33girl.....as always I think we must share a brain. That was so well put I was LMAO!!!

About the spending money on your little thing.....our HQ doesn't have a say in what we buy for them. I spent over $300 on mine and I would do it again in a heartbeat just to see the look on her face when she found her basket with all the goodies I made and bought for her inside. It was priceless.:) Definetely one of my favorite sorority memories.

Just tell people that they're not paddles, they're ceremonial cricket bats...they practically look the same ;)
http://www.desisport.com/images/prod...ASone1-bat.jpg

forgive me, i'm slow
 

am i reading this right? being in posession of a paddle is considered hazing? or the idea of making a paddle for a big/little sister/brother is considered hazing? i'm :confused:

I think it is more what the paddle itself represents or "suggests"...
i.e. the practice of "yester-year" of people being whacked with it.

Obviously, to whack people with it today is a definite no-no, but 50 years ago, I am sure that it was open-season on the new members (not that Nationals would allow hazing, but I think in the "olden days", more renegade chapters got away with this practice)

So, the paddle would presumably remind people today of this (shameful) past practice which is absolutely not permissible today.....and for those who are ill informed (such as MTV), they would probably look at the paddles and jump to the erroneous conclusion that whacking still goes on today and that it is commonplace and accepted.

Kelli, you are right on! A paddle shows the idea of hazing by spanking some butt! As I said before, our new members classe made 5 foot paddles and put the officers and classes name on them! How in teh hell do you beat a guys butt with that?

I know it sounds silly but into days what ever, it has to be everyones way or else!:(

Funny tho, the DTC house in animal house never showed a paddle! The worst house on campus! Best house were giving paddle to the rears of teh pledges! New Members! HA, funny anit it!:D

alrighty, if you say so
 

so the thought is that if you have a paddle, you're going to use it on someone and "it's decoration" doesn't fly. interesting. I appreciate the explaination.

Paddles
 

In our chapter, it is not considered hazing...however, we normally tell the new intiates this and then have a ceremony where their big sis's give them their paddles as a surprise! I'm one of the lucky ones...I got one from my big and my little!

Greek love

So proud to be a Delta Zee!

Tom, you crack me up! I'm sure that some idiot could figure out how to use it...trust me.

Want to take the paddle image a bit further? at my 1999 national conclave I went to the jeweller to purchase dangles...I got the one shaped like a paddle since I was recruitment chair and that corresponded to that position. Soon after My chapter advisor told me I had to take it off my badge because of its negative meaning. (this was the same convention in which some execs were upset that blindfolds were used in an innocent leadership exercise).
so in 2000, I go back to convention, see the jeweller and she offers me another dangle in exchange saying the man who was there the year before didn't know...unfortunately I already had that dangle since it represents new member educator(which I was as well)!! so now I have nothing to represent my position as recruit. chair (which i held for 2 1/2 years).

I have since lost that dangle, but if i find it I'm putting it back on! I'm alum and don't care what they say anymore.

on the actual topic, paddles were never a tradition...one year they tried to start it, but it never took off, and with our current advisor it never would.