badge attire
 

Hey! I have a question, may be a bit dumb, but I was just wondering.

Once out in the professional world, many companies require what we called "badge attire". Is it acceptable, then, to wear your badge everyday? Or is that overkill?

What do you think?

Yeah, it's an overkill. Don't wear it

Re: badge attire
 

Well...depends on your org's badge restriction. However, I don't know if I'd wear mine *EVERY* day. Maybe once a week or every couple of weeks...sort of makes it special when you do. Of course, you could always invest in recognition pins and go all out.

Re: badge attire
 

Wow.

-Rudey

Once you graduate, your pin goes into a box. It is worn at appropriate Greek functions. If you wear Greek apparel in business settings, you will be viewed as someone who still displays the thoughts, beliefs, and maturity of a typical college student.

ETA to add the word "student"

I wear my pin on NPC Badge Day, ASA Celebration Days (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Hermes' Day-May 25th, and Founder's Day), and I sometimes wear it to my National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) meetings, next to my NAWIC Badge.

I disagree. It's not like you are wearing a letter sweatshirt or something. How can we preach "lifetime membership" if we think this way? Plus, the chairman, CEO, and executive VP of my company wear their college rings EVERY DAY and proudly display their diplomas in their offices - although for some it's been 30+ years since they graduated. Does that mean they have the maturity of a college student?

...waiting for the NPHC members to weigh in on this one.

Let me guess, Duquesne?

I COULD wear mine daily, but I don't. I wear it when we have board meetings and other big events. I still have a lavalier I wear at times, and I have a few other AXO pins I've received over the years. All are small and subtle.

LOL. 2 Duq, 1 Penn State.

I'm glad I didn't go to Duquesne. I'm not a fan of that ring. Maybe because seeing it brings back memories of one of my HS teachers who was the hugest Duquesne promoter and was always flashign that thing around...

Odd that you mention that, when I was in Dublin this week, I recognized a guy as a Pittsburgher because he was wearing a Duquesne ring. Unnoticable they're not.

But when I graduate, I think I'll wearing my collegiate/alum pin on special occasions, and keep my wee rose pin for more everyday things. That's what they made rec badges for :-)

Public perception is different when it comes to Greek apparel or pins than it would be for -- say-- a college ring.

The organizations preach lifetime committment, but I have yet to see any NPC with mandatory alumnae requirements. If that happened, we'd see it taken more seriously and public opinion would be different.

A college ring and diploma are not the same thing as GLO membership, and they are not an equal comparison.

Oh Geez, I'd forgotton about those! You don't see those outside of Pittsburgh, but it seemed like most of my high school teachers sported those rings.

I agree. And you know what? I would find it pretty disturbing that someone was so into their organization after college.

-Rudey

I work on a college campus but those of us who are Greek, we don't wear our badges. We do wear them to Panhellenic Advisor Meetings and luncheons and on NPC badge day you'll see some alumnae wearing their badges. I sometimes wear an AOII ring I have or a necklace I have. You can have a ring made through headquarters' Emporium that will hold your badge and make it into a ring, that might be okay. I would just worry about it falling it off or getting scratched up too much.

Should you wear it every day? No. Once in a while, why not?

None of the negative stereotypes will change if we keep being so chickensh!t about what might be going through other people's heads. Maybe if more people were proud of their affiliation as alums, we could go toward having mandatory alum requirements.

And before anyone asks, no, I don't wear my pin to work, because 1) I don't believe the business casual clothes I wear are appropriate pin attire 2) when I do wear what would be considered pin attire, it's at a function where alcohol is served and I don't wear my pin then. I do, however, usually wear my college ring, which has my letters on it. I've yet to hear of anyone having a problem with it.

It's not that anyone is going to express a verbal problem. I'd rather not be the butt of their water cooler jokes or get passed off for an assignment or promotion because someone gets the wrong impression of me. I think anyone should do what works for them. If wearing your badge to work makes you happy, go for it. I just wouldn't do it.

It's not about being chickensh!t. It simply isn't important enough to me to be the martyr to change public perception about Greek Organizations by wearing my pin to a business function. I'm not hiding the fact that I am a member of a GLO. But I'm not broadcasting it either-- the same as I'm not going to broadcast my sexual orientation or political affiliation in a business setting.

If you work around students, then I can see where it would be a good thing to show off your letters now and then, as with OleMissGlitter.

Re: badge attire
 

Personally, I would think it was weird, but not because you're representing your org at work - I just think it's weird to be wearing an official pin outside of a fraternity/sorority context. That's just what I personally am used to. So it would raise my eyebrow. (I know that my Phi Kapp fiance is supposed to wear his pin whenever he gets dressed up - but the only time he ever really gets dressed up that I see him, he's usually doing some kind of fraternity thing. I don't know what he'll do when he graduates - I doubt he's thought about it.)

Unless you have 8 kabillion dangles on it, for a lot of people, you can't even tell what the pin IS unless you get up close to it - and considering where pins are worn, you have a definite sexual harassment suit going on if that happens. :p

I don't think being a member of a GLO compares to either sexual orientation or political affiliation - since you can be of any political party and any sexual orientation, and still be in a GLO. It's apples and oranges.

Back to the NPHC members: pretty much every day, I see women toting their AKA/DST/ZPhiB/SGRho bags, or with stickers on their cars - and I mean women who haven't been in college for a while. This city being what it is, I'm guessing some of them work in offices that are mainly white and full of people who have no clue about graduate membership or anything like that and think that all fraternities and sororities are pretty much the same. But guess what? They're proud enough of their affiliation that they aren't going to hide it for fear of what some closed-minded person might think. And like I said, until the NPC and NIC groups start behaving like that, we're going to have the same problem with everyone thinking "being Greek is only a college thing."

Do you live in the South?

I'd advise it then. I know my dad wears his pin alot of days, and most of his co-workers do as well.

:D Definitely plan to sport my 'nalia to work (once I have a job ...). I mean, nice stuff is nice stuff, and if it happens to have my letters on it, well, that just makes it even nicer ;)

I could never put my badge in a box and not wear it except to events. I have it on a ring so I can wear it when dressed up, and it stays on fine.
I have my sorority listed on my resume with all the leadership positions that i have held. Would you all consider that the same context? I woldn't.

While I am still trying to formulate all of this in My Minds Eye.:rolleyes:

Why would You no matter what GLO want to wear Your Badge Daily?

Maybe a Ring, or Lavalier, but not Your Badge.

Letters in a fashionable way is fine, but in the Proffesional world is a huge difference.

Say for instance that You belong to The Mule Society of America, do You wear Your Ass on Your Chest at work?:rolleyes:

There's a big difference between NPHC alumnae/alumni involvement and expectations and NPC/NIC-- when NPC women go alum, it's "thanks for joining, have a nice life and come back and see us sometime." NPHC has a much more active alumni component, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash at someone toting around an AKA bag, decorating her desk with elephants, etc. If NPC passed a unanimous resolution demanding that alumnae matain a minimium level of post-college involvement to retain their membership status, it would be very different.

Is my office covered in lions and violets? Heck no. This doesn't mean I don't support my organization. But there's a time and a place, and it's not at work.

33, you're right. Politics and GLOs aren't apples to apples. I mis-spoke when I made that reference.

Re: Re: badge attire
 

Right. We don't wear the official pin like that.

I don't think anything's wrong with wearing unofficial pins. This partially depends on the culture of the work environment.

I agree with a lot of what 33girl was saying. It isn't unusual for me to see post-graduate BGLO members wearing unofficial pins or other organizational symbols when they are at work or at church. These are people who have been out of undergrad for 8 years or 60 years.

Re: badge attire
 

Overkill. Definately.

Wait and see when you are in the office. Come back and post your impressions and if you wore it daily or not. I would hazard no. Offices tend to not be places where you express your outside affiliations. Even at alumnae meeting you'll find 99% of the people don't wear their pins. It's just different.

I don't wear by Badge everyday because it's the one with all pearls. Others might think that I'm trying to be a snob;) .

I do wear my Squirrel neckace almost everyday (very few people have even commented on it.)

I did wear my Badge as a ring for a while but I was afraid that one of the pearls, esp. the center one, would get knocked off. When youve had it 3 decades, you''re careful, lol.

I do have a plain Badge (no pearls). The A stands out. I haven't worn it alot because I don't go to that many places where I would want too, lol.

Even if I don't wear by Badge or squirrel necklace, I definitely mention that I'm an Alpha Gamma Delta whenever I can and often!!:D

This post made me smile. :)

Me too.
I have a rose ring I wear from time to time.... and a green and white bracelet that I wear some times also. In my old office I had some white roses that my boss gave me for christmas. She did not know it was Kappa Delta's flower so it had double significance.

As you grow older your fraternity is not your priority. That's just the way it is. In college, my senior year I spent most of my time looking for jobs and dealing with a brutal recruiting season. Post college, I'm more concerned with figuring out what I want to do for the rest of my life and how to make lots of money so I can retire young because this working world is brutal. There is no way that I would make eliminating Greek stereotypes as a priority for myself. I think when I was most involved, I still didn't care anyway and I sure as heck don't now.

I don't walk around with political tshirts and pins from countries I've visited, so I don't see how this is different.

We are not the NPHC. There is a heavy emphasis on our college years when it comes to greek life. It's not good or bad, but just different.

-Rudey

The way it was explained to me is that the badge is not for everyday wear regardless of whether it is a ring/badge/etc. You just don't wear it daily, I guess they feel like it might take the "specialness" out of it.

KR, This should bring back memories for your hubby.

"What a crass mass of brass and glass!
What a bold mold of rolled gold! See how it sparkles and shines! It must have cost you a fortune! May I touch it please, Sir?"

-------
I wear my badge and A Pin for any military, sorority, collegiate and other women's group function. Many times it's been an icebreaker for meeting new people to our organizations.

Re: badge attire
 

Everyday would be a bit much. I'd suggest a more "everyday" piece of AOII-related jewelry (ring, necklace, bracelet, etc). I have a Tiffany-style bracelet engraved with my letters that I wear in more professional settings.

Everyday would be hardcore overkill. I'll probably wear mine when I go to court or maybe some professional function but just because I'm going to be wearing pin attire every day for the rest of my life (:() doesn't mean I'll wear my pin.

I know most of the male attorneys where I'll be practicing are fraternity alums who only break out their pins for special occasions or a Greek function.

My sorority is still a priority. :) Not THE priority or THE ONLY priority but A priority. It will always be A priority as long as God blesses me with funds to be financial and the time and resources to be active. Maybe that's about the NPHC culture that stresses not only lifetime membership but VISIBLE lifetime membership. However, there are also IFC and NPC members who feel the same as I do.

Either case, we should have all learned how to multitask when we were college students. People can't occasionally wear 'nalia and be an XYZ while focusing on (God/their spirituality and) family and career? I didn't think this thread was about an either/or scenario. :)

In his last paragraph, Rudey says it isn't good or bad, just different. But he begins his post with "as you grow older your fraternity is not your priority. That's just the way it is." That reads like a value judgment to me.

I'm a critical care nurse where we focus on cardiac issues. I wear our philanthropy pin which is a heart with a stick figure person on it. Everyone thinks it's so cute. I wear a red dress pin also for women's heart disease so it goes with what I do. When people ask what the heart is and where I got it so they can get one then I tell them about our philanthropy "Choose Children" and what kind of things we do/have done. I know it's not my quill, but I thought I'd throw my story in.

I'll have to disagree also. From my own grad chapter experience, I've seen my sorors go through stages.

The first stage (transition into grad from undergrad, and still single): the sorority is still very important. You are still very active in chapter events.

Stage 2: the married / mom soror: At this stage, the soror may or may not be as active. If she is active her activity is not as much as the first stage.

Stage 3: the kids are out of school stage: This soror has returned to become active in the chapter again beacuse now she has more time on her hands.

I don't wear my badge very often, and as you get out of college, chances are you won't wear yours as often. I'd like to wear mine more, but I would probably lose it at the 2-3 construction sites I visit during a week.