Pledging
 

I was wondering how everybody feels about pledging. In my fraternity, we do not pledge. Our initiation takes places over a weekend and new members are initiated within 72 hours and then endowed with the full rights and priveleges of a brother. Our national organization abolished pledging in 1989 because they felt it led to new members being treated as second class citizens, in addition to hazing. They came to the conclusion that eliminating pledging was the only way to solve this problem. What do you think?

NPC sororities do not pledge.

They have New Member Education, and the length of this period depends on the organization.

We pledge for 6 weeks, at the end of which we decide to either a) initiate the class or b) extend their pledge period to include a "plactive" period.

most NPC's have a new member period usually like 6-8 weeks long. we have a 6-week period and then 4 weeks of new initates where the new member class meets with the new member educator and they talk about the "rituals" they are now privvy to etc... and make sure all is well in their new found world.


As I tell our new members they have all the rights and privilages of initated members except attending formal chapter becuase they are learning the rituals and will all be revealed at initation... kinda like being engaged and then married almost id think.

All in all, I enjoyed the pledge period.

We also have a six week period which is new member education. I think it is better this way because if someone is initiated within 72 hours, they don't really know anything about the organization, the history, or the members that are currently a part of it. This six week period helps them feel comfortable before they fully commit. It helps them realize also, that it is a COMMITMENT because they understand how important it is to the girls that are sharing it with them. I don't think that initiating sooner is the only way to handle hazing. If it is not tolerated at all, then it will not take place. We have very strict rules as to what hazing is, and we know that breaking those rules could lead to some very serious reperussions. Also, we respect our new members as sisters and we are glad they want to be a part of our organizations, so there is no reason to have them "prove" that they should be members.
ETA: Also, it is fun and I enjoyed it!

Pledging/new member ed periods do not cause hazing. People cause hazing.

If people in a chapter want to haze badly enough, they'll just give the "newest initiated members" the second class treatment, rather than doing it while they are pledges.

I'd like to see the results. Has ZBT pledged more people since abolishing pledgeship?

Did abolishing pledgeship tick off so many undergrads that they gave up?

Can you get actual numbers of pledges/initiates in recent years, and has it gone up or down?

I think TKE did something similar, abolishing pledgeship. It hasn't done much good for them.

I can check on the numbers later, but I dont have them right now. I don't really know if it has made a difference in recruitment results or not. I probably would have joined even if we did pledge but it just so happened that wasn't the policy. I think most of my brothers would have joined either way. Since I didn't go through pledging, I'm not really at liberty to say whether I agree with it or not. I believe my chapter used to pledge kind of (not officially) but that ended long before I got initiated. From what I understand they would be initiated but still treated like "pledges" for a while.

yep. There's def. been ZBT chapters that haze. Wouldnt' be surprised at all if on the one on my campus does- they've been in trouble for everything else under the sun. There's LXA chapters that haze- they just call their new members "associates' or something. There are chapters of all of our orgs that haze. No matter what you call the new member period and whether or not they're intiated, there is still hazing going on.

Personally I hate the idea of having no new member period of all. How do the new members learn about the org? I know it's different for guys and girls, but our new member period is so much fun and they get their butts spoiled! So much love is created and so much fun is had.

Plus by initiating right away, what if the particular person doesn't work out? Either your chapter made a mistake on giving them a bid or they find out it's not right for them. Then you're both stuck b/c they're an initiated member. What if they got hazed, and want to drop, but can't join another group b/c they've already been initiated.

In my view, there are just as many, if not more, drawbacks of initiating right away intead of having a new member period.

Exactly!! I totally agree... this is like dating. You dont marry someone at the second date! You get to know them to see if you like them .... same thing here. You need time to adjust to a new commitment especially if this is your first college semester with classes etc.....

How is this possible? They are members, they know the secrets. Are you associating pledging with hazing when you say the new members are "treated like 'pledges'"?

Our pledge period is 17 days, but basically it's 24 hours a day your pledging and at any time you can have something thrown at you to do. Personally I would be much more inclined to space it out Much MUCH more, say 10 weeks only on fri/sat/sun's that would be way better, the intensity is so crazy because we had to take an 8 week program and basically condense it into 17 days

*cough* hazing anyone?

:cool:


"DITTO".

Pledging does not mean Hazing.

New Membership education should just be that. There has to be period of thime for :

1. Meeting and getting to know each other to see if the fit is really there.

2. Education for Rules of the National GLO.

3. Education of the Local Chapter, what it does.


Such short time periods can be detrimentsl for all. But on the other side of the coin, a education period that lasts to long can mean losing members who get fed up and bored.

I'd love to see some numbers that showed whether shorter membership periods did in fact cut down on hazing incidents. Back when almost all sororities went to the 6-8 week new member period, cutting down on hazing was pretty much the only reason we were ever given for it. Has it helped any? We still hear all kinds of stories ever year about hazing.

I've got 2 big problems with the short programs. First, the fact we don't have grades before we initiate members, at least for Freshman which is about 90% or more of our pledge classes. The "threat" (for lack of a better word) of holding someone over for initiation if they don't pull grades is a huge incentive to get them to study.

Second, there simply isn't enough time for them to learn all about the Chapter and org's history, values and beliefs. We used to attend Pledge meetings once a week for an entire semester. I find there is so much that our newest members don't know about ADPi.

But, our nat'l org finally figured this one out. We're rolling out a new program for continuing membership education. The first year of membership will focus on sorority stuff, just like the old program used to do in addition to time management, study resources on campus, etc. Each year following we'll provide educational programming tailored to their year in school on topics that should be relevant to them. For example, seniors may have a workshop on business etiquette while sophomores will attend one on financial management. All members are welcome to attend any of the other workshops offered, but they will be required to at least attend the ones for their class.

As I said, it's new and we'll have to see how it works out. Juggling more membership education sessions is going to be tricky for both the facilitators and the actives. But the groups will be smaller and should be easier to manage. We've also added an officer to help our Mem Ed VP handle all this.

When I said they were treated like pledges, I meant that they would have to do activities or missions as a class, which has since been abolished. Also for clarification, we do have a New Member Educator(usually the BDD) who helps the new initiates study the material or whatnot until they are comfortable with it. They will have already been initiated but it kind of helps to keep it in their heads I guess. In regards to hazing, you are right. Abolishing pledging does not mean that hazing won't happen. Obviously I am not at liberty to reveal our initiation procedures. Hazing is a very fine line though, because practically anything can be considered hazing, especially nowadays.

I look at pledging as the funnest thing that I would never want to do again. We used to pledge the whole semester then initiate the following but do to changes at nationals we are supposed to follow a 90 day pledge period now

90 days?!?! Hot damn!

slight hijack- do you think this helps your members understand the ritual better?

We don't have a four week period of New Initiates, but we do have a time when we go over ritual with the New Initiates and I think it does help them understand it and remember it. We usually have one or two meetings to review ritual and new girls meet with their bigs to go over stuff.

There is nothing wrong with having pledge classes do activities, if said activities have a purpose.

Remember that the purpose of pledge/NM programs is educating and training those pledge/NM to become full and active members of their organization.

In my Fraternity, pledge classes are expected to plan and carry out a service project. Many chapters also have them do a fundraiser and a fellowship event. This is done as a way of teaching the pledge HOW to plan and carry out an activity. And sense we are a service fraternity, doing service is what we are all about.

emb021, this is to true.

Education of National/Local and working and getting to know each other together for those who have no clue who the person is standing next to them. This can and should be done in a controlled manner without hazing of any form.

When We used to have Pledge Classes, they had their own Officers and Planned an Activity for the Chapter. Of course, they Had the Pledge Trainer to over see so it didnt get out of hand.:)

It may have been a party or a Charity Event but it was something that they did on their own. Giving experience and working together was a very big thing to bring them together as a group.

Of coruse, we do not do that any more. Also, each class made a Very Big Paddle with Names and Class Name on it. But since it simulated a form of hazing, that was outlawed.:( They Hung in the old house and Alums would come back and show their family where their names were on them. Similar to a Composite, but It Was Theirs Alone!

Ah, Sometimes The Good Old Days!:)

We have a similar practice. Except it comes in the form of some sort of chapter party/sisterhood event for everyone. Since half of my sorority experience involved planning, coordinating and volunteering for events, this was good practice. And it teaches the future of the house to work together. At least that's how I view it/justify it.

Random side bar: I dated a ZBT for some time a few years ago. Granted they were a colony, but I SWEAR their "pledge" period lasted longer than 72 hours. I know because I remember my sisters stealing pledge pins from them! (Crazy practice that used to occur A LOT a few years ago.) All my bf at the time said was that they didn't haze and that new members went to meetings. The BDD would hold meetings with the new members at different times, and then maybe a month or two later they'd get initiated.

I think that setting a bunch of new members loose to plan their activity, whether it is philanthropy, social, sisterhood, etc, is asking for trouble because they are not familiar with the structure, rules, budgets, etc. of the organization. I think it is much more helpful to involve them on the chapter's committees so that they are working directly with initiated members in planning all of the events for the chapter, as they will be once they are initiated. Then they can learn with the role modeling of older sisters.

Dee

I don't think in the case of pledge class projects that the pledge class is ever "set loose" and does everything completely on their own. That's what the pledgemistress and the girls' big sisters are for. We had to plan a blind date party and make something (we made a giant floor pillow) for the chapter room...we cleared everything we were doing w/ our pledge mom first.

IMO it makes the pledges feel like they made a difference if they can look at something and say "I did that" during their first semester of involvement, rather than just shoving them onto a committee where they might not feel like they're even making a dent. No matter how much we try to erase "divisions" there is still a division between pledges and initiated sisters, and I think it's a disservice to the pledges to expect them to feel comfy with the whole sisterhood right away and jump into committees, speaking up etc. It's better for them to test their wings with their fellow pledges first.

hmmm......

I guess I am revealing my age a little here, but I went through RUSH and loved it. I was then a PLEDGE and loved it. I was a PLEDGE for a whole semester, and then a month into 2nd semester, and I loved it.

I thought being a pledge was awesome. We were special - it was like going to a party everyday - meeting new people, getting little gifts, enjoying activities planned for your benefit. What a dream world we had for a semester!

I don't know much about the shorter cycles since that came right after I graduated, and I am sure it has some great benefits. I think a huge drawback, as another GCer mentioned, is the lack of grades before initiation, especially if you are initiating freshmen. I don't think the system was broken, but like everything else, a few people found a way to spoil it for everyone. Those same types will find a way with the shorter cycles too.

Actually yes. Sigma Kappa kinda outlines each week of a 'suggested' outline of topics to cover in each meeting: finances, scholarship, Panhellenic, our officers, membership, philanthropy and learning our history plus time for fun stuff like a dance, projects etc.... the nice part is ritual is explained slowly and as is our history both your local chapter and the national organization.

The nice part is the 4 new initates meetings after a member is initiated since if they have questions about ritual (and more of formal chapter is explained etc....) or anything really they can do it with their pledge sisters and it is more comfortable group they have gotten to know where they might feel dumb asking in a group of 75 women.

One of their first tasks is to design, and have produced, their pledge class shirts (they dont get stuff on bid day). They also have to create a social activity for the chapter, find and carry out a service project, and organize a fundraiser. This is all on their own as a pledge class. But the catch is that they are *supposed and encouraged* to go to the actives that hold those chairs and ask for guidance, help, or suggestions, and also to listen to the suggestions of others in their class. It really builds teamwork, and really lets you know how it feels when someone doesn't fufill their promise. The group tasks are important...these girls are going to be together (in most cases) for 4 years, and in their senior year, they are going to be carrying the sorority, and it's better to have 9 solidified shoulders carrying the load as opposed to 1 or 2 superstars. Basically, we plan for an "end of the world"...if they were the absolute last class to ever be initiated, would they be able and prepared to carry out the functions of the sorority until graduation? And if the answer is "no" then we first look towards the active chapter, and the education process. What is flawed there? Where have we failed these girls? What have we not given them?

and if it comes down to a personality clash, then it is time for a gavel session, and when that happens, it's no holds barred, and we're staying till we're dead or crying.

I can't speak for how other ZBT chapters run things. I was never made to wear a pledge pin. We do have a fraternity pin that we wear with formal attire, but nothing to signify that one is a new member of ZBT. Every chapter is different, and I guarantee that some probably still "pledge" in some way or another, even though it is denounced by our national organization. Nationals try to enforce the rules, but they can't monitor everybody.

As someone else pointed out, the pledges are not 'turned loose'. Their pledgemaster is there to oversee things, they are encouraged to involved other chapter officers as appropriate (ie, get the Service VP to help them with their service project, etc). They are also encourage to engage the other members of the chapter. The purpose is to help them get familiar with 'structure, rules, budgets, etc.' by getting their feet wet in an real activity they plan and carry out. Being on a committee won't do that. You learn leadership by BEING a leader. Most of the best leadership development programs I've done have had the participants DO STUFF.

Yes, they should ALSO be involved in chapter committees. This, too, is part of their training/education. Also, they should be attending chapter meetings (chapters can have closed portions of the meetings or special closed meeting, but pledges should be encouraged and allowed to attend open chapter meetings).

Totally.. I know for Sigma Kappa we do involve our new memebers right away in chapter committees where the girls seem interested in helping. Also at many chapters, like mine, we have a VP of new member and an assitant they assit the new members with the sisterhood and social they plan for the semester. Also many GLO's have pledge mom/bi sisters or brothers within the chapter or other "special sisters" like a heart sis or something so the new member has a small group of actives to connect with and helping.

Besides i know when an event is planned by SK we have paperwork to be filled out and so their are exec officers and advisors who oversee the forms to ensure we are following our policies ... besides in your new member ed program some of your "policies/rules" fall under risk management and the new members should know that stuff (at least a general idea) right away since they are members and the chapter is liable if something should happen