You got to look at the big picture. Pledging or New Member Period is a trial period. Giving them letters(stiched on or even event shirts in my opinion) wouldn't be the right thing to do. If they wore letters at all during their new member period they wouldnt understand what they earned. Pledge Pins and dressing up to represent the organization you desire to be a part of is an honor in itself.

I guess I have a different view on "earning" my letters. The actual jersey makes no difference to me, I mean we all know that your invisible jersey is always apparent so everyone knows who you represent anyway.

I feel like new members deserve the option to wear letters, pins and party shirts are not really important in the big picture, but big letters across your chest makes you more aware of what's going on and the impact you have as a small part of the bigger picture. I know we did things for PR in my chapter because we were a colony and needed publicity, but I still feel like it is very cute when our ECU chapters give matching letters to littles and bigs, it makes it all feel more together.

I guess it varies on your campus and point of view. I still think pins or dressing up is the same as wearing letters because you still represent the same group without fully understanding the meaning of the organization. When it comes down to 6-8 week new member periods it really doesn't matter, but Chi O holds their new gilrs until the next semester so I think they need the recognition.(by the way, I wish everyones new member period is longer!)

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Lexi

There is no such general consensus. In Phi Kappa Psi, we have some chapters (U. Kansas, U. Iowa) who never wear letters at all, but wear "Phi Psi", not "Phi Kappa Psi" in script. Some of our chapters allow pledges to wear letters. My chapter only allows brothers to wear letters, so event t-shirts will say "Phi Psi", yet for homecoming and greek week, we allow FKY to be listed along side all of the other GLOs.

I'll speak up for my local here.
If a pledge was seen wearing letters of any sort..well..they'd have the letters ripped off of them so quick it'd make their head spin :p The only time they are allowed to wear letters is during "hell week" in which the shirt says:
(front)LOY
Pledge
Fall 2003
(back)Lambda Omicron Psi
(sleeves) Big & Little sis

There is no consensus.

My personal beliefs differ from KD policy.
KD policy is that new members may wear letters, and it is hazing to deny them that right.
My personal belief is that someone isn't really truly a member until they are initiated, and therefore shouldn't be entitled to wear the letters of the org.

Da, just what is wrong with a New Associate wearing Letters?

Is she wearing the Creast? No. Dont You want to let other people on campus to know that these Women Associated with Your Orgaization?

If you will pardon me, but how friggin stupid!:o

When we got New Associates, the Actives let them wear a shirt that had our letters on it. Well untill they got their own!

This as we called it in Marketing. Advertising, and Merchandising, called it selling!

You are not Proud enough to have Your New Associate members wear YOU LETTERS!:o :eek: :(


Is this Your Self importance or Your National?:confused:

Some of us believe that it is more important to attach value to the meaning of our letters, then to treat it our values as wholesale merchandise that needs to be marketed. But, that's simply a matter of perspective and values.

I didn't say they shouldn't wear anything with the greek letters on it or with the name spelled out. I'm talking about the jersey, sewn letters that most people mean when they say they're wearing their "letters", at least at my school. My letters have a special significance to me.

I'm not a believer in wearing things that you don't know the meaning of. Kinda like that Chinese symbol fad a while back..... I swear, half those things probably translated to say "i'm a dumbjack@ss who spent too much money on this to try to look cool"

And as I clearly stated- it's my personal belief (one which a lot of other greeks hold as well), NOT MY ORGANIZATIONS. I respect the rules and decisions of my GLO.

WOAH! WOAH, EASY TIGER! :eek:

I never said there was anything wrong with it! Iwas just interested in other's views! I asked the question as I have seen debate on here before about what's okay and what's not, how much can be worn, etc. Both with HBGLO's which I (on GC) have seen to particularly focus on the problems of 'perps', and other orgs.
I also AGREE with you that getting your name out there is good! I was just trying to find out whether it would be generally FROWNED UPON by the Greek community if people who were not actives of a GLO were freely allowed to wear a) the name in English of the org. b) the Greek letters c) Crest also on T-shirt. What's ok and what's not. For example, I've seen posts where people have said XYZ (might've been the Pikes?) on their campus allows girls to wear their letters as it always does them good to have beautful girls sporting their letters.

Also, hope springs eternal, but I do not have a national. We're a petitioning group, (who're only interested in one 'national).

ETA: Ohh sorry..... you didn't mean me :o :o. Okay, feeling stupid now...

dec, i started another thread that may better provide an answer to your specific question, as an interest group is much different than a new member:

Interest Group Using Letters

The start date on this thread was in 2001. At some point, starting a new thread becomes acceptable:D

We allow candidates to wear and possess anything but the crest. This varies from chapter to chapter. In no way has HQ set this in stone. One expansion advisor advised us one way on it and another said it didn't really matter..

Re: Re: Flame post (IMO)
 

I don't think it's appropriate for you to infer/suggest that I made an assertion that Tom Earp doesn't attach values to his letters. I believe that we all have different value sets, and that each are equally valid, in the context of our individual organizations. Where I disagreed with Tom is that he asserted his value set onto that of a different GLO.

Dec, of course did not mean you!:)

Just saying, OH Golly Gee Whizeer, the Newbies dont know the TRUe MANY of the Letters! Hell NO they dont, they have not been Initiated yet.

But to deny them the fact that they have Pledged themselves to s certain Orgaization and CANNOT wear The Fraterity/Soroity Letters!?

Oh, give me a damn break!:eek:

How course is the sand that some of you place your head in!

ARRRRG!

Yes, We are Secret Societys, but dont be silly, We aint the Skull and Bones!:rolleyes:

We're allowed to wear letters as pledges. Our formal jersey has "Gamma Phi" spelled out, but when my sister-mom gave me my family letters (we have family jerseys), I wore them. Another girl in my pledge class made her own! We also made pledge class jerseys, which were the letters and our pledge nick. The only thing we couldn't wear was the formal jersey with our formal nick until after we got initiated.