paddles.. do you have them in your house?
 

here's the deal.. we are required to make paddles for our big and for our educator, but we dont' use them to paddle each other.. they are usually huge (one is 5 feet tall :eek: ) and of course they are always very beautiful :)

does your chapter allow you to make paddles? do you hang them around your house?

In my local sorority we were required to make "something" - didn't have to be a paddle. My pledge class went in together on a paddle for our pledge mom. Each of us also got gifts for our bigs, and our bigs got gifts for us. I gave my big a paddle, and she gave me a little wooden cut-out of 2 people holding hands, with our names and letters.

(No actual paddling involved, of course - both my local and AEPhi forbid hazing.)

AEPhi discourages gifts of paddles, but does encourage bigs and littles to exchange gifts. I did a cross stitch of our letters and a spray of lily of the valley... I made two and gave one to my big from the local at our initiation. I got letters for my little. (I'd planned to give her a cross stitch of her own, but never got around to making it, oops!)

We don't have a house, but people usually displayed things in their dorm rooms... my big hung her paddle and the cross stitch, and the wooden cut-out she gave me lives to this day on the corner of my desk. :)

We do a pillow/paddle exchange. We make our Big Sis a paddle and they make their Lil a pillow with letters on it. We, as a pledge class give the chapter a gift and give our New Member educator and assistant a gift also. I liked making my paddle for my Big Sis. Most of the paddles get hung up in the girls room. and of coruse they are not used for paddling us. :)

I ordered my big sister a paddle for graduation. I'm not very artsy so I got her a really nice cherry stained one with our letters engraved on it and her name and me and my twin's name (her other little) on it. She absolutely loved it. :)

we make quatrafoils (you can see the shape on www.phimu.org) to exchange with our bigs/littles. However, we'll make paddles as family trees and for friends. we also have paddles hanging up in the house that have lists of "sister of the quarter" from back into the seventies until now.

pi phi arrows
 

Instead of paddles we have always had arrows... back in the days when pledges had to carry them.. they were signed on the back by sisters.. today (since we do not haze in no way...) we just have an arrow painting party so that your arrow gets to go up around the great room ceiling (there is a ledge around the room in which they sit).

They are painted and decorated.. you can put your pledge class on them and name and stuff... then it goes up so that everyone has a spot in the room. Its actually really neat looking.

:)

yes!!
 

We always make paddles for our big. It is "vouluntary" of course. We present them to our bigs at formal and its a very special time. Some times we have paddle parties were the new pledge class will get together and do it. My friend who is an ADPi says her chapter does pillows. They decorate their own pillow and have pillow signing day when the whole chapter asks you questions and then signs your pillow. ITs very easy fun stuff-like what are our colors? All the sisters write really nice things on the back of the pillow.

Paddles
 

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We make paddles for our lil sisters and then our lil sisters make them for us. Then we have a paddles exchange which involves some of our most emotional memories for the new initiates. We hang our paddles in our own houses though, not the sorority house. ITB, Erin

Paddles and a secret item (not known until initiation) are exchanged. Paddles are given to bigs and bigs give the secret item to the littles. And of course the paddles aren't used, they're just pretty.

I know that most fraternities here make paddles for themselves for initiation. There are rumors as to whether or not these are used, but I'm not here to get anyone in trouble.... I will say, however, that Sigma Chi is one of the few fraternities that doesn't use them. They instead have white crosses. I don't know who makes them. They aren't used for paddling, and if you ever saw them, you'd know how impossible that would be, anyway.

Pledge Class Paddles are in the house. ones that bigs/lils make each other are kept by them!

We make paddle for our bigs and they make us keys... we exchange them after initiation... every new member has to make their bog some sort of a paddle... ours aren't that big though... like 2 ft?

Haven't really gotten traditions like that started in our chapter yet. Beta class is about to do the "Hell no week" a week where we basically laugh at other fraternities during their Hell Weeks:D

While they can't change clothes, have to wear blazed orange stocking caps, carry around madegascar cockroaches.. we're playing capture the flag, sitting out in front of the house yelling at them on their midnight runs... good times.

paddles (this was meant to be a response.. ooops!)
 

we give our bigs a paddle their senior year (or their 4th year in the house... whatever) its just a gift.. you have gotten to know your big very well by that time so its really personal and heartfelt.. (and pretty)

In Phi Sigma Sigma:
We make paddles, which we now call plaques... but theyre still paddles.

The class makes one big one for the sorority and then bigs and littles exchange...

In TBS:
The bigs get the littles their first letter shirt, and the littles make the bigs a pillow! :)

Nationally I don't think many of the chapters have them, but mine does. We always had a paddle party, where the new members decorate their paddles. It was usually a big/little kind of event, and everyone was welcome. So there would always be members who never quite finished their paddles or wanted to add to them that would show up, too.

We were't required to do anything with them, they just hung up in your room (mine's still in my bedroom!) as decoration. I think every chapter on our campus had paddles, because I can't think of a greek's room I was ever in that didn't have one. Although I know some went about making them differently (e.g. making them for your big or little, your pledge educator, etc.)

I got signatures from all of the actives and fellow new members when I was pledging. Then my senior year at our end of the year banquet I took it and had everyone sign it, so almost everyone I was ever active with signed it. Which I think is really cool.

One of the fraternities on campus required their new members to carry their paddles at all times. They had to get signatures from all the actives, their pledge brothers, their advisors, all of the faculty that were alumni, etc. It was kind of cool to see how many faculty alumni there were, because all of these guys would be having them sign those things for weeks! Then one year the administration cracked down and said they couldn't require the pledges to carry them at all times, so the brothers and the pledges carried them for the last week of pledging. As far as I know, that worked, and they still require them to carry those things the whole time (except sleeping, jobs, etc.) and the pledges seemed pretty proud to be carrying them- a whole unity thing I guess.

My chapter of Gamma Phi Beta has made paddles since our charter class...they hang on the wall of our living room, and they aren't used for actual paddling at all, which would be hard to do anyways, as most of them are shaped as a Gammie Bug, crescent moon, pink carnation, etc... One paddle hangs in the house, and each member of the class gets her own paddle as well - the night we present them to the house, all of the current actives sign them.

In my chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma, paddles are taboo. I think only one big/little exchanged paddles and that was back in early-mid nineties....

i think it's be nice to exchange a plaque of some sort....we don't do "pledge projects" either. my new member class was told that we could and that it's been done in the past, but we never got together to do anything...but that's ok cuz we've given back to the chapter so much in other respects.

We don't have gifts for our new member educator either....that would've been nice since I was MOC for 3 semesters....

I made a small paddle for my big sister. My pledge class made two big paddles, one with all of the names of my pladge class sisters and the second with the names of our chapter's founders. These paddles were very big. We presented these after initiation.

During I-Week littles present their bigs with a paddle (usually a traditional paddle) and the bigs in turn give them their family tree (usually on wood but not a paddle) and give them their nickname. Bigs also give their littles a pillow on another night of I-Week.

My chapter does paddle/pillow exchanges, as well (of course, they aren't used!). I loved the paddle I made for my big. I painted a tree on it, with a squirrel in the tree looking down at a squirrel on the ground, and the squirrel on the ground was holding a red and a buff rose. It was so cute! My big made me a pillow with two little Precious Moments girls cross-stitched on it. One has brown hair for her and one has blonde hair for me. :) I still have it sitting on my bed. I have two littles, and I made my first little's pillow pink (her favorite color---she told me she wouldn't accept a pillow that was red, buff, and green! :p) with a squirrel wearing a pink bow on it. My second little's pillow was green with red and buff roses surrounding our names and Alpha Gamma Delta written out with red and buff roses intertwined in the letters. I also made a pillow for one of my sisters who was a year younger than me and didn't get along with her big, and all of the members of my class signed it for her. What can I say, I like to do crafts! :D

I love the pillow idea! How cute!!

We have our new members make their bigs a "wood good," which usually ends up being a paddle. We don't say paddle just because of the connotation behind it. Also, if the girl doesn't have enough money to make a paddle (they can get EXPENSIVE), they can make their big a frame or a box or something.

The week before Initiation was Friendship Week (it's now Diamond Days, I think), and we had a secret sis during that time. We received a different gift each day: a lion (our mascot), a pin pillow (around 4" each side), violets (flower), our Creed, and a paddle.

Paddles are now forbidden, and while I know that they were never used in sororities, they do give "an appearance of evil", especially to non-Greeks. I would rather a non-Greek sees and reads our Creed rather than get an image of that paddle being used!

Our big sisters make a pillow (regular size) for their littles. These incorporate a "family" theme, and have their names & date on it.

honeychile

In my chapter, we don't have anything definite... not all families give paddles. But in my specific family, the big's give the lil's a paddle for Christmas. And it's about a foot (ok im not good at measurements.. lol), and has the stick on wooden letters, and our crest, lyre, and then our family symbol... a butterfly :D

My pledge mom (big sis) and the rest of the pledge mom's for my new member class gave their daughters a decorated paddle and a letter shirt on revealing night. We gave our pledge mom's pretty decorated candles.

I have my paddle hanging on the wall. I think it's sooo cute!

We used to give our little's daggers, pin pillows, garters, and on the last night, paddles. They also made one for us. One of my paddles is very traditional looking, but not very big. My other paddle is actually a shelf.

What my chapter started this semester was the bigs give have to make the littles paddles. (Although we have to call everybody Twins instead of Bigs and littles b/c we are an associate chapter and only two guys are initiated). This is a tradition we entend on keeping after chatering. That everyone in the chapter will have a paddle (except the old guys that were here first).
Fun anicdote: Instead of a normal paddle one of the guys gave his twin an oar that was decorated. ;)

At my chapter, the little sisters give their big sisters paddles the night before Initiation. They also make scrapbooks for themselves and pass them around with the paddles so that everyone can take a look. We give out awards for the best paddle and the best scrapbook.

In return, the big sisters give their lil' sisters a lavalier/disk after their Initiation.

Our Bigs and lils exchange pillows and paddles. It used to be tradition that the Bigs give the lils pillows and the lils give paddles to the bigs, but in the past couple of years, everyone seems to be making and giving paddle only. Since I've been a member, I've noticed that girls are getting much more creative with the paddles, painting the letters, adding ribbons and glitter, and some of the paddles are absolutely beautiful!

We dont give paddles. We make plaques though. Our stone is the diamond, so we give our Diamond Sisters (aka little or big sisters) plaques in the shape of a diamond. They are really very beautiful. The sisters do a wonderful job on them. They are either decorated with paints or stickers, or with pictures of the big & little diamond sisters.

At revealing we give our kids a paddle with the family tree on the back and the family letter sweatshirts, and kids give moms a decorated pillow. This is after three days with tons of other presents for the kids (which we're in the middle of right now...my room has turned into a small craft factory)!;) :p

In my chapter Bigs give pillows to lils, lils give paddles to their bigs. I'm pretty sure all the other chapters on campus do the same. The exchange is done after initiation. Everyone gets soo creative it's great !! We give other gifts as well though... I plan on giving my sapphire sis lots of stuff at her initiation this weekend Actually one of my sisters and I are having a "crafty competition A LA Martha Stewart/ Rosie O'donnell to see who has the more creative gifts and such for our lil's hehehe it's all in good fun though. :)

Ooh, I forgot... In my chapter of Phi Sig, the class makes a big paddle and a brick... its fun :)

Bigs make their littlels pillows and the littles decorate paddles for their big sisters. The exchanges are done at meeting in front of everyone. Bigs/lil do it whenever they want, usually during a year in which one is graduating. I didn't know if i was going back to my previous school so i did my exchange with my littles this summer.
I would be sad if they got rid of paddle exchange!

We use alot of paddles. We have big/sis little exchanges, and usually once a year we have a chapter wide paddle exchange where you pull a sisters name out of a hat. We have some amazing artists in my chapter- so there are ones decorated for Wicked, Ones decorated in Grinch theme, Chicago themed... favorite movies, t.v. shows, cartoons.. everything. They hang up for just decoration of course, but they make nice topic starters. We get plenty of compliments from other greeks on them! Some of us even will some of our favorite paddles away when we graduate. When your big sis graduates, it's tradition she gets you a nice engraved paddle!

We used to get the paddles with the gray duck tape around them. They weren't used as a decoration though.:D

Boy, did they like giving it as a "gift" though.:eek:

We're always doing stuff for our Bigs. When we just have mentors, we make rocks for them. When we get a Big Brother, we make a paddle for them. It doesn't have to be a traditional paddle or anything, though. We can make it look however we want. Some people have made some pretty sweet paddles the past few exchanges. Also, when we visit another chapter, the newest members have to make a gift for that chapter. That same weekend, the Bigs pay for everything that the Littles want.