I think the distinction most chapters see would be this:

If one is wearing a tee-shirt with our letters and the letters of other groups on it, there is not necessarily an assumption that that person is a Sinfonian. Rather, the assumption is that the person attended an event sponsored or hosted by the groups listed.

On the other hand, a jersey, sweatshirt, hat, etc., with just our letters implies that the wearer is a brother. Granted, when a female is wearing a lettered lavelier, she would not be taken for a brother, but the point would still be that only a brother should wear the letters in a way that suggests membership in the Fraternity.

ETA: After I posted, I remembered one other consideration. The one official policy we have on the matter deals with probationary members (pledges) and colony members and says that they may not wear the Greek letters FMA (or the coat-of-arms) prior to initiation. They can wear something that says "Phi Mu Alpha." The same rule (using the English name rather than the Greek letters) might be used for tee-shirts that have the names of multiple groups on them.

We did that at our school - we'd have philanthropies and the such with sororities, and t-shirts would have both sets of letters.

It wasn't common on my campus (no one had sweethearts), but I always thought lavaliering was more serious than the "Sweetheart" designation. If you lavaliered a girl in my chapter, it was a pre-engagement type thing. I thought being a "Sweetheart" was more of a "We think you're cool, you're friends with a bunch of us, and you help us out at events."

I could be wrong though; as I said, there weren't any sweethearts on my campus.

I think it depends on the campus. At my undergrad, it is common practice for groups to wear other groups' event tshirts-- it is great PR for our organizations and for Greek Life.

Typically, the guys lend the girls letter shirts to wear--- unofficial bigs and littles swap letters and paddles as well... and of course sweethearts get special letters from the fraternity to wear.

At Rio is goes as follows:


- Homecoming/May Day candidates typically wear the fraternity letters that put them up but only for that time period.

- Wives/Pinned Women wear stiched letters.

- Lil Sis groups wear shirts w/ "ABC lil sis" typically but a local here lets them wear stiched letters. (This personally annoys me to no end)

The only sweatshirt I still have from my freshman year of college (yes, 18 years ago) is my TKE little sister sweatshirt. Stitched letters with lil sis at the bottom of the "E". Of course, it has seen better days but still one of my favs......:D

Isnt it true that if You have Shirts with events or two-or more groups, that is Okay?

But to jus wear the Letters is something different.

I never Let My Ex Wife wear My Letters, They were Mine and not Hers.

If it was I am Married to a LXA, fine, or if I did the LXA Event, Okay!

Had an IRS Guy in the Store Tues. He had a Wind Breaker= AXO DAD, Kansas State.

My question, unless you are a sweetheart or wife...why would you want to wear someone else's letters anyway? You didnt earn them, what do they mean to you?

Just Cause they do!:D

Maybe found them some place or in a Rag store and like them and cheap?:)


Maybe I need to wear My Letters More IN My Store. Meet Many other Greeks that way!:cool:

Our sweetheart may wear letters, but it's an unwritten rule that this done rarely and only for very special events.

*bump*

When I was a new member, two girls in our chapter were the current and immediate past Sigma Chi Sweethearts and they both had letter sweatshirts with "Sweetheart" embroidered below the letters.

Then for a couple of years, their sweethearts didn't have sweatshirts. When my roommie was named the new sweetheart in March 2005, I got her the same sort of sweatshirt - Sigma Chi letters in their colors with "Sweetheart" embroidered in gold. She loves it, the guys love it, and she wears it all the time. (She was nervous about it at first, but asked their president if it was okay.)

Their view is that if they've picked her to be a female representing their chapter, she may as well respresent. :)

I'm glad this thread got bumped!

As DeltAlum said, there's nothing "magical" about the Greek Alphabet. Everytime I see the phrase "earning your letters", I immediately think of hazing. I could be wrong, but that's how my mind works...

At Illinois girls we wore other letters all the time. It was "cool" because it meant you had friends in that fraternity. Usually they were just loaners - let me wear your sweatshirt for while and you can wear an AOII hat or something. It didn't designate being a sweetheart or anything.

ETA: It was also "cool" to have paddles from other fraternities and sororities that you had been given as gifts.

Only one group does sweethearts on my campus, although I think our local may have them as well. They do get a set of letters to wear, but it's usually just a t-shirt. Two of my sisters are sweethearts, but neither wear the shirts often. I'm not really aware of any rules, traditions, etc., surrounding the wearing of sweetheart letters.

That is our policy as well. Our letters themselves can only be worn by initiated members, but the english names can be worn by pledges, parents, husbands, etc.