It's very very common for sororities here to get letter bags, shirts, or anything that is wearable in colors other than the official colors. For instance, our jerseys (t-shirts with block letters that we wear during inter-sorority competitions) are teal with black deltas.

Your jerseys aren't official colors? I can understand bags and stuff like that, but why would you deliberately select any other colors for your jerseys?

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I'm just trying to understand ... I mean, for us it's a big deal if the colors used for the letters themselves versus the accent are reversed. You can do whatever you want for your tote bag or whatever, but your jersey is standard, and it's definitely official colors ...

Just to be clear, jersey is meaning t-shirt with sewn on letters, right?

Why not have them in multiple colors? I had all kinds of different colors and patterns. Tshirts, sweatshirts, etc. What's wrong with a little variety?

Yep, that's what I meant by jerseys. I'm really not sure the reason behind using colors other than our official colors for our jerseys. But I do know that it makes a pretty nice statement when 50+ girls show up wearing the same, bright t-shirt, with big bold black letters.

Some of the chapters on campus have chosen to use their traditional colors on their jerseys, but many picked other combinations. We chose to go outside the normal blue, gold, and silver.

http://photos-870.facebook.com/n4/70...60870_9360.jpg

Typically a tee with sewn-on letters, yeah - although I know some chapters have their shirts in a jersey material, instead of just a regular tee. But the difference between your jersey and just another shirt you may have with sewn-on letters is that the jersey is the official, standard one. I just really don't get why this wouldn't be in official colors.

OPhiARen3, i'm not trying to pick, but it seems that you have a hard time understanding/appreciating that not every group does things the same way yours does. The way your org does things isn't necessarily the "right" way or the only way of doing things.

Personally, I read your posts as being somewhat negative and condescending towards NPC groups because they don't do things the way your group does. It is coming across as you're looking down your nose at NPC groups. I could be wrong as to this, but this is the way that it is just the way i'm reading it.

I wouldn't dream of questioning the way your group does things, especially in a negative way. Every group does things for a reason. Why they do it is their business, certainly not any of mine. Some put more emphasis on other aspects, some things just are the way they are. For instance, I can't say why we get paraphanelia in all different colors and patterns. Women like color and variety, but other than that, I don't know. There's not a reason behind everything, somethings just are the way they are.

Most of our groups have been around for 100+ years and collectively have millions of members, obviously we're doing things right.

Back to the jersey question- NPC groups don't have an "official, standard" set of letters. My chapter had what we called "house letters"- i.e. everyone had the same set of letters. They were sorta in our colors- a dark green, with silver letters sewn on a white background (our official colors are olive green -though many chapters use a more flattering and modern shade of green- and pearl white). But this was our decision, for similar purposes as UKTriDelt's- it looks nice and uniform.

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OPhiARen3 - your chapter must be very different from the chapter I was initiated in (I was initiated into Mu chapter but disaffiliated before the reorganization.) Yes, OPA has official colors, but it was never handed down from on high (nationals) what colors we were to put on our jersey. I think I was the only one that had letter in our official colors. OPA is a fairly new organization, and is still building it's own national identity or personality. You know yourself the wide variety of chapters in OPA, and the diversity of the women that are members, and it isn't half as large as the smallest NPC. I agree that your posts come off as condescending, and as a former member of OPA, I believe that it is a great organization, but not on a higher plane than any other.

I can only talk about DST, I think what makes us and the other the NPHC orgs appear more standardized is the national infrastucture. We are governed by a national executive board some of which are elected at out national conventions or regional conferences, and others appointed by the elected national president. We also have a headquarters staff and a facility that occupies four adjoining addresses in DC.

We are very clear about protocol and traditions, and the difference between the two, i.e. what is official and what isn't. We have a national code of conduct that spell out what violates our constitutions, bylaws, and policies and procedures, and the penalties for chapters and individuals for doing so.

For example, our protocol states that our official colors are crimson and cream--red and white are the only acceptable substitutes, and black may be used as an anchoring color. Thus a chapter cannot decide to have blue shirts made with pink letters. That would be a violation that could lead to a disciplinary action.

And all of our rules apply to collegiate and alumnae chapters. Even the membership intake process is the same for both.

So we basically function with our Grand Chapter having ultimate decision making authority. And no local chapter can set policies or procedures that conflict with Grand Chapter's. This leads to greater standardization.

Hi OPhiA sister,

Some NPC groups and even some OPA chapters do their jerseys and shirts differently than they do than you chapter. They decide to vary on the shirts to try something different. For example, I have OPA shirts in white, different shades of blue, yellow, red and garnet (to reflect one of our school's colors). I don't have a OPA jersery, but if I wanted to do it in colors besides the blues and yellow, that's my choice. One of my friends had a shirt made for another sister with part of the Texas flag (she's from there). My OPA bag has Mickey Mouse on it. With DST and other NPHC groups, I'll have to co-sign with sigmadiva--that is a big no-no. My DST shirts come in three colors--red, white and black(and I have a lot of them).

I also understand where you're coming from with the familes. I was an Alpha Angel with OPA in college. You become in the family when you get your big sis and your little sis becomes a member as well. It is to bring unity and to build a closer relationship with some of your sisters.

I hope my explanation helps!:)

NPC groups have (inter)national headquarters and boards, and we also have rules about what we can and cannot do in our letters. It's just that our standards are a little different from NPHC groups. At our convention in 2004, we received tote black tote bags with red, green and yellow on them. "Yellow" isn't really one of our colours (buff is), and I guess by NPHC standards, we would have had violations, because the colours weren't right (especially with the black bags).

In DST you just would not have received tote bags in any colors than what I mentioned above.

I understand that NPC groups have HQs and boards, but with threads like this that keep surfacing and other posts I read about NPC and IFC I just wonder if we function with stricter standards, because of the way our governance infrastructure works. It's not a knock, just an attempt to address the initial post from a DST point of view.

For example, we publish the names of chapters and individuals who violated our policies on our national website. We have an elected national committee with a main function of making sure that our constitution, bylaws, and polices are upheld. We have a regional structure that further facilitates the upholding of the above.

Again, I am not saying one is any better than the other--just different, which may lead to different results.

We have strict rules, just not about what colors can be worn on our letter shirts. Just an example our crest is always print in a precise manner and there are rules on how it can be used.
I think it is great that NPHC groups wear their colors, its looks really nice. But it is also really awesome to show up at convication in matching bright shirts with a great pattern.
We also have a judical system, but it is not open.
Our traditions and rules are different, that doesn't make either group wrong, just different.
My Chapter also does family letters. it's a really cute tradition. We also have a local mascot, the ladybug. The ladybug isn't used offically but it is given as gifts between members and for big little.