Drinking in Letters
 

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this under but here it goes..

I was looking at Alpha Phi's chapter at Hofstra on some of the girls' webshots. They're in bars wearing letter jackets and openly drinking. It's our national's policy that we are NOT allowed to drink in our letters, and I think that's how it goes for most sororities.
Should something be done about this or should I just let it go?

Re: Drinking in Letters
 

Yes. Email your national office and end the chapter ASAP!

-Rudey

I'd find out who their chapter adviser is and email her. You might also make an example of this in your own chapter to review policies and talk about good PR and image.

No reason to bring down the hammer from nationals immediately, a warning from their advisor should suffice.

Do the sisterly thing and just email the girls and say people were talking about it on a website and you don't want them to get in trouble so they should take the pics down.

-33
--of course you don't need to say you were the one who brought it up tee hee!!

I agree. But I do think their advisor should be contacted so she can help facilitate the removal of these pictures. ;)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. These groups are posting pics online and then wonder why they're in trouble. Think before you post!

True that!!!!

When and if HQ gets into the middle of it, there are bigger problems than any Chapter or GLO needs or wants!

Be subtle about it and talk to someone from The Local Chapter.

They Should be smart enough to understand You worry!:)

33 makes a great point. Although it is wrong to drink in letters, I personally think it is worse to bust out someone in public for something that could have been handled in private. I've made mistakes, drank in my letters (especially as a neo), and have probably made myself look silly. When a bruh would pull me aside and calmly explain my transgression, I was more likely to understand the problem. Whenever someone in authority calls me out in front of people, I do the opposite. Especially if it feels that someone told on me. Do it personally, so you can understand them yourself.

Yes and Granted that!

There is a Differnce between GLOs!

I know there has been a thread on this before, but it's a worthwhile topic. I think Greek Life would be a better forum, and I'm going to move it there.

We (meaning my generation) drank in letters, wearing badges, etc.

But we were pretty much expected to wear our badges, or letters if not in badge attire.

I totally agree.

If somebody screws up in my family, we keep the dirty laundry to ourselves and handle things privately.

Just by reading your post it seem like your intent was to openly bust this chapter (you really didn't have to list their university, my dear) and get them in heaps of trouble. Privately getting in contact with someone from that chapter would have been the better idea.

...but then again I don't know what's worse, getting another chapter in trouble for drinking in letters...? or openly admitting that your own chapter members snort coke...? :confused:

I'd email the chapter first.

It's kind of a dumb rule in my opinion, but whatever.

This is wise. Once you notify somone in authority you have no control over how they will react or what they will do.

What if they have some super anal advisor that decides to throw the book at them to make brownie points with the national organization?

Stuff like that happens.

I dont think ya should notify anyone but the girls themselves and let em know people are watching... and mabey the dumbass Webmaster who posted pics of them drinking... Thats just plain stupid

Advisers don't earn brownie points for blowing the whistle on a chapter. They just get brow beaten by the collegians and a long list of probationary terms from directors that they have to help the collegians complete and again, listen to the collegians complain about how unfair the probation is.

I think ratting out other college kids trying to have fun, hurting nobody is a really cool idea that will probably build your sorority up!

Like I always say... The only way to make the greek system stronger is to attack it from every angle!

I know I tell my members to always use the chain of command...contacting the chapter advisor, chapter president, area cooridnator (or whatever name your org uses) FIRST, is alway the best policy.

I understand the knee-jerk reaction, but the alternative is to let their Nationals find out and get probation from them, or worse, get in deeper trouble and lose a charter.

I think that letting the advisor or chapter officers know is the best way to go.

Chapter officers and advisors are different.

Chapter officers are members of that chapter, of the same age, and probably aware of their website's contents.

-Rudey

I would talk to the chapter president before going to national or their advisor. They simply may not know if its something that the chapter has always been doing. I know around NYC it is very common for the locals and fraternities to go out to Greek bar parties with their letter.

While those of us in nationals with no drinking in letters policies find it lacking taste, other groups see it as publicity. If you're at party and someone asks you about your letters that's a potential rush. While its something that my chapter wouldn't do, I admit it helps the other groups get their name out to freshmen who don't realize their are Greeks when they are attending their first campus parties in the fall.

I don't exactly consiter it "lacking in taste". You can "tastefully" have a drink or two and not make an ass out of yourself, and I don't see any problem with doing that while wearing letters. I'd wager that there are many women in groups that do have the policy and don't think it untasteful, but abide by it because it is policy.

Alpha Phi's Website

I just looked up what all the fuss was about...and unless they've cleaned it up, I don't see anyone drinking in letters. I see ladies drinking, but none of them are in letters.

Apparently the OP looked at the girls' individual webshots albums as well to find these.

Kappa Delta
 

I wear my wife's sorority sweatshirt while power drinking

Of course greeks should be able to wear letters when they drink. Duh! Its called tradition. What else are greeks known for? First the political correct people start changing names for stuff like rush, now they tell us we can't wear certain clothes when we drink. This has all gone way too far.

I am not sure what everyone is refering to when it comes to Advisors.

We Have a Advisor who is a Prof. Of The College. he is now alos an Initiated Brother of LXA.

We also have Advisors who live in the immediate Area who are also Brothers and are Alums.

So, in My mind, then depending on the situation, You contact an Advisor First and they will take it to the Chapter. If You step up and email someone in the Chapter who is an Officer, the first thing they may think "Who Are You" to tell us anything?

Do they know You? Dont step on toes where the shoes dont fit;)

I was only concerned about it because of the manner of drinking, I guess you could say. I know I've accidentally worn my lavalier to the bar once or twice, but I've never drank in a letter shirt or anything like that, and especially not at a bar.
But these were pics of them drinking in their house (we aren't allowed to drink in our chapter house, but I'm not sure if that's our rule or national's), with captions like "teaching the omegas how to chug!" and stuff like that. Not like, oh we all happen to be sitting around and someone has a beer in their hand.
It's never even like my chapter is a bunch of goody two shoes; we were in trouble for hazing incidents last year. I just was shocked these girls would so openly post these on webshots, I guess.

It's fine to be concerned, but you should have taken your concerns to their chapter advisor and handled it privately instead of singling them out on a public message board where they could have gotten in loads of trouble with your IHQ!

What happened to the tattoooooo thread???

It was deleted? :confused:

Well, that's BOOTY! :mad:

Seriously why do you keep posting? There is no way you're in this sorority.

-Rudey

Exactly - it seems like you really want these girls to get punished for this. It seems a tad inappropriate to continually bring this up on a public board.

I didn't see the problem with posting it publically because I didn't mention what chapter it was. I just wanted advice on how to handle it, I didn't think it was inappropriate.

Re: Drinking in Letters
 

Would you like to re-phrase your last post?

If you think people can't figure out what chapter...you're very wrong.

Actually, you did specify the chapter.

ETA: Didn't read Alpha Frog's post before mine, my bad.

This is the culture at Hofstra. Locals and nationals alike but we should all know better. I was a charter member of my chapter there many years ago.

Every national has people who are responsible for educating our collegians about what is appropriate use of our name in cyberspace (Communications Director, VP Member Education etc). Photos with alcohol whether in letters or not, is not acceptable.

Our chapters do not always listen to wisdom. I think this thread is done.

Denise

I think it's just as bad to have a webshots page that clearly states you are an Alpha Phi....and then has pictures of you bonging a beer, doing shots, being drunk, etc. Sure you're not in letters but, uh, everyone knows that you're in that house. The OP webshots is full of these types of pictures.

I completely agree. Whether or not you're wearing letters, you still represent your chapter. Even if you're not wearing your letters on your chest, people still know you are an XYZ.

I really think people should really lay off the whole "oh, but you still represent your chapter/letters" deal.

If I can't freely post pictures of me and my friends having fun with alcohol, then that's just BS. I drink because I want to drink, and if people think I do so because of my sorority affiliation, then they can just all go to hell.

I can understand the seriousness of wearing your letters while doing a keg stand...but not being able to post pictures where you're not wearing letters? That's just plain fucking ridiculous.

Maybe it's because I'm not a collegian anymore and I know there are more pressing things to worry about, but sometimes you Greeks put wayyyy too much emphasis on image and some really need to take the sticks out of their arses.

I have seen worse things of greek men and women on the facebook. They have photo albums full of the them in underwear at "playboy" parties. a girl (in a skimpy corset and panties) is leaning over a man in a frat doing a body shot.
incidently, her birth control patch is peeking out of her panties.
the entire album is full of them, even with pictures before they left the house in with the house mother in lingerie.

the captions is "This is how XYZ rolls"

we were warned to be mindful of how we act in public and especially of what pictures we put on the facebook if we are rushing.
They weren't wearing their letters. And I believe that they have the right to do whatever they want, but they explicitly stated what GLO they were a part of. My impression of that GLO is not a good one.