International Badge Day: March 1, 2010
 

International Badge Day will be on Monday, March 1, 2010, with the theme "The Fraternal Experience: Keep it Close to Your Heart"

Of course in this social media world a facebook event has already been created. This can be a great way to notify/remind those in your college chapters, alumnae chapters, or panhellenic friends.

International Badge Day on Facebook

Found this tidbit interesting on the facebook page:

Q: What’s different in 2010?
A: This is the second year that we’re celebrating diversity and our common sorority experience. In the spirit of global interfraternal relations, NPC also invited the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., the National Multicultural Greek Council, the National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Inc. to participate.

I also did not know this:

Q: Who started this tradition?
A: The creation of this event was the idea of a sorority woman. In the spring 1996 issue of Alpha Sigma Alpha’s “The Phoenix,” Nora M. Ten Broeck wrote an article titled: “A Simple Solution—Wear Your Membership Badge Today.” The article described her personal experience of wearing her sorority pin to work one day.

Way to go ASA!

I just signed Facebook that I'd be participating! If you ever look at the ADPi Forum, under Random, you'll see which pin I'll most probably wear - I have a few that I've rescued from ebay.

I really wish NIC would get in on this. I think it's a great idea.

Thanks for the reminder, Blondie93. Will be getting the word out starting with Chapter on Monday night. I'm going over to the ADPi forum to check out Honeychile's badges.

Any idea if a standing link to the article online?

This page on npcwomen.org has links to much of the same information.

Agreed. I think I'll do it anyway, though.

Maybe the men of GC can start a new trend. If anyone can make it happen, it's GC!

Thanks. I'm assuming pre-2000 maybe be a bit earlier for NPC orgs and online archiving of their newsletters. I would love to see the article written by Nora Broeck.

I'm seriously considering email NIC and asking why we aren't involved with this.

I'd say go for it. They don't know what's on people's minds unless you tell them- and if they get several emails about it, maybe they'll consider either talking to NPC about joining with the annual March 1, or ideally establishing their own day. Two badge days a year would be fantastic.

ETA: I shot them an email. I'm sure an NPC opinion won't matter as much as those of NIC members, but you never know what'll tilt the scales.

I'm down, on the NPHC side of it, but im curious to know what exactly "invited" means. Did they just send an email out? Was there buy-in? It would be a cool thing to do, greek-wide. There's no mention of it on NPHC's site.

We have certain badge attire, and i assume a lot of you do too. Does this mean on 3/1/10 you all will be in badge attire or will you wear a crest pin? I will be going with the latter.

I'm thinking about participating. I have a nice jeweled poodle pin and a nice shield pin I could wear.

I think its an awesome tradition - the reason NIC can't catch on is because they don't have the same governing power that NPC does. Campus IFCs are not monitored by the NIC like campus panhellenics are by the NPC. They just don't really have that line of communication.

That being said, I'll wear my badge on March 1st with Vito and pshsx1!

We do have a required badge attire, so yes, this will require a little out-of-the-norm fare for me. Back when I was working, my daily attire was scrubs, so I was not able to participate. Now I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old that I stay home with. Guess I will just have to spruce it up a little that day for our trip out to the grocery store and Target!

For us, badge attire means dress pants or a skirt, heels or nice flats, sweaters, blouses, etc. I guess you could say business casual, but I'm hesitant to even say that because I've seen people take that interpretation as a little too casual.

I'm pretty sure most NPCs are the same way, but since I obviously don't know other sororities' guidelines, don't quote me on that one!

I will participate. Not my badge, but some sort of lapel pin or letters.

ditto

Hooray!

*bump*

Remember to wear your badge on Monday! NPC, NPHC, multicultural, and of course those trend-setting GC guys too :cool:

I'm planning to wear two I think- my badge (c. 2002) paired with a historic (c. 1900) badge. It's a good excuse to wear them, and when you wear two you get more questions!

You have a historic badge? That's awesome!

I see older ZTA badges on eBay sometimes - I know they're older because they'll have someone's initials and a date engraved on the back - and I would love to buy one. They always get bid up too high for me, though.

Oh WOW Lily, two badges? You've really raised the bar, you know. I'd like to know what Blondie93 has planned for her Target outfit, and I bet Honey is gonna up the ante now.

Yes- I have a few of them! There's a bad scan of them here on the badge trends thread. The 1900 pin is the top one. The ZTA badges are so gorgeous, I think the pins that can have stones all the way around the shield/diamond/triangle/shape look really cool with all their varieties.

Definitely! That's what we always did with the President badge in my chapter- the President wore her standard badge as usual, and the President badge (an award badge with opals) right above. I can't find a picture of me wearing the two together, but the President badge is here. I plan to do the same with the 1900 badge, wearing it right above my key in a place of honor.

I'd like to know what everyone else is doing too :D What are you planning, Maria? I know you'll be wearing one!

I'll be wearing my badge... and then again on Founders' Day 3 days later... and then on my birthday/Founders' Day celebration 2 days after that! :-D

getting the jump on you...
 

Lily... tomorrow is the Panhellenic brunch and house tours at U of A; Paige invited me, and I'm excited to go with her. You better believe I'll be wearing my badge tomorrow. Paige will wear one of her vintage Quills, I predict (hint hint hint). We'll be touring KKG, DG, SK and DDD after brunch. The brunch is a fundraiser for the scholarship fund.

I'll be dressed up tomorrow (rain or shine) and then again on Monday. Not promising, but there might be a picture of a quill and a kite posted on this thread. We shall see.

Loving the two badges idea. May just have to do that. I love my own badge, which has my chapter's guard, but I also love the 2 pearl badges that I have rescued off of that auction site (1917 and 1925). It is always such a tough decision, and you may have just solved that for me. Thanks Lily!

As for me, haha Az but I have bigger plans than Target this year! In honor of Badge day, there will be a group of our alumnae chapter that are meeting for lunch. The best part about it is that we are going up to a retirement center nearby to have lunch with some of our 70+ year Thetas! While one of them was able to make it to Founders Day, the others no longer drive, are uncomfortable leaving their familiar surroundings, or may be physically unable to leave their facility. Therefore, we are going to take a very small and modified (belated) Founders Day to them. I can't wait!

When I was discussing this idea with one of the residents there she was so excited about Badge day that she couldn't wait to go tell all of her panhellenic friends. And yes, since this is the south, you better believe that every 90 year old lady in that facility knows the affiliation of everyone else!

I can't wait! Should be lots of fun!

southerners...sigh... (and not in a mean-spirited way, I'm just a Western girl, what do I know?). :p

okay, okay Blondie93, you sorta WIN this time but Az Alpha Xi & I have the drop on you. She's bringing her Kappa Delta friend along for brunch tomorrow, so this is truly going to be a Panhellenic outing. And Monday I'm having lunch with my Delta Sigma Theta colleague. She's wearing her letters, I believe.

I hope your alumnae group takes photos & that we'll see one in our magazine or, even better, on FB or on the website.

I hope I have a sub job on Monday! If I don't, I'll still get dressed up and go somewhere, I suppose!

I just found out that I have to be at the Capitol on Monday, so I have an excuse to dress in badge attire! I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt to work, so I always feel awkward dressing up on Badge Day.

AZ-Theta, I'm gonna be in AZ on Badge Day! I'm actually flying into Phoeniz to interview for a job! I don't know where you and AZ-Alpha Xi live, but seeing this thread made me think of you both!

I'll probably wear letters, but I don't think I'm wearing my badge after all on Monday.

I LOL at that! There's an Alpha Phi who's at all of the Panhellenic events here, and she has an AMAZING badge! She has her pin, then a crest for her guard, and every conceivable office on the chain. She says that she wears it at least once a week - which I believe, since I once investigated the cost of making my pin similar and almost fainted! She gets questioned about it all of the time, and wears in on her lapel.

For a while, I heard that we can wear our pins on our lapel IF the blazer/suit jacket was buttoned shut. Then I heard we can't - so I don't know. I so rarely wear pin attire to work, so I'm sure to be questioned. On past NPC Badge Days, I've worn either my pin ring or lavelier.

Oh, I've also seen two badges connected - it's very interesting, especially when the two are distinctly different. I've also heard that some alumnae can use a little discretion about cheating a little on the rules, claiming "alumnae privilege". My own theory is that I'd rather see ancient sorority women wearing their badges in a polite, if not correct, way rather than seeing pins in drawers. (She says, knowing that she could get pilloried for that!)

And I LOVE the idea of the guys joining in!

I completely agree!

I agree with this, actually! The general lesson I learned from one of our Leadership Consultants (the one I mentioned on the badge trends thread who SHOCKED us by wearing her key on a sweatshirt and not over her heart :eek:) was to wear your badge when you're proud to be a Kappa and proud to broadcast it out to the world. Yes, it's most often with "pin attire" but it doesn't have to be. And I like it that way! But... to each her own. I will be wearing the proper attire anyway due to the dress code at work... but I am going to wear a shirt that nicely highlights my keys. I'm thinking black, so the gold really pops.

And all you in AZ- no fair having a mini GC reuinion on badge day without the rest of us! I will begrudgingly send well wishes your way.

Have fun in Phoenix and good luck on your job interview .. we're actually "southerners" .. ie Southern Arizona ... aka Tucson

Last year for Badge Day I just made sure I wore letters. I can't remember where I was going, but pin attire was definitely not appropriate.

I love the idea of the men joining in...maybe I can convince Andy to participate.

Well darn! At least I'll definitely be in badge attire!

Phoenix: it's a hop, skip and jump up I-10.

good luck on your interview! You're visiting at a great time of year. Maybe you could wear your badge before/after the interview, since you'll already be properly attired.

I've got my outfit ready for tomorrow, and my badge already pinned on my dress (Now all I need is a little black dog in a basket and a pair of red sparkly shoes and I'm ready for anything).

Maybe I'll have to change my user name to AzAOII if I end up moving there :D

Deltasig is not NIC or NPC (obviously) but I love the idea. I am proud of my Fraternity and look for any reason to wear my pin or letters. I would love to participate and I know several brothers would too.

Hope the NPC ladies don't mind if I participate. :)