I honestly think that the use of the word pledging depends on what campus that you are on. Just like I went to many probates that were for nphc groups and they hadn't crossed yet. On most campuses that is never done...

On some campuses pledging for certain groups aren't all underground. Everyone knows who is pledging and it is ok.

I said she "called it pledging"....I didn't say I had never heard of it before then.

Furthermore, I was only letting you know that not all members of NPHC groups are so secretive. At my school it was a very common practice for everyone to know who was on line. Not b/c someone was "breaking the rules" of pledgeship but b/c we were such a small school and everyone knew everyone.


She never gave me details if that is what you are afraid of. I just remember before her actual Initiation (for lack of a better word) it was common for people to say "I'm going this" Or "I'm gonna go that." It's also common for girls that are already members to come to people and say "You should be a..." or "I think you would be a good..." I never knew it was supposed to be a secret thing until I started to read these posts on GC.

P.S....
 

I am not a member of a GLO...I am interested in AI but have not made a decision yet. I just joined these boards to learn more.

The whole thing with he/she saying "pledging" is that it makes me and others wonder why he/she doesn't just use the correct terminology. Why is he/she using this word in the same sentence as frat/soror? Why not use what StumpGirl said in her previous post? This happens to be the correct terminology for most groups that use frat/soror. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Now, there could be a possibility that he/she is just using frat/soror to make it seem like they are "pledging" an NPHC group or possibly an MC when they actually are doing something completely different. Why? Possibly to make them look bad. I personally think it's a troll, and will spend no more time trying to explain or clarify or help this person because to me it seems like a trollish post.....:cool:

Sorry, but you people are driving me compleatly NUTS!!!

It's just freakin' semantics...it doesn't mean a thing!

FOR CHRIST'S SAKE...we have a "RUSH" forum here on GC and everyone knows that that's a dirty word in NPC vocab.

How many NPC girls on here have ever typed rush because recruitment is way too long to type every time and we all know it's the same thing...maybe this person said "pledging" because s/he didn't want to type out new-memeber-period or member-in-training or whatever their fraternity calls it. Maybe it's a local and they don't give a flying F*$&#. Maybe they used frat/soror because they didn't want to type out fraternity and soroity. Maybe they were typing in a hurry and weren't worried about being all PC. I guess we'll know if they ever come back and let us know what happened (which I hope they do)....but until then all you Jr. Freud's are driving me nuts with the overanalyzation.

I don't think pledging is a dirty word when it comes to NPHC organizations. We ALL PLEDGE to our organizations. I only get annoyed when people who aren't members of NPHC organizations swear they know so much about our process:rolleyes:

Good grief! We're all coming from different schools and organizations, so for some of us, it isn't just semantics. Where I went to school, if you said "pledge" in front of a Greek Life Office person, it was like you had just said, "I hazed my new member yesterday."

So, while non-NPC and non-NPHC GCers don't know about the processes of other orgs, some of us DO have a good knowledge of what is acceptable where we're from.

All I'm saying is, yes, I understand that to some people saying "Pledge" is saying "Hazing", but maybe this person isn't coming from one of those places...and like I said, we'll never know until they post again....

I think that's the key point: some things are acceptable in certain areas while others aren't. It can be confusing to outsiders. But when giving out information about these councils I think people should be careful about blanket statements. No harm, no foul.

AlphaFrog, chill my dear. Epitome, if you knew me you would know that I'm not trying to act like I know the way NPHC works. He/she could also have been referring to an MC as well, therefore I do have a right to speak on the issue. That's it from me.


ETA: Never said pleding was a bad word. But it made me suspicious. Tis all people, tis all. :)


*Trying to keep it positive and cool in my 80 degree apartment* ;)

co-sign

I agree 100 percent.

Co-sign. There is a high level of ignorance about the way that NPHC groups work, and NPC/NIC members are quick to call something they don't understand "hazing." (I think Alexandra Robbins even discusses that!)

For what it's worth, I never called the time between rush (ha ha ha) and initiation "New Member Education." I called it "pledging," 'cause it was easier to say and to explain to non-Greeks.

My comment wasn't directed at you...:confused: My comment is directed at anyone who reads the Divine Nine or Black Greek 101 and thinks they're an expert at the history, traditions, culture of NPHC organizations. Breathe easy. It's all love.

last time...
 

I promise I won't post anymore in this thread as I am obviously looking at things from an "outside" point of view but I must say this one thing:

I looked up the word "pledging" in the dictionary and the definition is "a lifelong promise to either uphold or refrain from something..."

I would think that just as a soldier "pledges" defend his country or just as I plan to "pledge" my love for my husband, a Greek member would plan to "uphold" their organization.

Perhaps the politically correct way of doing things is the legal way in this day and age but the meanings are exactly the same.

Just a thought...
MLK