The spelling nazi in me takes issue with "embarrsing" each time this thread shows up in my new posts list.

I wonder what happened to the OP? He was a big douche as well.

I'm pretty sure that if a kid showed up to rush in a shirt saying that he was a future member then we wouldn't even give him a name tag, what a joke. Thats like wearing jean shorts, an instant no.

Me and a SigEp went outside for a smoke break during finals. It was probably 8AM and we'd been up all night for the 1130AM exam. A girl, either just having pulled an all-nighter or having just passed through our main student union building for a walk of shame (she looked disheveled is all I'm sayin) walked out the door in front of us wearing a lettered Sigma Phi Epsilon hoodie. We were both too tired to say anything and so we just stared. I asked if she was a sweetheart or something and he was just like, "no...I have never seen before...ever...I'm more interested in whoever the hell gave her the stupid hoodie."

Does it make a difference? Maybe her bother, boyfriend or friend was a SigEp at another school and he gave it to her. Or, maybe she went to a Greek store and had it printed up? (oh my!!!!) Or, maybe she got it at Goodwill because someone disgarded it.

When I was in school, it was typical to trade sweatshirts with what ever fraternity you was your partner in Greek Week or Homecoming. It was no big deal because every chapter on our campus did it, and there were over 3000 in the Greek system at the time.

I also can't tell you the number Phi Tau shirts I got off one of my best friends who kept leaving them in my car.

So it's okay for nonGreeks to wear letters and for Greeks to wear one another's letters? No.

It's unheard of at GMU to wear another organization's letters (even though we ((Phi Sig)) allow our sweethearts & lavaliered girls to do it, it is common practice only to wear them on special occasions.)

And when I say letters I don't mean printed--I mean the big block embroidered kind.

You at Dartmouth? As I understand it, the Phi Taus rock to their own beat anyway.

Hayle NO! The same applies.....they are not the other persons letters (Greek or Not)!

Exactly. :)

I rarely see NPHC orgs hand out event tshirts but the ones I have seen tend to spell out the org name rather than use the symbols.

Unless it is like a community day or step show shirt and every organization's letters are listed.

And that is how it is supposed to be handled!

I can't speak for all Greeks, but I was taught during my process to destroy, shred, or burn, all "nalia" that could not be pass to another Soror. If we see ANYONE wearing our Letters who is not a member, we are get that item from them!!!!!

Yes, this is a very "Serious Matter"!

Last year a female 7th grade student wore a Kappa Alpha Psi jacket to school. I asked her who jacket was she wearing. She stated that it was her father's jacket. Then I asked if he was aware that she was wearing it. Of course, she said, "Yes." Then I explained to her why she should not be wearing his jacket. She never wore that jacket to school again. I don't think her father knew that she was sporting his jacket around school.

I guess that would depend on the school then...it doesn't happen *often* at mine, but it's not unheard of. My boyfriend gives me his set of stitched SigEp letters to wear quite often; it's not a secret to the other guys in his chapter. I think that at some schools, the chapter members just care whether it's a girl that's been around a while vs. if she's some girl the member's been dating for a few weeks. I would hope that if a member from another school happened to see me in them, he wouldn't think that I just grabbed them up randomly :(

Chaos, At my school if there was a community clean up that all student orgs participated in, so all orgs names were listed.

That makes sense. I have a step show tshirt with all the orgs names spelled out. God forbid I rock your letters in any way shape or form. :p;)

Hush!!!:p:)

Yes we are taught how to "get rid of" 'nalia that can't be passed down and so forth. That has never stopped 'nalia from showing up at Goodwills and at homeless shelters.

Regarding getting stuff from people who wear them. That works better in theory than in practice. Most of us haven't been undergrads in years so our interactions with people are different. A kid doesn't have to give you that KAPsi jacket. In fact, no one has to give you anything. I know NPHCers who used to carry white tshirts around in case they ran into a nonmember wearing letters. Years later, those NPHCers don't care as much--unless they don't have a life. If nonmembers and perps are understanding and able to relinquish the 'nalia, they will hand over the stuff. If they don't want to for whatever reason, move on as to not have an assault charge. I still know Greeks who will inflict physical harm over such things. Those are folks with nothing to lose apparently.

It should be based on your organizations' standards. That shouldn't vary by chapter but I acknowledge that it does. It also varies by time period.

I don't think boyfriends and girlfriends should be wearing anything. That should be reserved for husbands and wives who care enough to affiliate with their spouse's organization in that manner. Even then husbands and wives often are not given letters to wear and/or the husbands and wives refuse to wear them. :)

I knew this guy (NPHC) who bragged about beating up this guy who had his letters on. But, he went to jail as a result. That is craziness!

I do not have time, nor do I want, to police letters. I can not imagine going to jail over something like that. Even if some perp had on my letters, it means nothing that they are wearing them if they have not learned the meaning behind the letters, and other AKA symbols. If they have not worked hard for their letters. I do not mean pledging, but if they have not worked at 5am at the soup kitchen, in the cold at Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, if they have not worked to be sisterly......it is trival that they want to perp. It may as well be just a pretty shirt, because I AM NOT going to JAIL for beating up a perp!:)

For sure, dstchaos...I know what goes on at my school isn't the same everywhere. I just wanted to point out that does happen on campuses where that is perceived as "normal," whether it's appropriate or not :/

We already know the nonviolent procedure for dealing with perps. :)

I didn't not ask for the jacket because that's not my org. I just kindly explained to her why she should be wearing it!

Now it was an AKA jacket, I would not have taken it from her. I would have called her mother to see what's up!

Yeah, I know a few who would gladly inflict physical harm as well. I don't agree with it; however, I understand!

It's sad to see so many greeks, especially NPHCers, disrespecting their own orgs.

i was just looking through one of my friends' myspace pics and she is wearing double stitched ZTA letters!!! she doesnt go to college, and has never gone to college, so there is no way. i wrote her a comment asking her where she got it....im pretty curious..

!

hi!

I was not a Dartmouth, but IFC and NPC chapters at our school never made a big deal about it. I'm not sure if NPHC felt the same and when I was in school, there were no multi-cultural chapters.
It's not like everyone of our 50,000+ students did it, but no one threw a hissy over it.

Yeppers:)

What is interesting is that some people think that non-Greeks wearing their letters make their org look bad..

Wouldn't you think that physically attacking someone over a t-shirt is making your org look bad, too?

Not saying that we should just let anyone wear our letters, but you'd think people would realize this...

I understand what you are saying and if I see a homeless person wearing our 'nalia, I say shame on us for making it accessible. But if I see someone who is obviously perping then I say shame on them and the vendor who sold it to them.

The NPHC has licensed vendors that we are only to buy from. But there are others out there who don't want to pay the licensing fee who will sell to anybody.

While I wouldn't tear off anyone's shirt, etc. I would ask them who they purchased it from and when and report it to our HQ. I would also tell the perp it is not nice to fool mother nature.

Would a licensed vendor really prohibit someone else from purchasing 'nalia? I don't think it's in their rules to restrict who they sell the products to, unless it's a badge of some sort.

I mean, the Greek store I went to in STL had a ton of NPHC stuff (and I know they're licensed for the NPC stuff at least), and I don't know that they would have stopped me from buying any of it. And if asked I suspect a small lie would cover everything.

Just what I was thinking...can they really tell if you're a member or not?

It is just a special kind of pathetic to pretend you are a member of a GLO when you are not.
That said, I wouldn't take it into my own hands and act as the G Phi B police. I might make sure everyone I knew was aware that someone wasn't actually a member, but looking at our creed I'm pretty sure our founders wouldn't want physical force to be used (!).

I don't think anyone ever asked me for ID. In fact, when I was in school, I bought a shirt for my cousin, who is in another GLO as a birthday gift

I don't think vendors would ever require member id numbers. I mean maybe if it was something only from the GLO's own website. I know though that non- greeks and greeks off other GLOs can buy stuff from Herff Jones and other online greek vendors. Many of my sisters have gotten chapter guards or nicer badges from their non-greek parents.

As for buying stuff from other GLOs, one of the local greek vendors at my campus had tons of stuff for all GLOs. I have bought stuff there that is not from my GLO as gifts for other friends (I used to work in an office with a bunch of AKAs and SAEs). I never had a problem. If someone knew that I was Theta and asked why I was buying something that was AKA, I would simply tell them it was a gift or something.

I'm still in highschool so maybe that's the reason I'm confused, but I really don't understand this statement :confused:. If someone is homeless they need all the help they can get, I don't see why it would be so offensive for them to wear clothing with greek letters on it?
I know that an athletics team is on no level equal to a sorority, but I've always loved the idea of someone getting use out of my cheerleading or equestrian shirts and sweatshirts. If I'm not wearing it any longer, it seems a shame to throw it away just because it is associate with an organization.

Maybe it's something I'll understand later on, once I'm in college?

What she was saying was not that the homeless person was a bad person, but that the individual who simply threw away his or her letters was not respecting the "'nalia" of the organization, meaning, he or she tossed out their letters or letter shirts without giving them a second thought. For instance, with all of my undergraduate letters or those I no longer wanted, I willed them down to other sisters. I didn't just toss them in the garbage or put them in Goodwill.

No they could not restrict you from buying from them, because you could be purchasing it as a gift for someone who is a member.

But our long time vendors do tend to be more cognizant of the problem. It is more able to be controlled at our national conventions, and regional conferences where a badge is required to get into the exhibit area.

But then there are the non-certified vendors that come to our endorsed events and sell 'nalia out of their hotel rooms and even on the street. So my question to the perp would be more to determine if it was purchased my a licensed vendor or a rogue vendor.

BTW, my favorite greek store in the Lou is Swift's.

I give my sister (still in HS) some extra shirts from our different events, philanthropies, formal, etc. I feel that its ok to let a female wear my organization's name (my letters can not be put on tshirts because they are sacred) but I would never let another male have a shirt from my GLO.

The local Salvation Army thrift shops often have shirts of Greek Letter organizations.

A guy I know buys old fraternity and sorority pins that he picks up at garage sales, flea markets, etc. He makes jewelry (cuff links, tie pins, money claps, etc) with the pins and sells the new stuff at craft sales, etc. He feigns ignorance when asked about the letters. He says it is his way of getting back at the stuck-up fraternity/sorority crowd at his alma mater.

Gotcha.

Jeez, I don't remember the name of the Greek store I went to. On Delmar somewhere between Skinker and Vandeventer. I didn't have a car on campus so the few times I was the driver I usually just drove down Delmar til I found it.

10 years ago it was quite the thing in our local high schools to wear Greek party shirts. It was like you had an older brother or sister who gave you old shirts. Guys wearing sorority letters was fine, too. Still is, in fact. I gave my kids DG shirts to wear...I felt it was good advertising to PNMs!

That was Swift's! :D I have known Jerome Swift since high school.