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-   -   Guidelines for wearing your chapter name's letters (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=247371)

Bee 10-08-2020 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD (Post 2480467)
In Indiana, our Fiji chapters often refer to each other by Chapter Greek letter designations. For example, IU is just “the Zeta chapter”, Rose-Hulman is Rho Phi, Hanover is Tau, etc. And it’s not just single letter chapters...it’s just how it’s been. Our brothers from Purdue (Lambda Iota) would never say “the IU FIJIs.” It would just be “the Zeta chapter” and everybody would know who they meant.

In fact, the chapter I’ve advised for 20+ years has had pocket-Ts for rush shirts and on the pocket is: FIJI, below it (in Greeks) Rho Phi and below that Rush 2020 for example.

I think I get this. Do they wear shirts that say just Zeta? Tau? Rho Phi? Or is FIJI on them somewhere?

My concern is directly related to (going back to my example) Delta Zeta shirts with no reference to XYZ sorority. Am I just noticing it more because DZ also just happens to be an org that is completely unrelated to XYZ.

Sen's Revenge 10-08-2020 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bee (Post 2480472)
Can you share an example, or guidelines that make this acceptable?

I am in an NPHC organization as well. As for guidelines, I don't know if they are public or where to locate them, but I know that they are not that specific to your situation.

HOWEVER,

As a practice, when I have seen chapters wearing chapter-specific paraphernalia, it is always in the colors of the organization and/or is branded in some specific way to that chapter and organization.

Example:

Nobody at Howard confuses a big pink and green chennille letter A for being anyone but the AKAs, specifically the Alpha Chapter.

If I were an NPC chapter, I'd make sure that chapter-centric nalia also included the word "chapter." And I'd hope against hope that this chapter wasn't doing it on purpose.

naraht 10-08-2020 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheerio (Post 2480476)
Think about this: the NPC didn't formally come into being until 1902. Even back then some chapter designations were already identical to those of some NPC groups...Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma and Delta Zeta chapters likely existed within several of our oldest NPC groups by 1902. The NPC has never sought to control chapter greek designations within its groups.

And NPC groups joining in 1951 would DEFINITELY have already had chapters with names exacting those of some of our earliest NPC member groups.

Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

IMO, the most likely (while still probably pretty unlikely) *might* be Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, but I simply don't understand the ordering of the assignment of chapter names of either group. Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

chi-o_cat 10-08-2020 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht (Post 2480481)
Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

It appears Chi Omega has 2 current active chapters that share a chapter designation with an NPC group- Kappa Delta (Bowling Green State U) and Sigma Kappa (Austin Peay State U), as well as two inactive chapters, Phi Mu (Lehigh U) and Delta Gamma (Denison U). All four of these chapters were opened well into the NPC era, so Chi Omega would have known all of them existed.

I do see where Delta Zeta was skipped over in the chapter list, but I have no idea if that was done because there is already a NPC group called that, or it was for some other reason. Even if it was done for that reason, I guess it didn't become an official policy or lasting guideline, because the Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu chapters came along after that.

Cheerio 10-08-2020 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht (Post 2480481)
Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

IMO, the most likely (while still probably pretty unlikely) *might* be Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, but I simply don't understand the ordering of the assignment of chapter names of either group. Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

Pi Beta Phi designates chapters by state of chapter first (Illinois; New York; etc) then greek alphabetically by date. So their Illinois Alpha chapter is their founding chapter at Monmouth College.

AOII allows chapters to choose their own greek letter designation (within reason). Their recently-installed Delta Gamma chapter at Missouri State had a lot of help as a colony from the Delta Pi chapter of AOII at Central Missouri State. So when choosing their greek name, Missouri State AOIIs wanted their greek letters to somewhat resemble the letters Delta Pi, and the letters Delta Gamma did that for them. Their choice had nothing to do with secretly wishing they were members of The Delta Gamma Fraternity, and everything to do with honoring their first connections to AOII thru its Delta Pi chapter.

ETA: AOII also installed a Kappa Delta chapter at Wright State University in 1985, and an Alpha Phi chapter at Montana State University in 1917. It's been noted before on Greekchat that Alpha Gamma Delta has their Delta Gamma chapter at Montana State, and its recently notable that Delta Gamma has re-established their Montana State Gamma Delta chapter. FTR there has never been an Alpha Phi chapter at Montana State.

knight_shadow 10-08-2020 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht (Post 2480481)
Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

Should this be KKPsi?

PersistentDST 10-08-2020 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bee (Post 2480472)
Can you share an example, or guidelines that make this acceptable?

As far as I know, there’s not any formal guidelines about chapter letters being used exclusively for my organization. It’s not rare for ‘nalia to feature chapter letters. One of my friends celebrated her 10 year anniversary with her line sisters and they wore black sweatshirts that had their chapter letters on the front in red and white with an elephant on the back with their line numbers.

I’ve seen items with chapter names/letters, founding years and even chartering years for specific chapters. All of these things can be a point of pride and pretty normal to see at events, so I honestly never thought twice about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sen's Revenge (Post 2480480)
I am in an NPHC organization as well. As for guidelines, I don't know if they are public or where to locate them, but I know that they are not that specific to your situation.

HOWEVER,

As a practice, when I have seen chapters wearing chapter-specific paraphernalia, it is always in the colors of the organization and/or is branded in some specific way to that chapter and organization.

Example:

Nobody at Howard confuses a big pink and green chennille letter A for being anyone but the AKAs, specifically the Alpha Chapter.

If I were an NPC chapter, I'd make sure that chapter-centric nalia also included the word "chapter." And I'd hope against hope that this chapter wasn't doing it on purpose.

All of this.

The colors really help on our end. Since the NPC can use different colors more liberally, emphasizing “chapter” may help to clear that up. I can definitely understand the confusion.

Bee 10-08-2020 02:23 PM

All logical and makes perfect sense to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sen's Revenge (Post 2480480)
I am in an NPHC organization as well. As for guidelines, I don't know if they are public or where to locate them, but I know that they are not that specific to your situation.

HOWEVER,

As a practice, when I have seen chapters wearing chapter-specific paraphernalia, it is always in the colors of the organization and/or is branded in some specific way to that chapter and organization.

Example:

Nobody at Howard confuses a big pink and green chennille letter A for being anyone but the AKAs, specifically the Alpha Chapter.

If I were an NPC chapter, I'd make sure that chapter-centric nalia also included the word "chapter." And I'd hope against hope that this chapter wasn't doing it on purpose.


Bee 10-08-2020 02:28 PM

Thank you!! Much appreciated input.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PersistentDST (Post 2480490)
As far as I know, there’s not any formal guidelines about chapter letters being used exclusively for my organization. It’s not rare for ‘nalia to feature chapter letters. One of my friends celebrated her 10 year anniversary with her line sisters and they wore black sweatshirts that had their chapter letters on the front in red and white with an elephant on the back with their line numbers.

I’ve seen items with chapter names/letters, founding years and even chartering years for specific chapters. All of these things can be a point of pride and pretty normal to see at events, so I honestly never thought twice about it.



All of this.

The colors really help on our end. Since the NPC can use different colors more liberally, emphasizing “chapter” may help to clear that up. I can definitely understand the confusion.


UVASquirrel 10-08-2020 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat (Post 2480484)
It appears Chi Omega has 2 current active chapters that share a chapter designation with an NPC group- Kappa Delta (Bowling Green State U) and Sigma Kappa (Austin Peay State U), as well as two inactive chapters, Phi Mu (Lehigh U) and Delta Gamma (Denison U). All four of these chapters were opened well into the NPC era, so Chi Omega would have known all of them existed.

I do see where Delta Zeta was skipped over in the chapter list, but I have no idea if that was done because there is already a NPC group called that, or it was for some other reason. Even if it was done for that reason, I guess it didn't become an official policy or lasting guideline, because the Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu chapters came along after that.

Alpha Gam has both a Delta Gamma Chapter and a Delta Zeta chapter. But, the only place I've ever seen our women wearing "letters" is on their chapter guards attached to their badges. Now, chapter designations often appear on event T-shirts, but so does "Alpha Gamma Delta"

naraht 10-08-2020 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight_shadow (Post 2480489)
Should this be KKPsi?

Whoops!

Thank You.

FSUZeta 10-08-2020 06:11 PM

I have never seen NPC chapter only shirts. As Bee points out it could be confusing-like a misrepresentation, but I also have never seen any rule that forbids it. I would think in most PNMs eyes, they are not joining XX chapter of ABC, but are joining ABC.

Titchou 10-08-2020 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheerio (Post 2480485)
Their choice had nothing to do with secretly wishing they were members of The Delta Gamma Sorority, and everything to do with honoring their first connections to AOII thru its Delta Pi chapter.

Just an FYI, it's Delta Gamma Fraternity.

Cheerio 10-08-2020 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titchou (Post 2480510)
Just an FYI, it's Delta Gamma Fraternity.

Fixed it :) Sounded wrong when I first typed it, now I know why.

tcsparky 10-10-2020 02:59 AM

If I am remembering correctly, the chapter I advised for years got shirts that had Alpha Xi Delta on the front pocket with their university name under it, a picture of some sort on the back, their chapter designation, Iota Zeta, spelled down one of the sleeves.


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