How much are you expected to know about your founders?
 

In light of a few recent threads :) I thought I'd throw this out...

I'm sure it's no secret that most GLOs require their new members/pledges/associate members/etc. to take a knowledge test covering things they've learned in new member education - when and where the GLO was founded, who the founders were, what the colors and symbols are, etc. But just how much are you expected to know about your founders? Maiden names, married names, middle names, ages, bra sizes, shoe sizes, ...? Also, same question for information on chapter founders and national officers.

We were required to learn all the founders' maiden names, but not married names. For national officers, we had to learn their current names (if they were married, we didn't have to also know their maiden names). We weren't quizzed on chapter founders because we were the chapter founders, but I don't think NMs in my chapter today are even quizzed on it. All this info is in the NM manual, though (as are the founders' bra sizes, which I could share, but then I'd have to kill you :p ).

Founders full names (including maiden)
National President's name
no chapter founder names :(

I learned the first, maiden, and married names of DPhiE's Five Founders. I also learned a little bit about their careers. They were in law school in 1917 which was rare for women back then. I am not sure how much we were required to learn.

Re: How much are you expected to know about your founders?
 

Actually, in years past there was a membership test that was administered annually to each chapter member by the chapter adviser ....YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS ago (try 50 years).

I didn't have to take one in 1981 :). We learned all the important stuff because we wanted to, but there was no test :).

Re: Re: How much are you expected to know about your founders?
 

What happened if you failed?? <visions of the chapter advisor yoinking pins off people's blouses> :eek:

Last names and what office they held

You know, looking back, I wish we got tested on Founders (and other pertinent history) information AFTER we were initiated -- not just taking the NM Test.

For the NM test we needed to know all 11 Founders' First, Sometimes Middle, Maiden, and Married Name (if any). The information we learned about them came straight from the NM Manual, and usually it was what they were most remembered for: First Grand President, first Alpha Gam Baby, missionary, "First Founder", expert in heraldry, pianist/songwriter, etc.

It wasn't until Maria's daily AGD FunFact thread (and early issues of the Quarterly ) that we started learning lesser known facts about our Founders and early history.

Names - but just maiden, not their married ones...so Frances E. Haven, etc.

Re: Re: How much are you expected to know about your founders?
 

We still have one annually, however, if you fail, you just have to take it over again until you pass.

Why not be required to Learn the Founders Names! It is part of the History of Your Organization! Those that are not interested, well why are they there!?????

What about Local Founders? Should they not be recognized also?

Is not it all History! If it was not for those few, where would you be?

My chapter is at an engineering school. I think they find it more important that we learn the stress levels of composite materials than memorizing the SIXTY-FIVE names hanging on our wall...learning 100 years of local history on top of Gamma Phi Beta history is definitely enough to try and cram in six weeks on top of school.

We learned our founders' names as they were when Theta was founded, and who our first president was.

Besides why they founded the Fraternity, we have to know their full names (thankfully we only have two) and what their professions were (a doctor and a judge.)

We had to learn all twelve founders first, middle/maiden, and last names and spell them correctly.

The year after I pledged, Pi Phi nationals changed the new member test, however. Now new members only have to place a check beside the correct 12 names out of a list of however many names. I thought that that was really silly.