Service pins instead of active pins?
 

I know the Epsilon Psi chapter uses the service pin at activation instead of the active pin (probably to keep costs down)- does any other chapter do it?

Mu Chapter does this too. I never had anything except a service pin until I rescued one off eBay.

My roomie's an active, and she's got an S in the middle of her pin, so I'm assuming it's the service pin.

What's the difference between that and an active pin?

I've only got the Pledge Pin right now obviously...

More information please
 

The Service Pin *is* the "active pin". Please give an example of a pin that is one, not the other.

Randolph Finder
Alpha Phi Omega National History and Archive Committee.

I think (and Loud, correct me if I am wrong) that she is referring to the pin that looks like this:

http://www.burrpatt.com/alphaphiomeg...992%20copy.jpg

as opposed to the service pin:

http://www.usip.edu/apo/images/servicepin.gif

Naraht is right, the service pin = the active pin. I never had any other pin or badge (and for years never knew there was another one!) until recently.

I've only had the Service Pin...When we were done w/our process I got the Service pin! I didn't know there was another one until just now!

You don't know about the APO Badge? Should have been shown it during your pledge program (its shown in the Pledge Manual) and one other place.

The service pin was created back in the 1941 to be a low cost alternative to the Badge. The current initiation ritual calls for its use. When you consider that the service pin costs $4, while the cheapest badge costs $21, few people get a badge.

BUT, people should know about the badge and were to get it. (our official jeweler, which is now Burr, Patterson & Auld at www.burrpatt.com).

Re: Service pins instead of active pins?
 

Uh, considering the current rituals call for the use of the Service Pin (and have done so for years), this is pretty much standard operating procedure.

I'm not aware of any chapter that doesn't use the service pin.

I looked on the website for the jeweler and there was no mention of Alpha Phi Omega on it nor did it have any results in the search engine.

Here you go. You can get to it through the "store" link on www.apo.org. That's how I found it.

Someday, when I actually have money, I am going to get this:

http://www.burrpatt.com/alphaphiomeg...rl%20Badge.jpg

Look again.

From their main page, you pick Fraternity & Sorority Jewelry, then from the drop down you will see Alpha Phi Omega.

Or use this direct link: http://www.burrpatt.com/AlphaPhiOmega/default.htm

Michael Brown

You're right and I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I went on the national website and noticed the difference in badges so I sort of assumed (I still have yet to understand the consequences of assuming!) that the service pin was a lower-costing alternative. My mistake!

My duh as well.
 

I had forgotten that it was the Badge. I do know that APO gets looked at sort of strangely by some pin collectors because our standard brotherhood insignia worn is so bloody cheap.

Randy

I've got this one in 10K with a crown pearl chapter guard. It's a looker! It was one of the first things that I bought after initiation.

Its not a wrong assumption. The service pin WAS created to be a low cost alternative to the badge.

At the time the badge cost between $2.50 and $25 (depending on gold content and pearls, etc.), while the service pin was twenty five cents.

It was created at the 1940 NatConv, and made available shortly thereafter. Many chapters resolved that ALL its members would obtain the pin and wear it, as the cost of it made it feasible for all to do so. (this per an article in the T&T in 1941)

Much later, its use was written into our ritual such that ALL new Brothers would receive it as part of their induction.

Just a pictorial update for 07
 

http://www.umaine.edu/greek/database...hi%20Omega.jpg
The Badge

Well, another update is that (for a couple of years now) our official jeweler has been the Greek Division of Herff/Jones. Their website is http://www.hjgreek.com/

If you want APO stuff, go there, go to Organization Catalogs and find APO. Here's a direct link: http://www.hjgreek.com/index.cfm?eve...nization_ID=51

You will find info on Badges in "Official Jewelry"

Thanks for that update as well. I seem to remember one of the great barroom debates of this forum was about who our official jeweler was and when we would get another one.

We've always had an official jeweler.

The strange thing is that while for decades it was LG Balfour, in the last decade we've had about 4-5 different ones, due to the buyout/consolidation of the greek jewelry business. Herff/Jones is our jeweler because they bought out our previous one, BurrPatersonAuld. And since they've pretty much bought all the others, they're the only game in town. When I joined it was 'Preferred Greek'. There were one or two between them and BPA.

At the APO Store at Nationals, I got into a little conversation on this topic with the HJ rep and Jordan (of the APO Collection, who always runs the APO Store at Nationals).

Tau Mu Chapter at USF uses the Service Pin as our "active" insignia. I don't know if any of our members has a badge off the top of my head, but the only two pins I am familiar with are our pledge pin and service pins, signified by the "P" or "S" in the center, respectively.

Regional Conference 2007 at USF Tampa! Woo!

I have the silver badge! It looks like they don't offer it anymore???

Our jewlery has always been gold (or gold kase). When HerffJones took over, they were offering our badge in silver along with gold/gold kase. I guess someone noticed and made them stop, as our badge/key should be gold.

Haha great! So in a few years I will have a collectors item :rolleyes: :) . Oh well! Yeah I know that our colors are gold and blue, but I think the the silver badge is still much nicer!

Is there any way you could take a picture of it and post it?

Will do; however, someone will have to tell me how to post pics :D

Ooops! I just remembered that I left my pin in my storage unit by my school. However, I will post a pic this fall when I get up there!

Interesting...having been an Epsilon Psi initiate, I was never issued either a pledge pin, a service pin, or a badge (active pin).

I got the service pin from the chapter I transferred to, the badge I bought at a Greek store that while it had very little APO paraphernalia, it did have one badge up for sale...go figure.