Moreover, do random people really need to know what to expect or not to expect in a GLO's ritual or should that be reserved for members and those who will be initiated?

I agree, DrPhil.

jazing has been a brother of his organization for less than a month. He's still in the learning phase, so a simple "That may be the case in your organization, but..." should suffice when sweeping generalizations are made.

I wish the OP would come back and give us further info on her situation...maybe since she has posted, she has contacted headquarters, etc.

I plead the fifth in what I know. Thanks for the insight

Agreed! This is such an unusual circumstance, and I hate to see so much speculation.

OP, I'm new, too, but I agree-call HQ! They will, at the very least, break down your options for you.

If you "get a full refund" and lose your alumni status, you won't be an alumna member of your NPC and you won't be eligible for another sorority. You cannot join another NPC sorority if you have been initiated into one NPC sorority. One initiation per woman is the rule. I wouldn't do that.

Contact your Nationals to get your pin. It sounds like it was lost in the shuffle.

If you transfer to a school that doesn't have a chapter of your sorority, you can join a local sorority that is not affliated with the NPC, a service organization, a professional society, or other extra-curricular group. You should check out what other options there, because there are a lot of them.

Be careful if you plant to join a non-NPC social sorority. Some (including my sorority) will not allow you to join if you currently hold membership (including as an alumna) in another social sorority, NPC or not.

However, (for my organization) you are allowed to resign your membership and join. You just can't concurrently hold the memberships.

This is my thought.

"All generalizations are false. Including this one."
- Mark Twain

That was one of Mark Twain's dumbest quotes.