Although this is generally frowned upon, my campus does this too. But from what it sounds like, not to the extent as OP's campus.

For example, let's say Katie is an ABC and get's a daughter, Ashley. (Yep, daughter/son, mom/dad is what is generally used at U of I, although I know it's generally discouraged.) Katie asks her close guy friend, Mike, who is a YZ, to be her pledge husband (if someone is in a relationship, they usually ask their significant other). Therefore, Mike is Ashley's dad.

And that's pretty much the extend of it. The family will probably go out together a few times, but that's about it. Also, the family trees don't get too much larger. So, if Ashley get's a daughter, Julie, Julie really doesn't consider Mike as her "Grandpa". Likewise, if Mike get's a son, he's not really considered Ashley's brother....so you really don't get the "big families" with connections to multiple other fraternities and sororities that it sounds like OP has on her campus.

While it is a tradition, it's really not anything too serious. Also, I knew LOTS of sorority members and fraternity members who chose not to have a pledge husband/wife.

I'm not speaking for Beta and Fiji chapters anywhere except my town.

But like I said...it's nothing official. Not even close. It's not voted on, or have anything to do with the actual chapter. Like lovespink88, it's not serious, and lots of people don't do it at all. I know an independent who is a "dad" of someone...so it's really not a big thing. And, we don't call our littles "daughters" in my chapter...although some other chapters do.

And yeah, we made a "family tree" because it was something to do...but it means nothing.

This turned into a big thing. I didn't mean it to. Thought it would be fun to talk about...I was wrong! haha. :)

I just want to repeat: it's not serious. It's like listing someone as your sister/brother on facebook...you can say it, but it doesn't actually mean anything.

Until someone thinks it does mean something. I can see real potential problems coming from this.

Part of me is curious as to what problems could come from individuals calling each other something...it's similar to calling someone by a nickname, in my opinion.

The other part says that it's really not that big of a deal, and that if it ever became one, then it would be put to a stop--it's been around since at least the 80s at my school...

I mean, there are girls who call themselves "Fiji girls" and "Pike girls" and "Beta girls"...but Fiji or Pike doesn't select these girls as a house, it's just an identifier. Which is kind've what the families are like.

This ends my defending of it...because it's not important enough to defend. haha. I don't want to be in a war because of it. So...how about the nice blue color of these borders? It really does bring out the gray of the background!

Nothing like saying something completely innocuous and walking into a shit storm! I had just never heard of this. On one hand I can see it as a really fun way to get to know members of other sororities and fraternities on campus and build Greek unity. But I can see some chick with a chip on her shoulder and too much time on her hands crying foul when she can't get into the "right" family. And that is even with it being completely informal and not serious. Because some people are just like that. Gotta feed the drama.

EXACTLY.

Not to mention "So and so was hitting on MY LITTLE BROTHER!! What a whore!!"

If (and this is a bigger than a woooly mammoth if) the OP's school has managed to implement such a charming idea without ever having any drama or problems, it might not be too bad of a thing to do...but I seriously doubt that is the case.

I also really dislike the using of the terms "little sisters" and "little brothers" as there used to be LS and LB orgs who did actual WORK for the org they were a LS or LB of. This just kind of makes a huge mockery of that. Can't we think of a different name, perhaps? Panhel Pals? Fratty Friends?

Where I'm at, we call then big's and little's. You obviously get a big brother/sister in your own group, then you can get one big and as many littles of the opposite sex. My only problem with this (and a lot of other similar systems) is that getting a little sister/brother should not mean trying to hook up, but it usually does and it's a bit sick imo

The thing is, the school didn't implement anything...it just happened. You know? The school has nothing to do with it--it's very individual. And there really hasn't been any "omg she's hitting on my little brother" because when someone is in your "greek family" it becomes more like family...as in, "ew...that's my son, not into incest." lol.

Our campus used to do it where a sorority was matched up with a fraternity each semester. If you took a little sister, you would then have a guy in the "brother" fraternity be your little's big brother. Likewise, all the pledges in the fraternity would get a big sister from the "sister" sorority. There was actually a big/little night party, and you had lots of planned events with your matched sorority/fraternity throughout the semester. It really helped get to know the other groups on campus and there was never any negative connotation about having a big brother, etc. Nowadays, I know that they do it where the Big Sister just picks one of her guy friends to be her little sister's big brother, and the only time during the year where they are matched up with a fraternity is for Greek Week.

I think that this is part of the problem others are concerned about.

Well, here's another question.

When you chose a little brother, or a guy chose you to be his little sister, were they from fraternities that your sorority tends to spend a lot of time with anyway? Or was it done as a way of "you know, we never hang out with the DKEs, if you want to take a little brother why not take one of them?"

I mean, in a huge Greek system, I can see the merit of pairing up members from different Greek groups who might not cross paths (kind of like what Proud and True mentioned). But if the Pikes are always going to pick KKGs for their little sisters and if the ZTAs are always going to pick Delta Chis for their little brothers - and if they hang out together all the time anyway - and if these pairings fall very stringently along "tier" lines - I guess I just don't see the point.

First of all, it's not a little brother-little sister type thing. How it works is this: (and I'll discuss Fiji, because that's what I know) when a Fiji is chosen as a pledge dad, he chooses someone to be his pledge sons' pledge mom.

Second of all, I don't want to argue anymore. lol

Ditto. I just don't see a purpose. Why do we have to assign family titles to all our friends? Just be friends.

If you have to keep defending it and defending like this, it's probably something not worth having.

And what melindawarren said.

Oh lord, I've never, ever...EVER had to defend it before.

And I'm just one person...if it was something that I truly felt was detrimental, I would be willing to step up and challenge our entire Greek community, but it's not. If it ever even begins to cause problems, I can assure everyone here that I will make moves to end it.

I'm sorry to everyone for bringing this up, I do feel just the slightest bit attacked--even though I understand everyone is just voicing their concerns. :) I do however, think that there are more serious issues to take a stance on...like...saving the whales. Or, if we wish to stick with the Greek world--Total Frat Move.com, maybe?

:)