NMs in letters.
 

I know this has been discussed before, but I'm curious.

I go to an all local school so a LOT of things are done differently, but we are not permitted to wear letters until we are initiated, except on wednesdays when all pledges of all sororities are required to wear their pledging sweatshirt.

Also the first set of letters you get is stitched letters in your family pattern that your big gets you after initiation.

What are your rules about pledges wearing letters?

I didn't mind not getting to wear letters, I was so excited to the day after initiation.

Kinda curios, what's an "all school"? Ok never mind, all local school. Should read it slowly. It really depends on the local culture. Some are ok with it, some are downright hostile to it. We weren't allowed to wear letters until we crossed. But that's like over 11 years ago since I graduated.

all local? All our greek sororities and fraternities are local. We are not permitted to go national by our administration.

ZTA new members are allowed to wear letters, however, until their initiation, they are not allowed to possess or wear anything with our coat of arms on it.

Alpha Chi is the same- although we don't go as far as to prohibit possession, just the wearing of the coat of arms (or crest) before their initiation.

I was told the same thing when I was a new member but have since been told there's nothing saying new members can't possess/wear the armorial bearings. I've never checked, so I don't know what the real deal is. But either way, letters are definitely allowed.

it is part of the new member education(handbook in my day, computer program nowadays) in ZTA that they learn "no coat of arms until they are initiated".

Back in the day, we couldn't wear crests until we were initiated. I don't think this is the case any longer though. It's kind of a moot point as I can't remember the last time I saw anyone in a crest sweatshirt. The last ones I saw that weren't an iron-on were hella expensive and not that attractive.

We could wear letters from bid day on. We also never had/don't have any differentiation about "stitched" letters (this is the one that always kills me - like an extra layer of fabric is a big deal). Leters are letters, screen print, stitched, embroidered, spelled out, whatever. We also have an open motto that corresponds to our letters (in English and in Greek).

Every campus has its own culture, and NMs should never be "forced" to wear letters just to show that they're not being kept from wearing them (if that makes sense).

I don't know if this is Theta-wide, but in my chapter you don't wear letters (clothes, car decals, facebook "about me" section, anything) until you are initiated. You can wear things that have, "Kappa Alpha Theta" written out, though, so that's what's on our bid day shirts and totes for new members. I haven't heard anything about wearing our coat of arms, but then again it really isn't printed on too much, either. I'm guessing you can't wear that either until you are initiated.

^ I know my Theta chapter is the same, even though lots of other sororities on campus give out lettered shirts and totes on bid day. I'd say on my campus it's a pretty even split - half let you, half don't. I'm in charge of designing recruitment shirts and bid-day totes and this has presented a minor challenge!

Re: The crest thing...

A LOT of chapters at my school have crest sweatshirts (mainly zip up hoodies) with the crest on the back and letters on the front. Many of them are VERY cute

That's the ADPi party line, too.

In fact, I was thinking about the "no letters on non-initiated members" bit in the past few weeks with the flooding and all. If I came across someone who was desperate for clothing, and all I had was a letter shirt, I would rather give it to someone who needed it than keep someone from wearing my letters. Isn't that what it's all about?

PS: I'm not talking about a sleepover or something like that - I mean a time when you can change someone's life.

true!

Our sororities and frats are national, but it's a campus policy for pledges not to wear letters until they are initiated, but most of the sororities are required to wear our pledge shirts EVERY DAY during the pledge process:eek:. no joke.

I've never heard of a campus regulating that.

Do you have a picture?? These do sound cute.

and spaceykatie, the word you want is tradition, not policy. I can assure you your school administration doesn't care when you wear your letters and the IFC and Panhel aren't permitted to make that kind of policy.

Kappa Alpha Theta does have a policy regarding how the greek letters, name, etc. can be used. It's probably something you can find on our website. If you don't have access to the Officer Portal, PM me and I will shoot you a copy. The chapter I advise has a person in charge of designing t-shirts, etc., and she runs everything past an advisor to be sure it's in compliance with our policies.

Definitely, this is something that varies across GLOs at an organizational level. No universals.

I thought Theta might have a policy, a girl from my floor pledged and all she could wear was THETA until initiation. Their large gift from their bigs were sweatshirts with KAO on them. Also at at the time, our Pi Phi chapter didn't allow pledges to wear the beta. You had to be initiated to wear the three Greek letters. Their pledge class shirts always had Pi Phi in script with the tail underneath.

I'll have to check that out! I do have access to the officer portal, thank you! :) We have someone in charge of apparel as well, I'm guessing she does the same.

Ours was similar in that we were strongly encouraged to not wear letters before initiation. All of our pledge classes had shirts that said "Kay-Dee" and/or "Kappa Delta", but no letters until initiation.

Alpha Epsilon Phi national policy stipulates that no one other than initiated sisters may wear or use the Greek letters. New members and non-members may wear items that read "AEPhi" or "Alpha Epsilon Phi" spelled out, but only initiated sisters may use the letters AEΦ.

Our new member pin is the crest, with the Greek letters at the tops of the columns removed, so there's no prohibition on the crest as long as it is modified so the Greek letters (particularly the Φ) are absent.

Needless to say, letters are a popular initiation gift. :)

Only duly initiated members (includes ritual and paperwork) can wear the Delta symbols.

Can you define symbols? :)

AST is similar to many other sororities already mentioned here, in that new members can wear letters but cannot wear the coat-of-arms.


My chapter got something similar to this a year or two ago:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1306213871


http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1306214058

I can't imagine that we'd start allowing uninitiated new members to have or wear the Armorial Bearings, and if that change was made I can't find it anywhere. The most recent issue of The Quarterly has an article about the Armorial Bearings, but makes no mention of who can or cannot wear it. In Member Services of our website I only found mention of Initiated Members being eligible to wear the Badge and Armorial Bearings. I did learn something from looking in my New Member Guide, the Armorial Bearings were only supposed to be worn on clothing or jewelry. The few items I have with the Armorial Bearings are neither clothing or jewelry, oops.

The other thing in The Quarterly article that struck me was the opening sentence "Before Alpha Gamma Delta introduced an official
brand (or visual identity), the Armorial Bearings served as the Fraternity’s first visual mark. It appears on many of the Fraternity’s earliest documents as the symbolic image of Alpha Gamma Delta." Same issue highlights events in May 1904, and our Founding Sisters appeared to have designed and ordered our monogram style badge to wear May 30th 107 years ago. I think of our badge as the original brand/visual identity, not only as it was there in 1904, but more sisters will wear it than the Armorial Bearings, and therefore more people will recognize us by our jewelry.

I'm curious about our upcoming roll out of new branding material. Please let it include a squirrel, please, please, please.

I didn't know any of that...and I can't imagine it would be changed either, just couldn't say for sure.

And I want more squirrels, too. I avoid items with letters for the most part (clothing wise anyway) since I have more than enough already, but I'd love some squirrels.

I am curious about the use of Armorial Bearings if it is still limited to clothes and jewelry. I got some stickers, you know the sheets they sell at college bookstores, on clearance a couple of years ago and have more than one Armorial Bearings sticker I never used, the others went on items I carry around. I could put it on my car but I don't think it would be visible and the back window is out since I have massive defrosting lines all over the back window. The other instances are wood, picture frame and another bookstore special, wooden painted sticker crest item.

I'd love a cardigan with the Armorial Bearings as it can be subtle and appropriate for various situations but I can only find American Apparel brand cardigans and it would be heinously ill fitting and not the quality I want for rocking the artistic legacy of Emily Helen Butterfield. The length and width is a no go since they are unisex, and it would make me look a hot mess. I checked all the vendors licensed through IHQ, and it is the same ill fitting Mr. Rogers nightmare.

Oh noes, Vineyard Vines has a tote that has subtle letters , double roses, and a SQUIRREL, we're doomed.

Since AOII does not have a crest, my chapter didn't allow us to have roses before initiation. It's funny since they have absolutely no meaning. Anyway, AOII allows NMs to wear our letters and have anything with roses before initiation. We just don't have many open secrets for our NMs to lust after. :D

Hmmm - is this in addition to fraternity materials (books, letters, website, etc etc?).

I'm guessing using it in official capacity and for Alpha Gam business is a separate situation, than an individual initiated member wearing the crest.

I was looking online, I still would like a mug with the Armorial Bearings, but a tea cup and saucer would be even better. I'm just not finding one through a licensed vendor that fits my visual of my ideal mug.

hey thetaj - there are two sections to look for, one is in the Constitution and the other is in the bylaws. PM me and I'll send those specific pages to you if you can't find them.

This is how Alpha Xi Delta is, also. Letters are okay, though at our chapter we usually don't give them the sewn letters until closer until initiation when their big's give them to them, but they get screen printed letters earlier in their NM process.

You can have the ones from my backyard... :p

I don't have a specific picture of one, since our does not have them since we can't use our crest in that way, but I will search Facebook/PSU GL website and post if I find one!

When I went to college, pledges weren't allowed to wear the letters until initiated and knew the meaning. We could wear anything with "Chi O" or "Chi Omega" written out in script. Per our national HQ, this is now considered hazing (because it sets 1 group apart from the rest). I see their point, but it was kind of a big thing to get initiated and finally be able to wear the letters.

We still don't allow non-Chi Os to wear the crest, so that will never be on a date party t-shirt or mom's/dad's day item.

Personally, I'm against our policy that associates of our fraternity can wear letters but hey, shit happens. I can't control that

OH TEH HORRORZ.

As it should be. Another topic, another thread. Both which we've discussed ad nauseum.

Lol

:eek:

TYMEZ-Z HAHHHHHHHD.

So, with all the Never-Evers, what do you do with old items with your letters or crest on then? How do you stop something like this:


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...Pi_in_Iraq.jpg