Pledge pins?
 

How do pledge pins work at your chapter? Do pledges wear them every day, or just to meetings and functions?

In our chapter, new members are only allowed to wear their new member pins in chapter dress attire. We wore them to all NM meetings, and we were encouraged to wear them every day, but only if we were in chapter dress!

Our new members are required to wear their pins on Thursdays (pin attire day for everyone, including initiated members). Other than that, they're encouraged to wear them whenver they are "dressed up" (khackis or above).
Jen Gardner
Kappa Delta
Eta Gamma Chapter, John Carroll University

all day everyday
 

my chapter required them to be worn at all times except when physically dangerous or impossible. . .the four S's (sleeping, showering, sports, and sex)

:)

When I was a pledge, I had to wear my pledge pin everyday all of the time except with pajamas. :p

Pledge Pins: Every monday, the initiated members wear their badge while dressed in "badge attire" which is dressy, no jeans. We ask the new members to dress in badge attire on Mondays and wear their pledge pins. Also, when anyone is dressed up any other day of the week, we ask that she wear her badge or pledge pin.

Pledge Ribbons: Along with their new member pin, new members are given a pledge ribbon. They are asked to wear this ribbon every day until they are initiated.

When I joined AEPhi, we were "strongly encouraged" to wear our new member pins every day. I think I actually did wear mine every day... We were a colony trying to recruit enough new members to be chartered, so we had to get our name out, and having people ask "Oh, what's that pin you're wearing?" helped. :)

We were allowed to wear our NM pins while wearing jeans - oddly enough - even though we had ribbons that we could have worn.

When I was pledging my local sorority, we had pledge rings that we were required to wear at all times (except for the 4 S's that dardenr mentioned - I never quite thought of it that way - LOL)

We wore our pledge pins whenever wearing a dress shirt - that's pretty much the easiest way to draw the distinction. Since we have formal dinner on mondays that was the main occasion to wear them.

I didn't wear my pledge pin to on-campus interviews for organizations, but I have done so since being initiated with my own badge.

What about job interviews? Does anybody wear their pin to job interviews, or is that a no-no?

to answer the two questions:

1) The NM pin is to be worn only while dressed up, and at the monthly formal meetings (NM's attend only part of the meeting, however). Of course, it was so exciting when we first got the badge that we all wanted to wear it all the time :)

2) I did all my job interviews via telephone because I was living in Pennsylvania at the time I was applying for jobs in California and Florida, but if I'd done them in person. I figure that wearing my badge couldn't be a bad thing: If my interviewer was Greek, they'd know what it was, and that I shared a similar experience with him/her, if not, s/he'd probably just think that I was wearing a pretty pin shaped like a key. I'd just have to hope that I wouldn't get one of those bitter people cut from Rush...but if they're not going to hire me based on that, then I consider that to be their problem, not mine.

Hmmm, I'm not sure that I would wear my pin for a job interview, but let's face it, medicine is still pretty conservative. It might be an advantage in certain parts of the country or in business where you do more networking. However, I DID wear my pin to my medical school graduation (and my husband wore his DKE pin to his dental school graduation) -- I'm always looking for an excuse to be Pi Phi proud!

Back to the original thread -- we require our pledges to wear their pins on Mondays (chapter meeting day), to pledge meetings, and also strongly encourage them to wear it as much and often as they would like.

The candidate pin is awarded after the candidate ceremony. This generally occurs after they have been with us for two weeks. The pin is always worn with nice clothing (no jeans, open shoes, t-shirts, etc). It is NEVER worn when drinking.

We don't require them to wear it at any time but it is strongly encouraged that our candidates wear their pins on Mondays (and they have to wear shirt and tie if they are going to wear their pins). The brothers dress up on Mondays as well. It's also strongly encouraged that they wear the pin when they go to their candidate meetings.

LHT
Kevin Taylor
MT 5
University of Central Oklahoma

In our chapter the pledge pin is to be worn everyday, at all times(not just when dressed up), except when they are drinking alcohol or downtown partying or the 4 S's, and until their initiation when the pledge pin is replaced with the pin of the brotherhood.

"strongly encouraged"
 

We don't have any official rules regarding dress & wearing your badge or pledge pin. Although with the badges, I never saw anyone wear one when they weren't dressed up. Sort of an unwritten rule/tradition I guess.

With the pledgepins, however, we were "strongly encouraged" to wear them every day during class hours. (This prevented them being worn out to clubs, bars, etc.) Exceptions were the 4 S's someone mentioned, as well as jobs/interviews, or any other situation where it could be deemed inappropriate. Also, on my campus Wednesdays were sort of a "day off" for greek events (except for greek council meetings with everyone), so we weren't allowed to schedule events (pledge, social, whatever) on those nights, and couldn't "strongly encourage" our pledges wear their pins on Wed.

We can't say the New Members were required to wear the pins, because we couldn't (and wouldn't) have taken any action (i.e. demerits) if they forgot it. We just encouraged it as a way of displaying their class unity and pride in their new organization.

In my soror we wear our pledge pins only on days when we have mettings (Tuesdays) and we have to be dressed up thats really as far as it goes . A pledge can wear her color ribbons when ever but its not very popular ( it can look pretty tacky).

What I think is interesting is the frat pledges at our school use the 4-S rule but when a pledge is drinking or doing other devious things, they put their pin with the letters facing inward but you can see the back of the pin still on the outside...so they are wearing their letters but just not to the public.

My pledge class is required to wear them at all times (excluding the 4 S’s). But they may only be visible if we are wearing appropriate attire (collared shirt). So basically if I am wearing some t-shirt it either has to be on my possession or pinned to my undershirt. We are also not allowed to visibly wear them if drinking.

On Bid Day the New Members have a ceremony where they recieve a Cardinal and Straw ribbon that they can wear until the actual Pledge Ceremony a few weeks later when they get their Pledge Pin. They are only required to wear their pin to meeting. Like any Initiated Member the Pledges are asked not to wear their pin in jeans, shorts, or non-meeting attire.
I took my ribbon pin and attatched it to my backpack after I recieved my Pledge Pin...it stayed there for 3 YEARS, until one day it just fell off! :(

Pledge Pins are only worn for about 5 months and are returned once a pledge is initiated!

Hootie

I only wore my pledge pin when I was dressed nice just like my brothers pin. Now I use the pledge pin as a tie tack.

WOW!
 

This whole thread is really interesting to me. On my campus, pledges (new members), wear their pins allllll the time. With jeans, flops, tshirts, everyday of the week. I guess each new member is so proud of their new chapter they want to wear their pin and also out of respect to the sisters/brothers of their chapter. I never thought if it warranting "dressy" attire, though it does make sense. I guess our thoughts are here are our new members and we're so proud of them. But here on my campus all greek pledges wear pins daily, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Tara

i have a Phi Mu castle...

We wear our pledge pins and ribbons every day until we "get in". All of the national fraternities and sororities have their new members wear their pins every day. The local sororities do ribbons, which they wear every day. The local fraternities, well it's a crap shoot as to what they do. Some carry a brick with the letters on it in their bags, others wear homemade t-shirts...depends :)

My friend is a in the local that does the brick, and every other day or so, he'd drop his backpack on the floor and break the brick. Which meant a new brick. Finally, the brothers got tired of him breaking the brick, so they got this like 50 lb. piece of wood that was part of a bench in their basement (soaked for 30 years in beer and all that!). He had to carry it in a trash bag because it was too big to fit in his backpack. So, he walks into class the next day with his trash bag and drops it on the floor, and I swear it sounded like he dropped a cannon ball! The professor sayss, "what's that in your bag Charles"? And he says "it's my laundry!" Classic :)

LOL! Laundry! :p
The motto of my pledge class was, "The foundation of sisterhood begins with a single brick." Your post just reminded me.

We (meaning my chapter) also were required to wear our pledge pins everyday, out of sight to others, until we get our actual membership pin. On special days like Founders' Day, we will also wear pins with maroon and white ribbon.

In Service...

My fraternity's rule is to wear the pledge pin at all times with the exception of the FIVE S's:

Sleep
Shower
Sports
Sex
and Substance Abuse, which includes alcohol and illegal drugs.

Pin is OFF on those 5, no if, and, or but's about it. Points were deducted and the rules applied to brothers as well if they were wearing their membership pins. Fines were strongly enforced!

For my local (Delta Kappa Phi) we had sashes with the letters on them that we had to wear during pledging hours (set by the school - 6am-8am Monday thru Friday and 6pm-Midnight Sunday thru Thursday). I think I still might have mine somewhere.

Sarah

we followed the suggested rules in our manual for membership badges as far as the pledge pins. we had our pledges wear them every tuesday with their shirts + ties. and to all events that required them to wear nice attire. we were extremely strict on what one could wear while wearing pins (ie: only dress attire).

I know that I only wear my pledge pin to meetings and maybe on special ocasions. but other than that i dont wear it any other time being that in order to wear pledge pins as with badges you must be in badge attire which Im usually not lol


Nichole