ADPi History & Traditions
 

This is NOT to expose any ritual, but to post any traditions, or fun items you've "discovered" about Alpha Delta Pi. Some of y'all know that I've begun to collect older Pledge Manuals, and some of the information is a real hoot - too funny NOT to be shared! So, in that vein, I open this thread for the entertainment value - and to see what our alumnae may have gone through! Enjoy!

I recently won the 1959 Edition of the Alpha Delta Pi Pledge Book, and found some fun items. Let me see....

-At the time, there were 31 NPC Sororities:

ACW
ADP
AEF
AGD
AOP
AF
ASA
AST
AXD
BSO
CW
DDD
DG
DFE
DZ
GFB
IAP
KAQ
KD
KKG
FM
FSS
PBF
PKS
SDT
SK
SSS
QFA
QSU
QU
ZTA

Of these,
BSO *absorbed by Zeta Tau Alpha
IAP *disbanded in 1971
PKS *absorbed by Sigma Kappa
QSU *absorbed by Alpha Gamma Delta
QU *absorbed into Delta Zeta
are no longer NPC sororities. I found it terribly interesting that the Pledge Pin for Theta Upsilon is a Fleur-de-lis - the KKG flower! Iota Alpha Pi's Pledge Pin is diamond, with a "shadow", somewhat like a <<>. I had thought that maybe it would be similar to ADPi, but it was a Jewish sorority at a time when the distinctions were very much carved in stone.

A lot of this 1959 edition is still in the current New Member Book, so I'm trying to pick out parts which aren't. It differs from two later editions (at least!), too.

Page Six is "What Alpha Delta Pi Means". There's a lot of comparison of seeds (Pledges) becoming trees (Sisters, then Alumnae), then there's this piece:

"Each letter of Alpha Delta Pi can be significant to us:
A - "Associations." Such as we find at a convention. Meeting girls from all over the country and parts of the world. Associations with people who have goals of getting college educations, girls who are striving for a better way of life, girls who want to be admirable women.
L - "Love." Love for one another. Love of a sister when she's in trouble or can't quite get those grades she's worked so hard for. Love for people who cannot have all the things in life that we have. Love for school and learning.
P - "Patience." Patience with others. Understanding that others are not always like ourselves. Patience with problems. Patience when living with another who doesn't want to keep her room clean or work as hard as she should. Patience in waiting for those final grades. Patience in waiting in lines to be registered. Patience in all walks of life.
H - Humility, hope, happiness, honor combine in each Alpha Delta Pi.
A - "Appreciation." - Appreciation of being able to live with so many wonderful girls. Appreciation of democratic living. Appreciation when your sisters give you a present for work well done. Appreciating just that you're able to be in college and in a sorority.

D - "Daughters of Democracy." Daughters whose fathers and mothers want them to grow up having all of the best things in life. Democratic living - having officers each doing her own duty to the sorority government and by doing them learning that government and cooperation work side by side. Freedom of speech, expression, and freedom to act at all meetings.
E - "Education." The very essence of college. But education comes from many other sources than books. From a sorority such as ours we are educated three-fold. We learn to strive together, work together, and educate others.
L - "Loyalty." - Loyalty to the sorority and to the college. Going to football, baskeball, hockey, and baseball games. Taking part in campus politics; working on homecoming decorations; working with foreign students; working on Greek Week, Snow Week, Campus Carnival, Freshman Orientation, All-University Congress, college boards and University Plays, all of which are samples of some of the things we do at any of our universities. This loyalty isn't haphazard. It goes all the way from planning to the finished product. What would a college be without fraternities and sororities? They represent three-fourths of the people who make these activities possible. They have goals - philanthropy mostly - helping others. $10,000 from the Greeks at one school was given to Radio Free Europe; $200 is given every year to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis from one Alpha Delta Pi chapter. Thousands of dollars are given to Cerebral Palsy funds, Cancer Research, and Crippled Children.
T - "Tolerance." Tolerance for others' religions and beliefs, for others who do not believe as we do. Tolerance we learn in a sorority such as ours.
A - "Attitudes." Not formed but enriched. In a bond of sisterhood they can be developed into grood traits of character, good emotional stability, and love for one another.

PI - P for pledge and I for initiate, the whole inner spirit of a sorority. Girls who work hard, asking nothing in return. They are paid by knowing that they have done womething for others as well as for themselves.

And if we want to put an "S" on our letters - Alpha Delta Pis - it would be for "Sisterhood," the greatest of all words, for in this we hav friendship. And as for this - 'The light of friendship is like the light of our two stars, seen plainest when all around is dark.'"

Keep 'em coming

I looked at my 'old' pledge book the other day and found some interesting items, too.

I don't have it with me right now but I will tell you what it is when I pull it out again.

loyally
connie

Preparation for Membership (still 1959)
 

Okay, the next few posts will be about Standards. Some are the same, most aren't. Enjoy.

"...Founded in an age and place that was distinguished by its gentlewomen, Alpha Delta Pi has a proud tradition to maintain in the quality of its membership.

"Moral Code - Any girl guilty of moral laxity is subject to immediate expulsion from membership.

"Dating Manners - The popular girl is one who is fun, a good sport and 'good company'. She doesn't cheapen herself by letting someone paw over her, she doesn't sit in parked cars or indulge in heavy courting at the dormitory or sorority house entrance at closing hours. She introduces her escort to the housemother, double dates with her sorority sisters, knows her standards and keeps them high. [edit - this is what my original pledge book said, too, the one we called the pawing pledge book!]


"Drinking - Drinking is not a mark of sophistication. The girl who is socially adept knows how to refuse gracefully - and does. Alpha Delta Pi does not approve drinking among college students and will not tolerate misuse of liquor. A girl who makes a spectacle of herself or overindulges is liable to severe discipline and dismissal from membership if she does not bring her standards into conformity with those in the sorority." [still more on drinking]

"Frequenting beer taverns is beneath the dignity of an Alpha Delta Pi. A beer hangout is not a proper place for a girl to spend her time. Fraternities on some campuses go all out for 'beer busts' but again Alpha Delta Pi maintains that these are below our level of social activity."

"Secret Marriages - Alpha Delta Pi does not approve secret marriages. If any girl marries without the consent and knowledge of her parents, she must announce the marriage immediately to her parents, the chapter and school officials. Secret marriages can lead to expulsion from the sorority.

"Girls who marry while still in college are not permitted to continue residence in the sorority house. The only exception to this is when the husband is stationed overseas in government or Army service and is outside the continental United States.

"Married or divorced women are not eligible for membership unless the Grand Council has mad a very thorough investigation and recommends that an exception be made." [again, this part about secret marriage is word for word from the "pawing pledge book"]

**I thought I had said this, but when I pledged, the chapter wasn't prepared to take the largest pledge class on campus! So, nine or ten of us were given older pledge books to use, while they ordered more of the current ones. The older book was what we called "The Pawing Pledge Book".

Okay the secret marriages part had me laughing.

That was still in my Pledge Book! We were never sure exactly what that was all about, though.

Okay, still in 1959 Standards:

"Personal Appearance: - You are expected to be well groomed and suitably dressed at all times. This does not mean you must spend a lot of money on clothes. On the contrary, simplicity is the keynote of dress - and do avoid borrowing or loaning your clothes. Clean hair, manicured nails, subtle makeup, clothes that are neat and clean, shoes polished - these are the marks of a college girl who knows her way around. Be sure your clothes are in good taste for the occasion.

"Shorts, jeans and sleeping attire are not acceptable for coming to meals or being on the first floor of the sorority house. Hair in curlers is banished to upstairs also, and an unforgiveable faux pas would be to wear curlers and bandana on campus. It simply isn't done.

"Language - A lady is known as soon as she opens her mouth and speaks. Some college jargon is clever, a great deal of slang is cheap and vulgar. Swearing is beneath Alpha Delta Pi standards. Learn to express yourself in good English and be equal to carrying on an intelligent conversation with adults upon occasion. A loud voice which calls attention to the speaker lacks culture."




FWIW (especially to those who don't believe that I was raised strictly!), when I was growing up, I was never allowed to wear even hot rollers outside of my bedroom! When I complained about it, I was told that my daddy was a man, and no aspiring lady wears rollers in front of a man! I never even wore them in front of my ex-husband (unless he came into my dressing room)!

When I was pledging, there was still the prohibition about married members. One of the girls in the plegde class ahead of me secretly married - many of us found out but it was a secret from her parents. I remember being scared that she'd get kicked outta the chapter if everyone found out she'd gotten married! I wonder if she's still married....

Oh dear... glad that this was changed! We borrowed each other's clothes all the time! Especially formals!

If this "rule" were still in effect all of my sisters at DG would have been in trouble. LOL. We would always come down stairs to eat breakfast still in our pajamas. We would watch TV downstairs in our PJ's too. You would see us wear jeans for dinner. :D
Thinking back I think the only time we would have been "dressed appropriately" would have been Monday night dinner/chapter. He he.

Not just formals - remember Ruthie's pants that my roommate borrowed? ;)

We did, too! In fact, I had one dress (formal) in particular that we started putting little tick marks on, to see how many times it was worn. I actually ended up leaving it there!

pledge book
 

Is there a way I could get an email or PDF of a pledge book? I NEVER got such a thing when I pledged. :(

We no longer have a "pledge" book . We don't call our new members pledges, they are Alphas. So in all technicalities your "pledge" book is your Alpha manual.

And if you didn't get an Alpha manual, well then the NMC did something wrong, because you should have gotten one when you became an Alpha.

Hope this helps :D

I think this, too, has changed. I kinda backed up our MIA TME Advisor this semester, and learned there are folders that are to be given to Alphas but the lessons are all online, not in a manual/book. (The NMC Manual is available on PO, so you could check it out to see what is to be given to the Alphas.)

See I wasn't sure. I was gonng have to pm someone today (if no one responded to this thread). I mean being an alum and a non-advisor, it's really hard to "keep in the loop" of how they change things. I'm kind of sad that they don't give them the folders anymore (although cost wise I see why, but on the other hand the girls do pay some pretty nice fees for initiation in the first place).

My question is my alpha manual it just has information. Like the creed, the psalm, songs, history, etc... So they (alphas) just read everything online now?

That is really sad to me. I still use my alpha manual to this day, whether it is looking up chapters (ours and panhellenic information).

This might sound a little odd, but I treasue this manual. I know it's because I treasue everything I have connected with ADPi. Does that make sense?

I was *just* posting here or on PO, that it would be so useful to have a "check out what's new" link on the members-only portion of PO, to help keep alums abreast of changes. (That includes ADVISOR alums, too - often we don't get the message from the collegians, even at DLC - there are 12 of them there and only a few of us!)

I understand tresuring your manual!! Mine is right here, in my desk drawer! Personally, mine is way too old to contain useful information about chapters or panhel - that is why I check out PO frequently. (It is great for a laugh at how the times have changed!)

As for the creed, songs, history... some of it might be placed into the folders, but alas, most of the history is not handed out, it is available online or in the chapter's "Loyally" volumes.

Most of the stuff is online but there is still an Alpha member packet. I'm not sure what it contains but the order form came in a mailing I got from EO. I'm not as involved in the TME aspect of things since our TME advisor is great and I am already holding down 2 other advisory positions on top of Chapter advisor. We have e-board tonight so I can ask.

We have EB tonight, too! Yet again, it will only be the three of us advisors: Chapter, Recruitment and me. (3 seems to be our magic number - even when we get more than 3 on the Board, only 3 are active.)

Anyway, NOW I understand why NMC objected to my suggestion of just quickly running to the store for folders instead having them mailed by EO! We pledged 15 Alphas - largest class in my 8 years there - and no one bothered to inventory supplies *before* recruitment, so we were short some packets, which the NMC kept referring to as "folders."

YES FOLDERS! Now its coming back to me...I think it is a folder they get.

And 3 seems to be our magic number too. I'm unofficially holding down one of the 2 other positions since its technically filled but ask me when the last time I saw her was? :)

Not to do a mini-hijack, I'm obviously not in CA so I don't know how many alums are involved, but it seems that with so many alums there they would be able to find alums that WANT to be advisors, so that you aren't doing 2 other positions along with the 1 you're supposed to be doing! I mean that's just not fair to you. (end of my mini-hijack and rant :D)

Ah, therein lies the rub!
There are maybe thousand alums within a 50 mile radius of the chapter I advise. The most we've had, active, is 3 - and that is WAY better than when I was just the lonely only.

Isn't it crazy how in some places it is like pulling teeth to find advisors and in others there seems to be a plethora of women wanting to volunteer their time? I know myself and a few other alums would like to be advisors but all the positions are full at Gamma Rho. (Plus, I'm kind of holding out for DG).

It makes me wish I could help out the chapters that need advisors.

Leslie's right we have a lot of alumn too and there are a lot who are interested but there is a selection process entailed. With women who graduated from the same school as the chapter, there have been times that they are interested in helping out but more interested in "perserving chapter traditions" than follow EO rules. Then there are alumn who want to help out and underestimate the time commitment and are soon scared away. Everyone wants to help out but on their own time. I wish it was easier to find people!

then there were 2
 

Yes, at EBoard tonight, there were only 2 advisors, the Chapter and me (Finance). Recruitment didn't make it - and WORSE, she is moving to Chicago in JULY! OMG she was great, she went to DLC, and now she's going!:( (TME was throwing a bridal shower back home and Standards went home for her 8-yr old cousin's birthday party. Both women have had job-related conflicts all semester (except TME who was present for Recruitment!) and their officers are not following up with them or Chapter - or me (I was last year's Standards Advisor also).

I am going to write a Help Wanted ad in the next NJ alum newsletter, describing the committement required for each advisor, telling the time it takes for me to drive there (it IS another state...) and begging for help.

I'm going to be travelling for work, with the new job I start next MON. I will be able to do my job, but won't be able to answer 10,000 questions at midnight during Recruitment. I can't be the only one at MSS until 3AM. I can't be answering all the NMC's questions or questioning the Leadership plans or the Social Event Planning form (wouldn't care if the form wasn't filled out or was filled out in Japanese - so long as all the dang facts were thought about and known more than one week before Formal!).

We need an Alumna Advisor thread to rant - I mean, to share with one another our own experiences. ;)

Bummer Leslie, we actually had a full board last night but I think I attribute that to the 3+ emails I sent out during the week prior to sunday and 2 text messages during the day yesterday as reminders haha.

I hear your concerns about recruitment and believe me I've been there done that but to save your own sanity have you thought about talking to the chapter advisor about requesting a TCC/LC during recruitment?? That might help a bit if you dont find some alum help.

Good luck!

Our alum always seems to be filled. I know it probably has some members who arent always there, but its always filled. Its hard to become a advisor because so many want to be one.

I know we only have one sorority within the Cleveland/Akron area and thats my chapter. The other 2 are about 30-60 mins away and its tough to drive all that way.

I wanted to get involved with the chapter at Ashland U, but its a drive and I wouldnt want to be one who didnt show up much and they asked about where I was all the time. We need more ADPi chapters lol.

I know there are a lot of alums who would love to be a advisor, but cant. Right now with all thats going on with work and my life, I cant dedicate that time. I had to drop out of House Corp because I wasnt ever able to be there and I didnt want to be that person who was never there.

I agree that good, constant communication is a key ingredient in attendance. That's not my job as Finance advisor, although I respectfully do email the others, in a less-official manner so as to not offend the one whose job it IS... ;)

I had a TCC at Formal Recruitment ONCE . That woman will never forget that experience, either. Saw her at DLC and she immediately placed my face and recalled the incident in detail. The Recruitment Director and Province Director also remember in detail. Not my girls' finest moment. Almost topped, but definitely matched, by this year's antics.