Lines
 

All-

I know that some chapters organize their pledge classes into "lines".

As my chapter, and most of the ones I work with don't do this, I'm fairly ignorate of how it works. I'm more familiar with pledge classes, big/little brother programs, etc.

Can those who ARE familiar with lines care to explain how they work? This would be useful for me as I do presentations on pledge programs and would like to accurately cover this as well.

thanks in advance

The question is...are YOU serious in thinking all APO chapters have lines? I certainly hope not.

For real! I went through in a pledge class, not a line. I didn't actually know APO did lines at the time.

I never knew some APO chapters had lines until I came to Greekchat!

Yes. It's a honest question honestly asked.

Reposting the actual question:

Can those who ARE familiar with lines care to explain how they work?

Not: Do some chapters have lines...

The question was asked for obvious educational reasons and should be addressed. However, I don't know that any chapter who follows this tradition would be willing to speak on it in a public forum.

At NC A&T SU which is a HBCU the Kappa Psi Chapter use both Pledge Class and Line interchangeably. When you go through a line you will recieve education same as any other chapter that uses "pledge class". Some chapters require more info than others.

Nevertheless, as a pledge you will recieve a line name (nick name for the entire pledge class similar to the namesakes used in the fall),

a line number (depending on your chapter a line number is giving to you by your height. For example if you are the shortest person in your pledge class you maybe consider the #1 or Ace. Or if you are the tallest of 9 people then you will be #9). Sometimes its in the revise order. (Tallest to shortest). Sometimes there might not be an order, just pick a number. As the next line that comes through, if you are the "Ace" #1 from last Fall you can help trained the next Ace that come through and on and on. Keep passing down the traditions. Like a big brother.

Also in a line there is a desinated leader "The Honcho". or the Pledge class president.

also you will recieve a the nickname chosen by your brothers that reflect how you were in the pledging process.

Then line jackets are prepare for the whole pledge group. With your line information embroidered or printed on it. Some chapter make it optional because of cost, some make it required.

Lines are mostly in the African American Greek Fraternity and sorority cultures. Other Greek Organizations have developed it and past it on to others.

It varies from chapter to chapter on what they consider a line.

I really feel like we have covered this before, but here goes.....

Pledge Lines are just another way to organize a pledge class (according to height). All other nuances as it relates to pledging should be asked directly of chapters that do it. No chapter is monolithic when it comes to this tradition. Why Kappa Psi does it is different from why Mu Alpha does it.

It's not esoteric information. It's just another way of running a pledge process. It's not a big secret or anything.

I meant the reasons behind the practice and what actually happens online. I know people will give basic definitions, as they have already done so in this thread.

My whole point is that it's not all that different. The same National Pledging Standards apply, there are Bigs, pledge books, exams, pledge meetings, etc.

I never knew line numbers were determined by height. I thought it was some secret process. :)

I made no assumptions that using lines changed stuff like NPS, use of pledge books, exams, meetings, etc. My understanding was that lines were a different way to organize the pledge class.

Are Big/Littles used with lines? I got the impression they weren't, since a previous poster stated that the number #1 of one line helped train the number #1 of the next line.

Are lines given some overall name/term? With pledge classes you seem them refered to by the semester, class name (Beta pledge class) and namesake.

My comment was to other brothers who seemed to think that lines were something really different from pledge classes.

Bigs are still used with lines. The relationship between big/little (at least in my chapter) superceded that of the relationship between people who share your number. BUT the relationship between you and your number(s) is important because that gives you a special bond with brothers in other chapters.

Some chapters give an overall name to the line in addition to each members' individual line name.

Some chapters that have lines such as Alpha Gamma Gamma at CUNY-Hunter refer to their line as their class name (i.e. the Spring 2004 line [one of the tightest lines I've ever seen] was the Alpha Alpha pledge class)

For the most part there really is no one answer to any of these questions. It depends on the chapter.

I have a lot of trouble believing that the pledge process is identical between classes and lines. Of course, I haven't seen an APO line! :) I need to do that because it's very interesting to me now.

It is cool to hear how things are done other places.

No two pledge classes are alike so of course lines and pledge classes aren't identical. Al line at Beta Iota is going to be different from a line at Alpha Gamma Gamma and Mu Alpha and anywhere else they have lines. A pledge class at Beta Iota is going to be different from a pledge class at Kappa Beta or any other chapter that has pledge classes. Every chapter is different. Every line is different and every pledge class is different.