New Member Restrictions/Traditions
 

Just wondering what your new member restrictions/traditions are?

For Kappa Alpha Theta, New Members cannot wear letters until after initiation. They can, however, wear Kappa Alpha Theta spelled out or just Theta.

I know some sororities, new members can't wear the crest, or some have no restrictions at all. Just wondering!!

Get ready for a thread full of misinformation! Yay!

Many members confuse chapter traditions or campus traditions with national policies, things that have been done for 2years with traditions, and on and on.

Delta Gamma allows them to wear the letters but not the crest or badge. And,of course, they can't attend any ritual for initiated members.

ZTA does the same.

New members also cannot wear our Coat of Arms or wear the Badge. New Members are also prohibited from Ritual until after Initiation.

As does AGD

Here's where it gets a little bit confusing for Theta's new members: if the Greek letters are on a shirt which includes other GLO's Greek letters (e.g. a philanthropy shirt for Anchor Splash, or Derby Days), the New Members may wear that shirt.

The "crest" on our COA is the eagle at the top. The crest can never be displayed apart from (or separated from) the COA. Hey look! I used "apart" correctly.

Hair-splitting? Yeah. And don't get me started on campus traditions and misinformation. For the last time, Kit Kat bars have NOTHING to do with Kappa Alpha Theta. And Let's Go Fly a Kite was NOT written about Disney's Theta daughters. AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH.

Ok, so let's do this.

It seems that most NPCs allow new members to wear letters immediately after receiving their bid, but they aren't permitted to wear the coat-of-arms and badge until after initiation.

Aside from Kappa Alpha Theta which restricts new members from wearing letters until after initiation, are there any other groups that have different allowances/restrictions?

I don't think Pi Phis can wear their complete Greeks until after initiation.

KDs can wear the Greeks, but not the crest.

New members can't wear AOII's coat of arms. Neither can initiated members.

Oh wait. AOII doesn't have a coat of arms.

^^^^ LOL .. thank you for my lunchtime laugh!

Funny!

so so far:
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma: letters: yes, crest: no
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Theta: letters: no, crest: no
Kappa Delta: letters: yes, crest: no
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Sigma
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Theta Phi Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha: letters: yes, crest: no

Again, most NPCs are yes to letters, but no to coat-of-arms and badge.

A coat-of-arms is different than a crest. Now where is that thread... ::searches::

ETA: found it! :) I learned a lot reading this one.

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=108906

Gamma Phi Beta
 

Uninitiated members may not wear the coat of arms or the badge.

Sigma Chi Fraternity does not allow pledges to wear the Greek letters. However, they may wear shirts with the words "Sigma Chi" or "Sigs". This is a national regulation.

My understanding is that new members of Pi Beta Phi and Alpha Epsilon Phi may not wear letters until after initiation as well.

And Phi Gamma Delta is not our brother fraternity and Beta Theta Pi is not our father fraternity! :)

Pi Phi's can wear full letters before initiation.

I actually have no idea if NM's are allowed to wear the crest, because at least when I was a collegian, such a thing wasn't exactly fashionable anyway.

It wasn't wearing the coat of arms that was a big deal when I was a pledge - it was not having it on your car! As soon as we were initiated, everyone put those decals on their cars.

Same here! COuldn't wait to get that decal!

Ditto!

Must have been a campus thing then, because the Pi Phis I knew made a huge deal about getting their first set of Greeks after initiation.

More on Greek letter restrictions here, BTW:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=1320

Same for me and the Pi Phis that I know from multiple schools. In fact, this is the first that I have heard that Pi Phi could wear the letters as a new members. But given the poster's username, I would trust that she knows best!

The ChiOs on my campus also waited until initiation, but maybe that is a campus thing too?

And finally, concur on the car decals... that was such a rite-of-passage for everyone that I knew!

We're not an NPC, but Omega Phi Alpha only allows initiated lifetime members to wear the Greek letters, although we permit pledges and colonists to wear the name written out in words. Many chapters have a tradition of a newly initiated member receiving her first set of letters from her big sister immediately following initiation.

AOII allows NM to wear our letters from the time they sign their bid. They are also allowed to wear their NM pins but not the badge until initiation. When I was in school, my chapter thought that NMs couldn't have anything with the red rose on it until initiation and we took that VERY seriously. I remember being so happy to get my red roses for initiation. It didn't mean anymore to me, it just meant that I could have them, too.

For Pi Phi, it might be a fairly recent policy, as well. I know when my mom was a pledge, she could have the letters written out, but not the full Greeks. Our Hazing Awareness Guide states, "New members of Pi Beta Phi are free to wear all three Greek letters and the full name of Pi Beta
Phi on clothing and jewelry; no local chapter traditions may override this."

I'm pretty sure the coat of arms / crest is a no until initiation. Letters, yes.

Only alumnae can wear the badge as jewelry. =)

In Sinfonia, probationary members (our term for pledges) cannot wear the Greek letters or wear/display the coat of arms.

New members of AEPhi may not wear the Greek letters. They can wear items that say "AEPhi" or "Alpha Epsilon Phi", but not "ΑΕΦ".

They can wear the crest, in a manner of speaking - the new member pin is the crest, minus the Greek letters at the top of the columns.

I don't know about car decals. Car ownership was highly discouraged at my school. When I was an active, no one in my chapter owned a car.

Bump :)

If I tell you I'd have to kill you. :cool:

New Members/Alphas of Alpha Delta Pi may not wear nor own the official coat of arms. They also may not attend an initiation - other than their own, of course.

Beyond that, there are no restrictions.

SoCalGirl - I thought the same thing you said, but when I checked with the CPO and ADD for my area, both said the coat of arms is okay for new members - though I don't often see new members choosing to wear the coat of arms - probably because they're all kind of strange looking until you know the meaning....

Interesting. I wonder if it changed since I graduated.

Thanks, I just have this vivid memory of it being one of the things rattled off during model meeting. :shrug:

I was wondering what our official policy was, since I couldn't find anything about it online. Do you know if we have a policy on stitched letters for new members? My chapter couldn't wear them but I feel like that might just be campus culture.

I think that might just be a campus tradition? My chapter was allowed to wear them before initiation. I'm not sure about other chapters though!

clemsongirl & maconmagnolia, that would be tradition. Tradition isn't always bad, so long as it's not interpreted as mandatory.