Hazing and Pledge Pins
 

I know this should probably go on the hazing boards but i think i'd get a better and honest response on here. I was talking with some friends of mine who aren't greek and they told me that wearing pledge pins is considered hazing. Aparrently its hazing because they have to wear them all the time. Im like that is ridiculous!!! Ya they have to wear them all day and night except when they are playing sports, sleeping or taking a shower. I feel that if your a pledge you should be proud to wear your pledge pin....i know i was. So do you guys consider wearing your pledge pin hazing. This hazing stuff is getting way outta control....i told them maybe i should sue the school because all these term papers are causing me mental anguish.....the college is hazing me!! LOL! =) What do you guys think? People also want to make the term pledge disapear and change it to something like LXA's associate member. I think that is crazy too....a pledge is a pledge is a pledge...doesn't matter if you call them associate member, new guys or whatever. The only difference is they don't know the ritual and i have. I think the term Brother and Pledge should stay the same.

hey bro, I totally agree there is too much PC crap out there. we have to label people sometimes, I don't think pledge is derogatory name but some panzy waist liberals do. Sorry, i just can't stand democrats. LOL. As for wearing the pledge pin, my chapter has always had the rule, do not wear the pin unless your in a tie, and never when drinking. I figured all chapter did that until I visited one and I saw a pledge wandering aroung the house in a t-shirt w/ pin. It shocked me, but I see how at big schools were there is 100 bros and 40 pledges you kinda need to know whos who at the begining of the semester.

In Hoc

My nationals does consider requiring the girls to wear pledge pins to be hazing. It's completely nuts!

At my school Sigma Chi is the only group that requires their pledges to wear their pins. But they have to wear a collared shirt w/ it at least. So it's very rare to see a Sigma Chi pledge in a t-shirt http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Personally I think that pledges should be thrilled to wear their pins, not forced. I don't really consider it hazing though. Given that, I still feel sorry for the Spring pledges that have to wear their pins all summer! LOL

I would be thrilled to wear a pin.

Personally I feel that it isn't hazing if you are required to wear a pledge pin. I know that when I pledged I was proud to wear my pin so that everyone knew I was pledging. I know that at my school all of the fraternities and sororities require the pledges to wear their pins. Most of the organizations even require pledges to wear them at parties (hidden of course). Some of the honors fraternities even require it at my school. The only thing that I wouldn't like was if you had to wear a big piece of stupid felt under the pledge pin every day. That is what one of the honors fraternities on my campus requires. It looks so gay.

When I was a Beta Pledge I was always proud to wear my pledge pin and wear my kelly green jacket on Wednesdays. I never saw it as a requirement. I liked the fact that others knew I pledged Beta. It was an honor. We always wore our pins with at least a collared shirt. Never with T-shirts. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Kevin
Beta Theta Pi Alum
Epsilon Mu
George Mason

[This message has been edited by Miami1839 (edited February 25, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Miami1839 (edited February 25, 2001).]

So that is why the Sigma Chi pledges were always lookin' so GQ http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif. When I was in school, the DZ pledges had to wear their pledge pins with "pin attire" aka no jeans like the rest of the sororities could. (one reason I didn't go DZ - I didn't have enough dressy-up clothes for 6 weeks.)

During my sorority pledge time, we had to wear our pledge pins & ribbons 8-5 (or whenever our first class was) on the weekdays. We never had to wear them on the weekends or to midweek mixers or anything so we were never set apart as pledges in a social situation. A Phi O was way worse on this - there were supposedly pledges living with brothers who had to wear their pledge pins in their earring-hole in the shower. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif

UNF, I totally agree with you about use of the word "pledge." It is not what you say it is how you say it. I felt honored to be a pledge and was never degraded, so I didn't mind the word at all. I'm sure if an org is of the mindset, "new member" or whatever can sound way uglier than pledge or anything else you could say.

I think pledges should be thrilled to wear their pins too - but a lot of times, they get indoctrinated before pledging or even rush begins that anything asked of them is hazing. Think for yourselves people. If you don't mind wearing a pledge pin don't let someone tell you you should.

This is interesting.
If a fraternity would consider wearing a pledge pin hazing. Would it still be ok to wear it, if the pledge class decided out of their free will that they wanted to? Could the National prohibit that?
Just wondering http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I've heard of individual men's chapters making the pledges wear the pins ALL the time. So when the pledges are bathing or showering, they either hold it in their teeth, or they get an ear pierced and stick the pledge pin in there, until they get clothed again.

The holding in their teeth could be considered hazing, considering the choking hazard. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif



[This message has been edited by CutiePie2000 (edited February 25, 2001).]

While I may be considered an Old Fart to MY BROTHERS, if I Associated with an organization, I would be proud to wear my button to show Who I am going to be member of!! If not do not join.

------------------
Tom Earp LX Z#1
Pittsburg State U. (Kansas)

I pledged an NPC sorority last year. We got our pledge pins in a nice ceremony on bid night. The older girls suggested that we wear them on Mondays (chapter days when the actives are supposed to dress nice and wear their pins to class)... but it was never required of us. But anyway, I always wore mine on Mondays and other days too, since I was proud of my group and excited to be pledging it. If the new members don't WANT to wear their pledge pins, something is wrong.

At my school most pledges have to wear their pins. I'm supposed to wear it at all times (even when sleepin and on my way to the shower!) The only exception is when we are drinking, and then we have to wear them on our bra strap so the no one can see them. We have to have them because the sisters check on us all the time.
I don't consider it hazing because the definition of hazing is something that morally or physically degrades you such as having to drink until you puke or something. Wearing a pin doesn't fit into that category, at least not by my standards.
I'm proud to wear my pin and i'd do it even if i didn't have to.

I only consider it hazing because you are forcing them to do it..and not the whole brother/sisterhood has to do so, just the pledges..and because the actives make physical checks to make sure that you are hazing. I personally think its disrepectful to wear the pledge pin, or the active badge when you are not dressed for it.but thats just my opinion..

Wearing a Pledge Pin, Hazing? Crazy.
Pledge is a fine word, not rude or disrespecful.
From my experiences, most organizations that are anal about the use of the word "Pledge" have got far more important issues to consider worrying about.
Maybe it's the CRAZY CANADIAN way, but I know when I was pledging, I had my pin on me ALL THE TIME. At work or in a bar, under my shirt; In class or at a function, on my shirt over my heart. A pledge is not IN the fraternity yet, so that pin is the ONLY thing physically connecting them to the organization. They should be proud to wear it. That's my take anyway.
Lates,
Valoise

------------------
Sigma Pi Fraternity- Come find us, before your girlfriends do.

I think that you should be proud to wear your pin. All the pledges of the fraternities at my school are required to wear one. The only fraternity that it could be considered hazing with is Lambda Chi. If a girl touches their pin, they have to give her a kiss. You'll have those random girls out there who go around touching all the pledge's pins for some cheap thrill.

[This message has been edited by ZTAngel (edited February 26, 2001).]

WHEN I PLEDGED I WAS PROUD TO WEAR MY PLEDGE PIN!!!! I WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT I WAS JOINING AN AWESOME ORGANIZATION!!

If you don't want show who you are proud to be with then do not join. Simple as that!! It is not hazing!!

------------------
Tom Earp LX Z#1
Pittsburg State U. (Kansas)

Having to wear your pin is considered hazing by my sorority. But we all liked wearing them, so we did when in pin attire. But I know most of my sisters were afraid of losing it.

Well, for us the pledge pin is the only set of letters pledges can wear, so it's pretty much the way to rock letters around campus. Definitely a pride thing.

Rob

My question for you all is this:
If you do not consider "making a pledge wear his/her pledge pin hazing" then what happens if they are caught NOT wearing it?
Obviously something must happen or else they wouldn't wear it all the time.
Now lets remember something. We don't HAZE. PERIOD! Granted, I agree... someone should be thrilled to wear their pledge pins. However some pledges are still not sure if ABC organization is for them. Personally I don't take well to being told that I "HAVE TO DO SOMETHING". I'd drop an organization like that in a heartbeat!
So, while it sounds stupid remember that it isn't. Wearing pledge pins all the way to the shower, in earholes, on bra straps at parties... these are all things that could cause a person to feel embarassed or threatend (what are the consequences if I don't wear my pledge pin?).
And another question I have is if you all are supposed to wear your pledge pins all the time (even under your shirts at parties) then how do you feel about drinking with letters on?!?! Just something to think about!
Greek Love,
Hootie

------------------
What do you get when you cross and Alpha Omicron Pi and a Sigma Phi Epsilon? A beautiful Chi Omega!!!

No disrespect intended, but this makes me wonder how you bacame a member of a sorority at all. I'm sure every organization has requirements that a pledge must complete b4 s/he becomes a fully initiated member and in the light of "you want to be an abc," there are some things you HAVE to do, not because your big sisters just made it up for you to do 15 minutes ago, but because it's part of the organization's sanctioned & LEGAL pledge/intake process. For some organizations, it's wearing a pledge pin, dressing a certain way, being at certain functions at certain times, learning certain material. Who are we to say, as members of our individual organizations, that a small detail like wearing a pledge pin is hazing across the board?

Now, I agree that having a pledge have the pin on their person 24/7 is a bit much. That bit about holding it in your teeth while you're in the shower was REALLY doing too much. What if you swallow it or if you drop it & step on it? (ouch!) But under normal, fully clothed circumstances and as long as it's checked DISCRETELY (in the case of wearing it on your bra strap), I don't see the issue with requiring a pledge to wear a pin.

Personally, i don't know that the actual act of drinking while wearing letters is the problem - it's how one acts while wearing letters. So if a pledge wants to drink with his pin on, well he has the responsibility of representing his fraternity at the same time. We trust them to make the right decisions in every scenario while wearing their pin, including ones like this.

I don't think drinking with your letters on is a problem at all. I do it from time to time. Usually when a bunch of us go out we just hang out and chill at a bar or whatever. We get wild and crazy at our parties. I also drink in my badge sometimes when we go out after chapter to watch football or whatever at a sports bar. The reason why i and several others drink in our badge is because there are pictures of our founders drinking in their badges as well. So thats why no one has a problem with it. Pledges wear their pins if they can drink as well.

At my school all the sorority pledges (not sure about the fraternities) had to wear their pledge pins, but it was an HONOR! It was a wonderful feeling standing out from those who weren't greek, or even those in different GLO's. I never considered it hazing, although some people definitely thought it was. I was proud to stand out.

Erin http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
Rise and shine and become a Kappa Gamma!

Hmmm, I don't see anything wrong with drinking in a dignified manner. But, we all know that not all college drinking goes on in a dignified manner. I've been known to take off my lavalier before going into a bar. If someone sees you drinking with your letters, it just emphasizes the notion that Greeks are nothing but a bunch of lushes. We're not, but especially at my school, I don't want to give the anti-Greeks any more ammunition against us.

Great point KSig RC - I aggree with you 100%!
Responsibility is the clou!