Pi Phi new members cannot wear our Greek letters until after initiation. It is in our national bylaws. The letters do have a secret meaning. And personally, I felt a greater connection to wearing the letters after learning their meaning / waiting for the privilege. It is (was) a tradition on my campus for big sisters to give their newly initiated little a lavaliere with our letters on the front, and initials & date of initiation on the back as our first letters. It was a fun tradition. (although I had kind of a deadbeat big--she deactivated at the end of her sophomore year and I never got a lavaliere. At my graduation, my fabulous little got me one.)

How precious of her!

For formal shirts and philanthropy events, we spell out everything on my campus. However, for Greek Week and Recruitment, all of the Greek letter symbols are put on the shirts. It makes me feel uncomfortable because people who don't know our traditions, rituals, and values are wearing my letters and vice versa. While I respect the other organizations on campus and have good friends in all of them, I don't feel comfortable wearing their letters either. Even if they are only 1/2 and inch tall.

While there is no rule against doing this, I think it should be a common courtesy not to include Greek letters on universally worn shirts. I worked hard to learn my organization's history and I continue to live our ideals daily. If someone does not embody those ideals, I do not want them wearing my letters. One should only wear letters of the organization they join themselves or are deemed fit by another organization to wear (becoming sweetheart, being pinned, or lettered).

Weird...I know of several schools (Bama comes to mind immediately) that give out jerseys with the Pi Phi greek letters on them on Bid Day?

It's probably one of the cases where some chapters are more cognizant/respectful of rules/traditions than others. I think the practice varies across the board but, technically, letters are not worn by new members.

This is not a slam on the chapters that do this--sometimes things get lost over the years. For instance, my chapter always rigorously abided by our membership rules regarding legacies and included Nieces as legacies. Apparently, this isn't correct!

A lot of chapters operate more on word-of-mouth and nebulous oral traditions than actual fraternity bylaws, for better or for worse.

Gotcha!

I have to ask generallygreek if she got a lavaliere...she mentioned something about a necklace, but she hasn't said anything about this tradition. Her rec writer did get her a lettered tote bag from Pi Phi Express.