Pledge Pin/Formal Attire requirement?
 

Does anybody know which fraternity does not require their pledges to wear the PIN at all times. I heard about ZBT but does anyone know any other frats?

What about formal attire (I'm guessing no frats have zero formal attire requirement...but I might be proven wrong)?

I am just asking out of curiousity.

While it's possible, I doubt that there are many organizations with a national policy like that.

However, on the chapter level, I'm sure that there is probably a fairly sizable number (though still probably a very small %age) that do.

As for a full pledge period with formal attire - that's probably impossible. Too many kids wouldn't stand for it. There were chapters at my alma mater who required formal attire during their I-weeks, but one week is a lot different than several months.

If a sorority member may weigh in -

It might be considered hazing. Pledges being required to wear their pledge pins with formal attire while brothers wear jeans and T-shirts... kinda iffy.

My chapter asks new members to wear their pins whenever plausible, meaning, any time you're out in public and not looking like you just fell out of bed or came back from the gym. If you look presentable, wear your ribbon; if you look particularly spiffy, wear your pin.

formal attire during the whole pledge period.

The only time they take the pin off is for sports, showering, or sleeping. And for the latter two, they better damn well have the pin in eyesight at all times.

I know none who require formal wear and pledge pins as laid back as colleges are today.

Usually it is formal/semi wear for active Badges, but as I said, with the more laid backness it should be eased so members could wear their Badges more often.

pledge pin at all times except activities that make you sweat, being around alcohol, or sleeping. I don't understand how that can be considered hazing, I mean, you should be proud to wear the pin and represent.

we only did formal attire on a certain day of the week during the whole process. shirt+tie+slacks, that sort of thing. again, I can't see how this is considered hazing because it shows you know how to dress presentable and aren't a total slob.

I think the OP is trying to trying to find a fraternity where he'll never have to dress up and wear and his pledge when he feels like, and they probably exist, but doubt they are going to be worth joining.

Suck it up for the pledge period and do what you have to do. If you can't handle it , don't pledge, you aren't cut out for being Greek anyway.

Formal on wednesdays and football games (along with a lot of brothers), pledge pins except for sports, drinking, and sex.

agreed.

if he can't handle wearing the pin or possibly dressing formal once a week (the least of your worries when pledging), he's definitely not cut out for greek life.

First of all, IMVHO, it is Fraternity rather than "frat".
I wear, to Fraternity formal events, my pin. And to anything else I wear a lapel pin.

As for pledges, out side of sporting type events, they wore them at all times while in some sort of street cloths.
And if not worn, know where they are.

Before my sorority affiliated with Kappa, we had pledges wear their pins at all times except for the 5 S's.
1 When you're doing something STUPID
2 SEX
3 SHOWER
4 SLEEP
5 SPORTS

This. And they have to wear a collared shirt tucked in with either khakis (or similar pants in navy) (no jeans) or non-cargo, non-denim shorts that didn't come below their knees anytime they were wearing their pin except for special occasions (formal pledge events, shirt and tie every football game, formal all week the week of initiation). We didn't do a weekly formal day though.

Jorts and cargos shouldn't be worn period.

That's the idea and generally pledges already know that. Occasionally you'll get a kid from way out in the sticks that was never exposed to the idea that you shouldn't wear them though. Every once in a while there will be a top-class kid from the middle of nowhere who knows how to dress, for instance, when his dad takes him into town to go to the country club, but everyone he's regularly around in his hicktown had jorts/cargos as every day wear. You make that rule and he quickly learns that in actual society you look like a fool in them.

This is true.

A small, minor point of order if I may.
From my POV/experience there are cargos and there are cargos.;)
Yes, I think the baggy, ill fitting, low riding type are not to be worn.
However there are, and I have some, ones that are rather tailored and
look rather sharp.

Re a collared shirt, does a polo shirt count or does it have to be a button-down/Oxford shirt?

Polos can look as sloppy as t shirts if you do them wrong, LOL.

For us it was only button-down.

Ok, to cover two fronts.

Polos are acceptable, but if it doesn't look presentable we can send you home to change clothes. Basically what that means is to wear a non-faded polo with a traditional collar (not a floppy one) tucked in fully. We don't make pledges wear certain brands, but there are some that they are usually going to get sent home to change for wearing (AE, Hollister, Abercrombie, etc.) because they generally have a "distressed" look or whatever which takes away the whole point of dressing nice.

And for cargos, the closest I'll come to wearing cargos are some fishing shorts which tend to be fairly short in length, cut more snug than most shorts, but have flat pockets on the side. I don't have a problem with people wearing those (I think most any other cargos look bad though), but pledges have to stick to either normal shorts or long pants. It looks silly to wear fishing shorts with a collar is the main reason.

Understood and agree.
Perhaps I should have said long legged/pant cargoes. I was not referring to shorts nor did I understand that you were.:o

We always said that the rule for any cargo pockets, on shorts or pants, was that unless you were doing something where you would legitimately have "cargo" to carry in them (generally hunting or fishing) not to wear them. So I wouldn't wear them and our pledges can't, but if you want to more power to you.

Can you make that same rule for fat guys and turtlenecks? Please?

Or anyone with turtlenecks for that matter. ;)

Hm, I thought these were NM pins, not Active Badges?

The logic is that our new members, by wearing our pin, are one of the most obvious reflections of our house on campus. We tell them that it's an honor to be pledging our house, so they should dress nicely to wear the pin and show that they're proud to have it.

I think I've heard that some houses nationally have the rule that the pledge pin can only be on a collared shirt as well, not sure which houses they were though.

I have a question about the pledging process. During pledgeship will there be meetings on what to wear for what events and things of that nature? Im just wondering because im really lost on that aspect, especially for mixers and formals and those things.

Usually your pledge-packet (prepared by your pledge trainer, not to be confused with the national book) will tell you what your everyday wear should be. For mixers/socials unless you hear differently you can usually dress for the theme rather than following dress code (ask first though, don't assume my house is the same as yours). And for formals/semi-formals, ask a brother who has been to that event before just how formal it is supposed to be/what he would wear.

Excellent and on point advice for any pledge.

I don't believe this is the case, I'll definitely look into that though. If it is, I believe it is a predominately ignored rule, I know several chapters that wear pledge pins with T-shirts.

Thank you-I will.
And just as we were not on the same page before, I think we are not again.
The type/kind I wear are tailored. Among other features are rather neat, flat pockets.
However I do have a better understanding of your dress codes now.

Thanks guys for explaining that!

I pledged a business fraternity along with my sorority and it got a little crazy wearing both pins. the sorority pin wasn't required at all times like many fraternities because sorority hazing has extremely strict guidelines, but it was expected that you wear it whenever possible. for my business fraternity, you wore your pin at all times unless you had athletic, work, or religious obligations, but you were required to have it on you at those times. you would be in violation of the pledge process and could be removed from the pledge process for multiple offences as it was seen as disrespect against the brotherhood. I have to say, I enjoyed the tougher pledge process in the business fraternity because when I was finally initiated after almost 4 months, I truly felt like I had really worked endlessly to earn the brotherhood. because it was professional it could be a lot tougher than a sorority since the hazing policy isn't so ridiculously detailed as npc's. (did you know that a scavenger hunt is considered hazing?!?!)

Ha yeah along with 3857198456189723485 other things.