Pledge Program
 

Okay everyone, I need your inputs. Is it okay or fair to everyone else for a fraternity or sorority to not have a pledge program? This is causing some headaches on our campus. One fraternity, who shall remain anonymous, does not have a pledge program. Once a bid is given out, they have to be initiated within the next 24 hours. They were even initiating before rush week started. What do you people thing about this? I have even gone around and ask their members about the fraternity in general and 80% of them don't even know what the fraternity stands for.

Its their chapter. I don't care. Just rush/recruit and bring up the point that during pledging you learn what you will be standing for, and not just getting shirts.

Survival of the fittest
 

Good luck to the non-pledgers.

If they are successful in attracting members and competing in campus events, others may copy them.

If the non-pledging deal only attracts non-working losers, they'll soon disappear.

This is called survival of the fittest, and life is based on that - surely you don't think life is based on "fairness"?

It seems like there is a fine line that seperates GLO's from clubs. We operate housing operations for our members, true... I was made aware of a statistic saying that 40% of chapters in GLO's do not operate chapter houses (I'd love to see how they came up with that number though).. But that brings up an interesting concept...

If we do not have probationary members and simply initiate you as a full member immediately after you accept our bid then what is different from them going to join the local Catholic Student Union... Or Circle K International or some other group to that effect?

Would a member like that feel any more dedicated to their organization than CKI or something to that effect?

I for one spent 3 years as a colonist (a pseudo-pledge)... I can say that I earned my letters and TRULY understand that I made a lifetime committment. I can see that you would also understand this after semester or whatever... but 24 hours??? You have 24 hours to realize that you've made a lifetime committment?

This is a policy that could have some serious long-term implications for your level of alumni involvement.

It's your organization though, as Optimus said, do whatever you want.. If I see my organization move that direction when I'm an alum I'll be deadset against it.

LHT
Kevin
MT #5
University of Central Oklahoma

I have to agree with the statements above. It is your choice but at the same time, how can you make sure you are getting a quality member. I know in my fraternity, once they are in, they're hard to get rid of if they don't pull their weight.

Speaking as a past pledge educator, I can't imagine how you would have a dedicated membership without the pledge period. It's almost just like signing up for a club and paying your dues.

While it is your choice not to have a pledging period, should we have an greek organization on my campus do that I would be glad for one reason: I wouldn't have to worry about the losers trying to pledge my frat because they would get into yours first.

However, should my chapter decide not to have a pledging process, I would go up in arms to fight against it, because those people would represent me in the future and I want to make sure they are people of quality not just joining for the letters.

It would take a lot for me to consider that a fraternity. Maybe a club.

FYI : even CKI has a "probationary memeber" period before you are a full member. Mine lasted about 2 months.

TG

I think that these GLO's are only really getting the people who don't want to go through a pledge period, and most of the people who are not that devoted and would join a house like that are slap-dicks anyway.

If you do not learn about Your International or Local Chapter and want to learn, This is not a Greek Org. But a Club! How fast do you want to lose members?

If it is just to Party, they will not be there long anyway!

If not there long, guess what no Group!

I am still learning about My Fraternity after many years and loving it!

Our Flower is the White Rose, and many times, I am the Thorn in Their Sides!:D

If you do not learn, then you do not respect!:mad:

Hell no!
 

What are they thinking? Getting initiated just 24 hours after recieving their bid is just too much!
It does not give them enough time to decide if they really want to stick with it. Once you're initiated you can't join another fraternity. I mean, unless you walk out of it. :D

I think it's definately bad judgement by the chapter. But I also think you should be a little concerned... those people will be considered "greeks" (whether you personally consider them one or not) and therefore represent all of us to a certain extent.

Is it a local or national organization? I know that several national fraternities have ongoing programs (e.g. Beta's "Men of Principle" initiative), so I can't imagine they would allow initiation after 24 hours. :confused:

I know that my campus had a limit on how long pledge periods could last.. does your campus/greek oversight board have one? Perhaps you could bring up a minimum pledge period.. that way to qualify as a fraternity on your campus they would have to have a certain period of time for pledging.

Is there a reason they initiate immediately? Have they always done that, or is it something new they're doing? Perhaps some other GLOs on campus should meet with them and help them design a pledge program. Not exchanging any private information, just general stuff... like "we give a test on local history and a test on national history, and these are the kinds of questions we ask. " and then give generic examples. Does your greek advisor have some resources s/he could provide them with? If they're new, maybe they just don't realize the importance of the pledge period and don't know how to go about it.

Two words for these dudes: Darwin Award.

If the majority of members are as clueless as you say, they won't be around for long. Oh dear Lord, I agree with hoosier.

BTW is this a national or local group??

How in the world do you get to know someone if you're initiating them within 24 hours?!?!? This seems ridiculous!

I don't understand how any GLO could initiate someone so quickly. How can your initiation be meaningful unless you have spent some time as a new member, learned the history, symbols, colors, etc. of your GLO, and most importantly, started to bond with your future brothers or sisters? You can't do all that in 24 hours.

Playing Devil's Advocate
 

I would encourage each of us to examine our own fraternity/sorority history and determine when "pledging" began. Define "pledging" as anything OTHER than men or women finding people they believed they could bond to, and inviting them to join immediately.

I think you just might be surprised that most, if not all were founded that way AND exisited that way for the majority of our history.

I'm not advocating it, but my guess is that most would not refer to their "founders" as "club starters.

Brad

Re: Playing Devil's Advocate
 

Brad's right on this one . . . it wasn't until groups got really big did they start doing the whole pledging thing.

I think I know what organization you are talking about as we had a fraternity with that same rule....from what I was **told** so it might not be true, that was their policy for this fraternity. They had to initiate within so many hours after bidding.

Just as a sidebar, it was also said that the brothers weren't too happy about it, but to each his own!

it's a joke

Most likely, the "initation" consists of making the fellas "new members" in a more politically correct way.

Their initiation is probably very similar in process to our bids to the rushees for pledgehood. Once they become initiated, they probably have a probationary period where they are not FULL members and learn how to properly behave in meetings, find out the history and details, then present a form of history to the chapter at the end of their "probationary brother period" such as a paddle or other politically correct item. Does that sound rather appropriate?

As Fire1977 said, Im pretty sure I know which org this post is about - I have "dated" (long story) one of their brothers (we dont have them on our campus) and it IS a NATIONAL policy. The brothers have NO say in wether or not they have a pledge program. They are supposed to be educated after initiation as a total brotherhood thing. If the chapter mentioned does not- thats their call.

So before you start bashing a chapter for its policies, you need to do your research and find out about the national org... there are reasons WHY orgs do the things they do. If the chapter would have a pledge program they would have to answer to the national org.

Just my .02

I know about half our chapters doesn't have a pledge program. Instead they utilized the Balanced Man Program. My chapter did not adopt that program but I've seen positive outcome from the program. Check it out in our national website, http://www.sigep.org/bmp/default.asp

Most national groups are advocating something to the effect of the Balanced Man program. While that has its unique aspects (it's the only one I know of that includes some sort of physical regimen) it's really an alternative pledge program.

Sigma Nu for example has the LEAD program (acronym for Leadership Ethics Achievement and Development). These "alternative" pledge programs are great. They are very carefully crafted by professionals to be an ideal (and legal) pledging experience.

These types of programs I think really are where the Greek Community as a whole has to go in order to survive.

LHT
Kevin