I have to respectfully disagree here. In my chapter we were allowed to wear the name of the sorority spelled out until initiation, and technically were allowed to wear letters. I chose not to wear anything until after I was initiated, and I agree that i felt very overwhelmed and proud to wear my badge as a sister. I didn't earn the right to wear a sweatshirt, I earned the right to wear my badge--I could've worn a sweatshirt any day of the week, but it wouldn't have the same meaning as my badge ever.

Now having said that, letters while they represent the organization, are there on a much more casual basis. Someone can wear the letters, it's not until they go through the ritual of initiation that they become a sister and are allowed to wear the badge, which to me means so much more. Anyone off the street can and often does order letters -- however a sister is only someone with the badge.

wearing letters should be a right reserved for brothers. in my chapter pledges can wear screen-printed written out names, but cannot wear the traditional letters (we dont use our real letters on shirts anyway, but thats beside the point pretty much everyone else).
wearing the letters for the first time is a very special thing and is something that should not be dealt with lightly-im of the opinion that you shouldnt wear letters until you know the all of the rituals, customs, and traditions of the fraternity and chapter, which doesnt come until after initiation

In my Sorority pledges/new members are not allowed to wear anything but their pledge shirt and that is only on Wednesday of every week. They cannot write/touch or feel stitched letters. Same thing goes for girls trying to start a new chapter. Once they go from petitioning group to charter then they can wear only screenprinted letters. I know that when I begame a "full" fledged Sister I wore those letters forever. Now I wear my sweatshirt and my active jacket all the time. I think that our national policy about letters makes it much more emotional and we value our letters more. I know sororities here on my campus letter their NM wear their letters as soon as they accept their bid. My Sorority's belief is that "You earn your letters, We don't give them to you". And I know that for me once I earned the right to wear them, I will never take them off, or let anyone harm them. That's how proud I am to be A SISTER OF GAMMA ALPHA OMEGA!!!!!!!!!:D ;)

our guys cant wear the crest until initiated, but can wear letters..i duno that stitched or not stitched even matters...never even thought of it.

Wow, I agree! I had no clue other GLOs had rules like these!

Re: Pledges wearing letters
 

Uhh...out of curiousity, what happens if they do that by accident? What are your colors? I'm just thinking, b/c I'm sure I've inadvertantly worn AXiD colors while not specifically meaning to. It just so happens that I like to wear a lot of blue and yellow. Would you penalize a new member for something like that?

Alpha Sigma Phi allows pledges to wear clothing with the three Greek letters. Pledges, though, are not allowed to purchase items with the coat of arms until after initiation.

Even Freemasonry has its own rules on who can and cannot wear the Square and Compasses. Entered Apprentices (first degree) and Fellowcrafts (second degree) may not wear the Square and Compasses until they attain the Master Mason (third) degree. Past Worshipful Masters wear a variation of the Square and Compasses with a sunburst replacing the "G" and a quadrant replacing the square.

Re: Pledges wearing letters
 

As a member of a NPHC organization, I believe the ideology is the same. There is no way possible that when we have girls on they can wear letters in any shape or form. As we say, if you don't know your history, then Zeta is a mystery. Honestly, I think it is crazy to have aspirants wear the letters, spelled out or greek formation. They don't have a clue of the history behind it. When I was online, I couldn't even wear the colors, at all.

Excuse me, but I have to address this! Having letters on the butt is a horrible practice for sororities and fraternites alike. What a disrespect to the founders! We really have to stop this practice. It's shameful.

I agree! Letters on sweatpants belong on the leg, not on the butt. Not only I find letters on the butt weird, but disrespectful. The banishment of this practice goes for members as well as NMs and alums.

http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies...it_all_out.gif

I agree that it's somewhat shameful, but when you see all the university letter's on the bum, it just makes sense for the next thing.

Well some sororities aren't allowed to wear them at my school, like I don't think Alpha Phi is.

I'm sure this fad will pass.

count me in on the letters should not be worn on the butt train.

i think the first person I saw in them was a SDT. I'm sorry, if GDIs think your letters spell "eat", why would you plaster it on your booty? that's just sorta wrong....

was NOT thrilled with a couple girls in my chapter got them...

With the exepction of Kappa, most people here are against them. I have seen them on girls in another sorority, but generally we do avoid it. My Big Big has sweatpants and her letters are on the leg and they look fine. I can't speak for anyone else, but with KLP we have a rule that you can't have anything with letters on the butt so as not to disrespect our letters and the meaning. :) I personally think that's a great rule since I HATE HATE HATE butt letters.

*hijack
Not to mention Disrespectful
*end hijack

Re: Re: Pledges wearing letters
 

I agree but I think it might be different with African American sororities such as mine. Cammykaze1920, i know yours is too.

With Phi Sigma Pi, new members are not allowed to wear letters at all. They can wear "Phi Sigma Pi" written out, though. We have so few PSP shirts, though, that our new members want to get the ones that we have around during their new member period, too...they often buy them but don't wear them until they become brothers, and no one has a problem with that. I think I did that, too.

Most Latin sororities and fraternities that I know of do not allow pledges to wear letters of the organization in any way, shape, or form--no greek letters (iron on or stitched), nothing spelled out in words, no nicknames of the sorority, etc. Gifts with letters, colors, symbols, crests, mascots, etc. are not given to any pledges until they "cross" (are initiated as full-fledged members).

I understand that everyone has different feelings on this topic, but I personally feel that I do not want anyone but sisters (hermanas, sorors) of my organization to wear my letters.

Many LGLOs, BGLOs, and MCGLOs also have handsigns (a symbol of your org made with your hands. If you don't understand, think sign language), which pledges are not allowed to do until they have crossed.

My sorority is the same way. I don't even think that I would want to walk around with something on my chest that I didn't know what it meant...

I'm not a huge fan of the butt letters but has anyone seen the "thong" letters -
:eek: There are some places where letters should not go :eek:

If you haven't seen them:
http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/00/f0/16/ce_1.JPG
http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/00/ea/37/41_1.JPG

:D Sorry for the hijack- now back to our regular programming!

THONG LETTERS?

Now that is just WRONG! :eek: :eek:

Thankfully, I have yet to see an Alpha Phi Omega thong. :D

Not that you might want to see this, but... http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/prod.asp...tabeta.4524252
Awww, it even has a little crest in the back. :p
/hijack

A CREST?!?!?! That's insane! Is that even legal for them to do that? Like wouldn't they need to get APhiO's nationals' permission before using that?

Oh no...

Letters are one thing, but a CREST? That is insulting! :eek:

Yeah, but lots of other places do the same things. National headquarters don't have time to go after every single person selling unlicensed things.

Most chapters of Gamma Sig operate in this way as well.

One of the BEST lines I heard after initation was when one new sisters turned to the others and yelled, "WE GOT OUR GREEN!!":D :D

After initation, it is tradition that sister-mothers give their sister-daughters a green jersey with red, yellow and green letters on the front, their name on the back, and GT on the sleeve.

At our campus, we get lots of compliments as a show of sisterhood when you see green jersey's everywhere!:D

I think my earlier question got over looked, and I'm curious so I'm asking again...Zetagymnast and cammykaze1920, you both said that you weren't allowed to even wear your sororities' colors during your pledge period. My questions are...
Did I understand that right? What would have happened if you had worn the colors? Why does this rule exist?
I don't know what your colors are, Zetagymnast, but cammykaze1920, did you really have to exorcise all blue and white from your wardrobe during your pledge period??? That seems a bit excessive! Just think, if you wore jeans and some kind of white shirt: that's blue and white. Would that be bad, during the pledge period???:confused:

no letters, no writing the letters, no standing in front of letters in the house, no touchign letters, no hand gestures, etc.

I agree, the words 'eat' especially in the booty area is not a good thing....;)

Co-sign!!
And I must say that I saw some girls from your sorority on-line earlier this year in NYC. The line was very tight...especially since it was pretty cold out that night.

I seen them for my org....Plain ole crazy if you ask me!!

To answer your question, when I was online I was told in advance what to wear. When I wasn't in my sorority sisters presence, I could wear whatever I wanted.

Think of it this way:
Next year, my sorority has a convention with sorority sisters from all around the world. If our colors are royal blue and pure white, I would not dare enter into a forum with lets say, pink and green. That is just disrepectful to the organization.

pledges not wearing colors
 

Just to chime in on the pledges not wearing colors discussion...

one reason pledges are often not allowed to wear colors is that many organizations keep their intake process extremely secret. Not only do pledges not get to wear letters until they have been initiated, they do not get to let anyone know that they have been accepted to go through the sorority's intake process. Part of the reason is that if everyone knows Suzie Q. is an XYZ pledge, and she doesn't make it all the way through the process, that reflects badly (and publicly) on both her and the sorority that she did not make it in to. (She couldn't handle the intake process or couldn't manage her time or whatever. Also the sisterhood looks bad because they seem to accept women who give up easily. Both are bad reflections.) If Suzie Q. nevers wears the sorority's colors, then she is not linked to the sorority and no one knows she trying to become an XYZ.

Another reason that some groups forbid pledges wearing their colors during the intake process is much like the reason they forbid pledges from wearing letters--when you earn the right to sport the colors from head to toe and to wear the letters, you get the "we finally got our green" feeling that someone mentioned earlier.

And to respond to the comment about not being able to wear blue jeans with a white t-shirt being harsh...yes, it is serious...if you are not supposed to wear blue and white, then you just don't wear blue and white!

I know that this all sounds sort of odd, but that's the way it the system works in a lot of organizations!

Proud to wear the lavender and Carolina blue of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.--

Re: pledges not wearing colors
 

What about blue OR white? Like, can you wear blue jeans with a purple t-shirt?

What if there are other colors involved? For instance, wearing a red white and blue shirt or outfit? What if your panties and bra are blue and white striped?

This thread is the first time i've ever heard of pledges not being able to wear the colors of the sorority. Obviously, I could understand not wearing pink and green. That's not the most common color combination in most people's wardrobes. But something like blue and white is a bit more common.

I can also more understand cammykaze1920's comments that she couldn't wear it when she was online, but when she wasn't in the sorority's presence. That makes a little more sense and is more understandable.

But a hard-line- 24/7 approach like thetanustew's is so extreme. NEVER being allowed to wear the colors together until you're a sister is a bit much. I'm pretty sure that would be considered hazing by NPC orgs.

For us, there are days when our pledges are required to wear our colors. On Wednesdays, all the sisters are supposed to wear letters, only since pledges can't wear letters they have to wear Navy Blue and Gray. Usually they just do jeans with a gray shirt or sweatshirt.

Re: pledges not wearing colors
 

It's very interesting that you say this...

When I was a senior in college, another Tri Sigma and I lived with a woman we SUSPECTED was pledging an NPHC sorority. Turns out she was, but she was SOOOOO secretive...

We love showing our new members off....So interesting the differences b/w NPC and NPHC sometimes! :)

Re: Re: pledges not wearing colors
 

I doubt it. I never heard of someone paying so much attention to a person that they would say "you know I haven't seen Suzie wear lavender and Carolina Blue in a long time..."

Requiring pledges to wear pledge pins could also be considered hazing! It clearly marks pledges as different from sisters, and requiring pledges to do anything that sisters are not required to do is one definition of hazing.

Not all organizations have this "no colors" rule, of course. In fact, addition to being in a sorority, I am a brother of Phi Sigma Pi, and during our pledge period, we had to wear colors one day a week (purple and gold on Wednesdays). I guess that could be considered hazing as well...especially when combined with wearing a Phi Sigma Pi pledge pin.

Having gone through intake and initiation in both of two different diverse organizations, I can see positives and negatives for both the extreme secrecy and the wide openness concerning the pledge period. Honestly, I do not flatly, across the board endorse one or the other. A lot of the aspects of both are based on private organization meanings/rituals/etc., and I think it's difficult to say "that is harsh" or "that is too lenient" without understanding the rest of the context of the intake process.

Soooo....while I can't explain specifically why certain groups are hard core about NOT letting pledges wear certain things (colors/letter/crests/etc.) yet others are hard core about MAKING pledges wear certain things (colors/pins/etc.), I think that I can explain that groups have reasons for doing what they do. These reasons tend to go beyond what people --even those invovled in other similar organizations-- can relate to.

Just my two cents...
:) S