What happens to perpetrators?
 

I've been hearing a lot (mainly from BGLO members) about people "perping"...I understand what it is (and I have some funny stories, too!), but what happens to these people once it's known that they aren't real AKAs, etc.? Are they reprimanded by the national organization, or are they just publicly shamed? I know there's no criminal action that can be taken...but what happens?

Also, although I've never heard of it, there's got to be some form of this in GLO's...any examples?

Actually, if someone says or does something in the Name of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (member or not) they can and have been prosicuted for fraud. As far as your typical perp, sorors talk, and right or wrong, if they are found out, the chances of them ever becoming a Delta, or a member of any other BGLO are minimal.

AlphaChiGirl -
Actually this happened to us on our campus. A girl had stolen some letters and other AXO stuff from her roommate and was sporting it around. We have a very small campus though, so we were able to stop her before she did any damage. Our dean of student services went with our president and alum member to get the stuff back. The girl was like seriously mental and ended up leaving school shortly thereafter. She hadn't even gone through rush or anything so it wasn't like she was rejected by us (or anyone)...she just knew it was easy to steal from her roommate. This is what worries me about ebay - what if someone buys a badge and just shows up at a sorority/fraternity function? We have a very strict policy that no one attends a function until we have a positive ID through National's or the visitor's home chapter. I suggest that others do this also (as it is not hard for someone to find out passwords or whatever from members who have quit). For instance I know the entire ritual for another NPC group. I was not in a sorority yet, and my friend was and she hated it and told me what kind of hell I would go through during initiation if I pledged XYZ group. I didn't pledge them, obviously, but I suppose if I had any interest whatsoever I could just stroll up to a chapter member of XYZ at the university and have a conversation and get in. A good rule of thumb is to always speak to a person if she is wearing your letters - if she is an alum or visitor, she needs to be recognized, if not then you need to call the dean or whomever handles greek affairs and report her.

I am not saying that I agree or disagree with it, but some people have been known to get beat down, for perpetrating a frat or sorority.

I know that it is NOT okay to wear the badge (i.e. pin) of a group that you don't belong to. What about the actual letters, though? I've seen cases where the boyfriend wears the letters of the girlfriend's sorority, and the girl wears the boyfriend's letters. I think each individual GLO must have a differing view on non-members wearing the actual letters
(i.e. Phi Gamma Delta's can't even wear their actual letters, it has to say FIJI)

(of course the wearing of another groups letters would nonetheless depend on the context--wearing the letters while drinking & cursing like a sailor would NEVER be okay).

Would this situation of the boyfriend-girlfriend be considered "perping" as a member of that group, since guys cannot join a sorority, and everyone knows this?

Gloriajean- This wouldn't be considered 'perping' but it would just be considered flat out wrong!

There have been cases of men saying they were in a sorority, (I can think of 2 right off hand). That's crazy, IMO. But there are some crazy folx out there nowadays.

I personally don't let anyone wear my letters. If that person is not a soror (or frat) then I would rather them not wear anything that says ZPhiB. I have a laniard that says Zeta Phi Beta on my key chain, (you know, one of the ones that goes around your neck) and if I let someone borrow my keys for whatever reason I will take it off.

I will wear one of my frat brother's jackets, etc. but that's an entirely different situation.

ZetaAce

Now, I wouldn't consider perping, because I can wear say, a Kappa Alpha shirt, and I think people would just assume I was shirted, and if I was wearing a pin, that I was pinned...(not that I was perping). Do BGLOs do this?

No NPHC do not "shirt" typically. (However I have heard of this happening on Non HBCU campuses) It seems to me it become more of a campus thing in this case.

The only NPHCs that I am aware of doing that is Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. since they actually are officially related. I would never where the letters of say a Kappa, Alpha, Iota or Omega...and its not because I don't "love them"...its a matter of respect...their letters do not belong to me.

Some fraternities and sororities have official chapter sweethearts. They are usually allowed to wear the letters but it also designates who they are. For example Greek Letters with Sweetheart underneath.

In my sorority mothers and blood sisters are also allowed to wear letters. But I wouldn't feel right about this unless it said mom or sis underneath. I've also seen hats with dad written under the letters.

I know that Kappa Alpha Theta has strict national policies about who can and can't wear their letters. While other glos aren't as strict with letters but regulate their crests. In glos without a national policy on letters it seems to differ from campus to campus.

One thing that I find interesting is this example. (It happens on my campus so this isn't fourth hand knowledge or anything like that.)

Sorority AAA and Sorority BBB

AAA won't let their pledges wear their letters. But they are more than willing to let their sports coaches from various fraternities wear them.

BBB will let their pledges wear the letters. But normally only if their cold and forgot a jacket, or something along that line. However, BBB would never dream of letting their coaches wear the letters.

I kind of understand the reasoning behind both but it's still mind boggling that such different practices are happening on the same campus.

I posted a post (redundant) in another forum regarding something similar. I once saw a mom purchase some nalia for her son at a stepshow. He liked the way a certain fraternity stepped and wanted a shirt with the letters. The boy was like 15 or 16 (old enough to be mistaken for a perpetrator vs. an admirer). I was a neo at the time...I mean I was FRESH. I politely went up to the mom and suggested that she not do that because some members of the group may "mistake" him for a member and upon finding out that he's not, go off on her son, not physically (although I have seen this) but it could be embarrassing to him and he really wouldn't understand. She obliged and nothing happened.

I think a woman wearing a man's fraternity shirt is NOT right. If the woman is in a sorority, she (most likely) will understand what his letters mean to him and not try to "sport" them. However, if my boyfriend is in BBB Fraternity and I am "chillin" (you know what I mean) at the hezee and I wanted to run to that kitchen and I slipped his sweatshirt over my head, I don't think I should get the beatdown.Additionally I probably wouldn't break out a screwdriver and remove my license plates if my cousin wanted to borrow my car although I have been thrown off by men driving cars with DST plates and I'm driving by throwing up the signs and all and I realize it's her man/daddy/brother/whatever.

Just my $19.13.

Furthermore, my boyfriend wouldn't be caught DEAD in a DST sweatshirt for any reason on earth. What's this about. I understand with ZPhiB and PBS, but I don't see that happening with other fraternities/sororities. I mean I can understand a brothah lovin' a sistah and all, but that's a little overboard.

[This message has been edited by DELTABRAT (edited July 06, 2000).]

And even for me, I won't wear Frat's letters. I will sport a ZPBS shirt or hat, but I am not a Sigma, and I don't know the secrets of Sigma, so I won't sport their letters. I don't have a problem with other Frat and Sorors who do this, but that is my preference.

This goes for family too-- way before my mother became a Zeta, she tried to wear one of my hats one day out in public, and I (gently) took it off her head http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif--at that time, the letters and the sorority they represent had no meaning to her, so why should she wear them? My grandmother is Zeta Amicae, and she wears Amicae para (proudly), NOT Zeta para.

[This message has been edited by Shelacious (edited July 06, 2000).]

A few questions:
Non HBCU campuses-What does this mean/stand for?
shirted-What does shirted mean? I always thought "pinned" meant something like engaged-to-be-engaged, but I have not heard of shirted before!
Thanks! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

My mom wanted to use my umbrella to go to the corner store. Guess what, I went instead.


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Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated...Every Finer Woman's Dream!

Non-HBCU campus: any campus which isn't historically black. HBCUs include Florida A&M, Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, and Hampton.

Being shirted is something that occurs before a pinning takes place (but not in all situations), where the guy and girl are serious, but not to "pinning" status. I guess not all groups do this, but it has to be a unanimous decision amongst the brothers in order for it to happen.

"I think a woman wearing a man's fraternity shirt is NOT right. If the woman is in a sorority, she (most likely) will understand what his letters mean to him and not try to "sport" them"

I agree with DELTABRAT! My man and I are both members of LGLOs and under no circumstance would I feel right about wearing his letters or vice-versa. I didn't earn his letters and I don't know their meaning. I feel very strongly about the use of symbols and I won't even write out another organization's name in symbol form. I write out the entire spelling. I would often see females wearing fraternity letters to class and I felt this was disrespectful.

wow!!!!!! you checked your mom? i have often wondered about that.......i had a roomate and i remember her saying that her mom wears her para and the mom was not greek. but she did not feel comfortable asking her mom to remove the para because it was her mom and her mom had done so much for her etc.

By "wearing his letters" do you mean anything with the fraternities letters on it, or his actual letters shirt. I know I have a Jersey with LCA on it, and I wouldn't dream of giving it to anyone except a new associate, but I let my girlfriend wear my t-shirts that have LCA on them, or my hat.

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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Zeta Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

We're talking about anything with the fraternity's letters on it

At our school, we could wear fraternity script shirts and hats, but nothing with the actual letters. When I say "script" I mean a shirt/hat with the organization spelled out...for instance, many of our sisters dated Pi Kappa Alpha's so they would wear shirts that said the name, but not PKA letters. We would also have mixers with other frats and soros so we would have tees made with our names on it and a design about the event. Also, we had some date-only events so we would have tees made that we could also buy for our man to wear (ex: Alpha Chi Omega's Annual Grab-A-Date party). Unless you were a little sister (they don't have these anymore) of a frat you would never wear their letters. I would have to agree that I wouldn't wear letters of a frat, but I think its okay when you have shirts made for parties and stuff.

Now something that is quite popular but you usually see it on really small children, is a child wearing a shirt saying My mother is an AKA (or other sorority). Naturally no one thinks the child is perping http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif because of the statement on the shirt and age of the child.

I don't mean to side track this discussion but what do folks think of those shirts for children?

AlphaChiGirl, again not to side track but I want to add to your list of HBCUs. If anyone has a school to add or one you disagree with, if you don't mind please start another thread because as you can see the list is very long! Thanks!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

North Carolina A&T State University (my alma mater)
Tuskegee University (my husband’s alma mater)

Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Albany State University, Alcorn State University, Allen University, Arkansas Baptist College, Barber-Scotia College Benedict College, Bennett College, Bethune-Cookman College Bishop State Community College ,Bluefield State College, Bowie State University, Central State University, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania , Claflin College, Clark Atlanta University, Clinton Junior College, Coahoma Community College, Concordia College, Coppin State College, Delaware State University, Denmark Technical College, Dillard University, Edward Waters College, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Fisk University, Florida A&M University, Florida Memorial College, Fort Valley State College, Fredd State Technical College, Grambling State University, Hampton University, Harris-Stowe State College, Hinds Community College, Howard University, Huston-Tillotson College, Interdenominational Theological Center, J.F. Drake State Technical College, Jackson State University, Jarvis Christian College, Johnson C. Smith University, Kentucky State University Knoxville College, Lane College, Langston University , Lawson State Community College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Lewis College of Business Lincoln University, MO, Lincoln University(Pennsylvania), Livingstone College, Mary Holmes College, Meharry Medical College, Miles College, Mississippi Valley State University, Morehouse College , Morgan State University, Morris Brown College, Morris College, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Oakwood College, Paine College, Paul Quinn College, Philander Smith College, Prairie View A&M University, Rust College, Savannah State University, Selma University, Shaw University, Shorter College, South Carolina State University, Southern University A&M College ,
Southwestern Christian College, Spelman College, St. Augustine's College, St. Paul's College, St. Philip's College, Stillman College, Talladega College, Tennessee State University, Texas College,Texas Southern University,Tougaloo College, Trenholm State Technical College, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of the District of Columbia, University of the Virgin Islands, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Voorhees College, West Virginia State College, Wilberforce University, Wiley College, Winston-Salem State University, Xavier University of Louisiana

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Alpha Kappa Alpha
17-Alpha Phi-91


[This message has been edited by Taykimson (edited July 09, 2000).]

I know what I'm about to say is petty, but I have seen it happen so here it is..

I have seen girls who were very small in t-shirts and hats and even bibs (which just shows how young they were) that say I'm a future Delta, AKA ect. (I usually see these shirts at events where the little girl's mother is wearing a sorority shirt also)A picture was taken and forgotten. When that girl gets college age, she chooses to affiliate with another sorority and the picture resurfaces.

I've also seen little girs get harrased for wearing "letters" in a very innocent way. For example, I was in a city where the local Delta chapter had a Betty Shabazz Academy (a program that many Delta Chapters do to help steer young girls, middle school age in the right direction). The members of the Academy were harrased for wearing the greek symbols on a t-shirt that in all likelyhood was given to them by the members of the Delta chapter for participating in the program. That's a bit overboard.

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If you can't raise conciousness, at least raise hell!--Rita Mae Brown

Gosh, the pettiness of some people. It's not as if the girls were trying to be Deltas...some people honestly need to get lives when it comes to this stuff. Harassing little girls your organization is BENEFITING is simply ridiculous.

Taykimson, it's quite alright--I was simply trying to give a list of schools with which most people on this board would be familiar. I'm always getting people who ask me if my school's an HBCU--getting it confused with Morris Brown College.

About the fraternity/sorority names on t-shirts publicizing the events...I always thought this was okay. Like, you didn't have to be a member of one of the groups to wear one of those.

Taykimson:

Set it out girl, as far as the names of the HBCU's.

I think Alpha Chi Girl just listed some of the more "popular" ones for those that didn't know http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Anyway, about the baby shirt thing. I don't have a problem with it. I think it is relative though. For instance if the child is REAL young (like 1-4 or 5...it's *cute*) If the child is 13 or 14...hmmm...I don't think so. Addditionally, I think it depends on the gender (this may be obvious for most) but I have a son and I don't think he will be wearing a shirt that says "My mom is a Delta." Ya know. Additionally, most of the shirts I have seen with this usually say Delta (for my Sorority). Not Delta Sigma Thete of DST or the Greek symbols. That's kind of hard to get away with in your Sorority because the symbols are the letters and vice-versa.

Does the baby shirt thing bother you at all?
I don't mean just for AKA, but for any sorority.

I think they are cute http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif if it is the "right" situation (like the one's named above.)

PEACE

DeltaBrat & AlphaChiGirl,

I wasn't trying to "show you up" with the list of HBCUs. I thought it was pretty impressive and wanted to share. Besides I don't know if you caught the singling out of 2 HBCUs in particular http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif.

Now to the subject at hand. The My Mother is an AKA shirts are cute on little ones, the smaller the child, the cuter it is. The only reason I will not allow my daughters to wear them when they are older is so they will not have to deal with "Oh you think you have it easy because you are a legacy." Legacy is a topic for another thread http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

-------------
Alpha Kappa Alpha
17-Alpha Phi-91


[This message has been edited by Taykimson (edited July 09, 2000).]

i remember when i was a student at tuskegee, we had a lot of foreign students that did not know any thing frats and sororities or did not really have a good command of the language. anyway there was this guy that bought a sorority shirt and was wearing it. some of the members were like ok, he doesn't know better. but one member got up in his face and told him to take it off. then when he refused she was trying to coax him to cut the shield off. her sisters had to literally drag her away. she was making a complete fool of her self. is it really that deep?

I think its wrong to harass people- however a the same time, the ONLY people that should wear Greek letters are members of that organization. (They must EARN the right to wear letters). Otherwise, you might as well get rid of a pledge period- ya know, we can be the type where people buy their way into a fraternity!

Easy E www.angelfire.com/va2/gammachi

I know of one instance were a bruh was driving down the street and saw a homeless man with one of his orgs t-shirts on. He stop and went to talk to the man, acttually thinking he might be a bruh and wanting to help in some way, but anyhow when he found it wasn't a bruh he decided to go to the store around the corner and by the man a nice outfit. (It was the middle of the summer and he had on cut off heavy pants...obviously he was vey hot) and he gave the man the outfit and the man agreed to give him the t-shirt....sort of an even trade. i though that that was very nice. Not only did he spend time talking to this man even whenm he wasn't a bruh, but he also brough him a far better outfit than the one he had on for the t-shirt.

I mean a lesser person wouyld have went and just demanded the shirt.

How do you all feel about Pan T-shirts that list every organization on them? We had an incident where the Pan wanted to get shirts made for all of the members (in White Gold and Green) and some Organization's represenitives didn't want to do it either because the letters would have been on the back of the shirt (some orgainzations have rules about that) and they would be wearing someone elses letters, and someone else would have been wearing theirs. I'm sorta torn on that one.

As far as the young man getting the man a new outfit in exchange for the t-shirt.. that's the image I have of an Omega Man!!!

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If you can't raise conciousness, at least raise hell!--Rita Mae Brown

I think Pan Tshirts are okay, only if you are a Greek and a member of one of those organizations on the shirt.

Easy E www.angelfire.com/va2/gammachi

Soror (Gina_lynn):

I think the Pan T-shirts are okay. We had a stepshow once and the shirts for the organizations in the show had all of the organizations represented in the shirt. If there is protocol around letters and symbols on the back of the shirt, I could see that being an issue. I could also see there being some dilemma if your organization's colors are not represented on the shirt. White, gold and green. Okay, that takes care of...(thinking http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif)...if you want to get "TECHNICAL" our colors are not REALLY represented in that. Many of the org's colors have white in them (REALLY), our doesn't, nor does KAPsi. I might trip but who knows...maybe they could only get three colors and those were MOST representative.

OO-OOP!!!

I have really enjoyed reading the above. Even though we are off the original topic let me add my experiences. I saw a neighbor of mine wearing an Omega Psi Phi t-shirt and she said it was her man's shirt and she had stolen it from him. I told her she obviously didn't know what she was doing and she should take it off before something serious happened to her. LETTERS ARE EARNED AND IT IS AN EARNED PRIVILEGE TO WEAR THEM.

Last month my boyfriend's mother (who I hope is my future mother-in-law) took my SGRho umbrella. I was trying not to be petty but I couldn't help it. Needless to say, I went over to her house the very next day and kindly asked for my umbrella back http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Would that Omega man have stopped to look at the homeless BROTHER if he wasnt wearing the colors? Would he have took him shopping if what he believed to be his source of privilege wasnt at stake?

Yall have to remember ...
as highly as you think of your groups...
there are people (and yes even black people) who have never heard of them ...
or cannot differentiate one group from the other...
Until college I didnt know there was a difference between the Reds the Pinks and the Blues... or the golds, the purples etc.
Still dont see it but
in any case
SOME PEOPLE JUST DONT KNOW
Particularly in some urban neighborhoods...
where few go to college
so stop thinking someones automatically
a perp...
and get over yourselves with that beat down stuff

True?- NO ONE said that he thought the man was a perp. If you read the whole story you would see that he stopped to ask the man about the shirt because he could have been his frat brother, why is that so hard to understand?

And why was it necessary to add a superficial comment about getting over ourselves? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif

ZetaAce

I did not say
the Omega man accused the homeless brother of being a perp...
peep my entry one mo time...
but the thread is about what happens to perps so my point is to not automatically assume someone is, but to realize some dont know and it could be an honest misunderstanding.
Which happens more than you think...
Just as the colorless rock FUBU hard now
People should make themselves aware of what they rock
but then again people are people and some pretty colors can be so inviting

the getting over part?
its true
so whats the probelm
its a universal crime of which yes even I am sometimes guilty
people too busy biggin up themselves to consider other possibilities
so
Americans get over yourselves
hampton running rappers
get over yourselves
and yall too
but if you want to get heated
Really
Ive seen more offensive things on this site posted by your fellow greeks

Still take it as you want to

read my previous post in two parts...
Part one
Im questioning if the Omega man would have recognized a brother in need if that brother wasnt wearing purple and gold. Being their whole slogan of service, manhood etc.
Are some colors what it takes to see that somebody needs help?
And the sequel
think of it as an overall response to this thread
Not meaning to patronize...
all in the interest of clarity

True?-

The beauty of the story about the frat and the homeless man is that ONCE HE KNEW FOR A FACT THE MAN WASN'T FRAT, HE STILL TOOK THE TIME TO CARE ABOUT THE MAN AS A HUMAN BEING. It appears that you simply want to be synical about the story for no (apparent) reason.

I also don't buy the idea that "some people just don't know". Why would you wear something across your body without knowing what it means? For all you know (If you don't know as you claim) my greek letters could really be the international symbols for people who like to get smacked in the back of the head by perfect strangers. You walk around in them, and you'll end up with a concussion. That goes for paying good money to be a walking, talking billboard for companies you don't own stock in, and wearing (or commenting on) colors you know nothing about.

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If you can't raise conciousness, at least raise hell!--Rita Mae Brown

My interpretation of the story: the Omega man was so set on his letters not being violated that he bought the homeless man something else to wear other than the purple and gold.

Im not saying "I dont know" is everyones excuse or is a valid excuse from everyone. But I will tell you that if you roll through where I live people will look at you and say whats that on your chest

Why would you wear something across your body without knowing what it means? People do it all the time. You've probably done it yourself. Besides my Fubu example, what about people who rock headwraps thinking theres a whole other meaning behind it when most Africans will tell you its like wearing a baseball cap.

Or calling a sista a chickenhead without thinking about what that means.

Please this list could go on and on. The point is it can happen and it does happen. Didnt alot of people mention older parents and neighbors accidentally picking stuff up? Not everyone is trying to perp

gina_lynn,
what the other person said was true, some people just don't know. once one of my cousins and i were talking about sororites and one of my other cousins that went to community college kept asking all these questions and i remeber asking my self how could she not know. i also had someone (a female)ask me to bring them back a frat shirt and when i asked why they replied that they likes the colors. i told them no, that they could not wear that shirt because it was disrespectful. i am saying all this to say that while some people play like they don't know, aloot of people really don't know.

true,

i understand what you were saying with regards to the omega incident !!