NMs in letters.
 

I know this has been discussed before, but I'm curious.

I go to an all local school so a LOT of things are done differently, but we are not permitted to wear letters until we are initiated, except on wednesdays when all pledges of all sororities are required to wear their pledging sweatshirt.

Also the first set of letters you get is stitched letters in your family pattern that your big gets you after initiation.

What are your rules about pledges wearing letters?

I didn't mind not getting to wear letters, I was so excited to the day after initiation.

Kinda curios, what's an "all school"? Ok never mind, all local school. Should read it slowly. It really depends on the local culture. Some are ok with it, some are downright hostile to it. We weren't allowed to wear letters until we crossed. But that's like over 11 years ago since I graduated.

all local? All our greek sororities and fraternities are local. We are not permitted to go national by our administration.

ZTA new members are allowed to wear letters, however, until their initiation, they are not allowed to possess or wear anything with our coat of arms on it.

Alpha Chi is the same- although we don't go as far as to prohibit possession, just the wearing of the coat of arms (or crest) before their initiation.

I was told the same thing when I was a new member but have since been told there's nothing saying new members can't possess/wear the armorial bearings. I've never checked, so I don't know what the real deal is. But either way, letters are definitely allowed.

it is part of the new member education(handbook in my day, computer program nowadays) in ZTA that they learn "no coat of arms until they are initiated".

Back in the day, we couldn't wear crests until we were initiated. I don't think this is the case any longer though. It's kind of a moot point as I can't remember the last time I saw anyone in a crest sweatshirt. The last ones I saw that weren't an iron-on were hella expensive and not that attractive.

We could wear letters from bid day on. We also never had/don't have any differentiation about "stitched" letters (this is the one that always kills me - like an extra layer of fabric is a big deal). Leters are letters, screen print, stitched, embroidered, spelled out, whatever. We also have an open motto that corresponds to our letters (in English and in Greek).

Every campus has its own culture, and NMs should never be "forced" to wear letters just to show that they're not being kept from wearing them (if that makes sense).

I don't know if this is Theta-wide, but in my chapter you don't wear letters (clothes, car decals, facebook "about me" section, anything) until you are initiated. You can wear things that have, "Kappa Alpha Theta" written out, though, so that's what's on our bid day shirts and totes for new members. I haven't heard anything about wearing our coat of arms, but then again it really isn't printed on too much, either. I'm guessing you can't wear that either until you are initiated.

^ I know my Theta chapter is the same, even though lots of other sororities on campus give out lettered shirts and totes on bid day. I'd say on my campus it's a pretty even split - half let you, half don't. I'm in charge of designing recruitment shirts and bid-day totes and this has presented a minor challenge!

Re: The crest thing...

A LOT of chapters at my school have crest sweatshirts (mainly zip up hoodies) with the crest on the back and letters on the front. Many of them are VERY cute

That's the ADPi party line, too.

In fact, I was thinking about the "no letters on non-initiated members" bit in the past few weeks with the flooding and all. If I came across someone who was desperate for clothing, and all I had was a letter shirt, I would rather give it to someone who needed it than keep someone from wearing my letters. Isn't that what it's all about?

PS: I'm not talking about a sleepover or something like that - I mean a time when you can change someone's life.

true!

Our sororities and frats are national, but it's a campus policy for pledges not to wear letters until they are initiated, but most of the sororities are required to wear our pledge shirts EVERY DAY during the pledge process:eek:. no joke.

I've never heard of a campus regulating that.