GreekChat.com Forums - Wearing letters

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- - Wearing letters (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=80931)

Alumnae dues in NPC are significantly lower than undergraduate fees. I'm talking like $50 or so compared to like $1,000.

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Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS (Post 1337293)

Good Lord in heaven - I have found my soul mate :cool: If only I had more room in my siggy to put this!! Alas, my proclamation to the world that:

HAIR TRANSPLANTS ARE THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE!

takes up too much space :(

DSTChaos - you are really making my week here in GC land :p

We're all adults and it really boils down to choices.

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Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam (Post 1337368)

I don't know, I'd just rather not feel like a "money train" when money is a resource I don't have much of (and I don't believe in skimping on food just so I can pay alumnae dues), while I have plenty of time that I can donate. I'd rather spend that money on food, school supplies, classes, paying student loans, rent, car insurance, gas, etc, and if I want to go out to dinner or to get a drink one night a month, then I want to go out one night a month. A person cannot be expected to completely cut out a healthy social life in order to pay alumni dues. When I can live comfortably enough to have an extra hundred dollars or so a month, then I'll start sending in dues. When I can't, or I have to make extra sacrifices in order to be able to pay them, I'm not going to pay them. It's not like I live a super glamerous life (I've never even touched a designer handbag or designer pair of shoes in my life), but I'm not cutting out getting a new suit so I can go on interviews or going out to dinner with a close friend just so I can pay dues.

People either make it happen or they don't. You chose to fly in this thread and defend something that may or may not have pertained to your situation. Just like you choose to not make extra sacrifices to pay your dues. Everyone has an excuse or an explanation. Just don't be a "I will pay dues when I have the money" type person for longer than you know is excusable.

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Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam (Post 1337368)

I think you're not getting my point though, it's not like I'm going out and buying a whole bunch of alpha gam stuff to wear or put on my car. I have the same sticker I recieved when I got my sister-mother. I wear the same sweatshirt I bought when I was a sophomore, the same jacket, the same t-shirts, bid day t-shirts, and most anything that I've got that's got letters or Alpha Gamma Delta written on it was either A. Part of a purchasing project through the chapter, which gives better rates on paraphenalia, B. something I bought shortly after my initiation, C. something that was given to me. I don't even have much of anything after passing everything down to my sister-daughter and granddaughter.

I just don't see how alumni that don't donate every year or pay alumni dues should be judged for wearing letters, especially if those judging them have no idea where they got those lettered items. Pride is pride. It's free advertisement, no matter what way you slice it, no matter if it's good or bad. Hopefully, it's good.

We didn't miss your point but you certainly missed ours if this is what you choose to spend your time explaining to us. Own as much of your organization's paraphernalia as you choose. We aren't so much fixated on that as we are with people understanding that we have enough walking billboards. So, no, we don't feel the need to form a cheer squad around your displays of pride and advertisement if spirit fingers are all your organization will have to show for it. ;)

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Originally Posted by AXO Alum (Post 1337403)

You are simply marvelous!

You're choosing to ignore the fact that I'm presenting the other side of the issue, which is just as fair as presenting the idea that fewer people need to be blowing cash on t-shirts and investing themselves in their organization. I'm just presenting the idea that maybe not everyone who wears letters is actively choosing to not give anything back to their organization. You may know people like that, but certainly not everyone does that. Otherwise, there would be no alumnae dues in the first place, because organizations would realize that they can't collect.

You're also choosing to reject the idea that maybe I can get your point without your snarky bolding the word you're repeating over and over in your post. If you're going to point out that we're all adults, please remember that you're taking the debate to a childish level by adding in snark.

I contribute when I can and how I can.

We all took the same vows, just different words.

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Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam (Post 1337477)

I'm just presenting the idea that maybe not everyone who wears letters is actively choosing to not give anything back to their organization.

Yeah they are all actively choosing to not give anything back. Everyone simply has different explanations and excuses for their choices. You stated yours.

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Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam (Post 1337477)

You're also choosing to reject the idea that maybe I can get your point without your snarky bolding the word you're repeating over and over in your post. If you're going to point out that we're all adults, please remember that you're taking the debate to a childish level by adding in snark.

If that's what you gathered from that, oh well.

Holy moly, look what I started!

As I said earlier, I have some old, falling apart letter sweatshirts that I wear at home. I am joining my alum chapter, so I figured this was a good chance as any to get something new.

The funny thing is, the sweatshirts themselves started falling apart, but the sewn letters are still 100% intact!

And sometimes there isn't a nearby Alumna chapter. I live in one city, go to school in another and joined an alum chapter in a third. I'll probably not be able to go to most of the events :(

At the same time, I made the effort and helped out with recruitment with the alum chapter. But if I'd been employed at the time (or had more family obligations) I would probably be SOL. So, sometimes you can put in your time, and sometimes there's not much of an opportunity to.

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Originally Posted by REE1993 (Post 1337650)

Holy moly, look what I started!

What?

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Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS (Post 1337293)

;) You suffer from the same condition that Tom Earp does. No one said these people can't do anything or that we would ostracize these people. We are saying that old and young members need to contribute to the organization before they run around thinking that putting on letters means they are "representing" something.

I have found that people typically can afford whatever they want to afford. I rubbed pennies together to pay dues as an undergrad and rubbed pennies together to pay dues for the 7 years after undergrad. I will continue to rub pennies together to pay dues as long as I manage to find pennies to spend on clothes and other things that I probably don't NEED.

Broke is relative and a state of mind. For instance, being a broke grad student is NO JOKE but most of us still manage to do STUFF. Whether that's going out on the weekends, buying some gooblygob to wear, or eating out. Contributing your time is a wonderful thing and sisterhood is about more than dues. But many organizations are non-profit businesses that could use our dues for some important things both administrative and philanthropy-wise.

Snaps!

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Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam (Post 1337368)

I just don't see how alumni that don't donate every year or pay alumni dues should be judged for wearing letters, especially if those judging them have no idea where they got those lettered items. Pride is pride. It's free advertisement, no matter what way you slice it, no matter if it's good or bad. Hopefully, it's good.

There is no free advertisement. Somebody paid for the shirts.

And everything that's free isn't good because if you think about it, a hazing trial and/or lawsuit is also free advertising. :rolleyes:

But back to the point, maybe NPC and NPHC sororities are different in this area. As an NPHC sorority woman, it's irksome to have someone get their letters and never be seen at a chapter meeting handling sorority business, but you will see her at every step show or picnic. Being Greek is fun, but there's business to take care of. So, for me, my sorority is a sisterhood that I value and cherish, and we hope to instill this in members. We also hope to instill that the sorority is not a status symbol to sport across a t-shirt when it's convenient and "cute". I'm asking a real question when I ask if circumstances are that different for NPC sororities. Seriously.

Maybe there's much more to this than I or DSTCHAOS are willing to put out there, but being an inactive alumnae soror is not so "cute" as the years roll by.

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Originally Posted by REE1993 (Post 1337650)

Take your old letter shirts to the Greek store. They can transfer the nice letters to a new t-shirt, usually for only a few dollars more than the price of the shirt. I have done this with my first set of letters.

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Originally Posted by tcsparky (Post 1338154)

I didn't know this was possible. Not like I have more than 1 "lettered shirt," but it's something to keep in mind. Thanks! :D

I think that this is another NPC/NPHC difference. NPC members do not necessarily have to pay alumnae dues to remain in good standing with the org (as I've gathered NPHC members do). Some NPC groups actually have a lifetime alumnae fee that is paid shortly after initiation.

Everyone's got different types of alumnae dues structures. You also have to consider that there's much more difference between the way an NPC collegiate chapter runs and an NPC alum chapter, then there is between an NPHC collegiate chapter and an NPHC graduate chapter. (Apologies for the clunkiest sentence ever)

I hope this makes sense, I wanted to keep it kind of general. :)