Pledging Requirements
 

On the APO Website one of the pledging standards (number 12) is:

So if active brothers are required to complete 15 hours of service in a semester, does that mean pledges must complete 15 hours during their pledge period or just by the end of the semester?

A chapter's bylaws would address that issue. If not, and it IS indeed an issue, then it's probably time to revise whatever standing orders or bylaws a chapter has regarding pledging.

Re: Pledging Requirements
 

Each chapter defines the amount of service hours they will require for Brothers to maintain active status, and the amount of service each pledge must perform during their pledge period.

Most chapters expect all pledges to finish their required amount of service during their pledge period. That's usually a requirements before they can be inducted into membership.

Per national rules, a pledge can not be required to complete more service hours then actives. But you do touch on something that many chapters don't realize: actives have an entire semester to complete their service hours (usually 16 weeks or so), whereas pledges ONLY have their pledge period, which may range from 6 to 10 weeks. So the pledges have less time to complete their hours. So, is it fair to expect the pledges to complete the same amount of hours as actives, when they have LESS time to do so?

Right now we have that Pledges must complete 10 hours of service during their pledge period and 15 by the end of the semester. Actives must complete 15 by the end of the semester as well.

So is that legit or is that against the APO National Rules? (We can easily revise it and have pledges complete 15 hours during the pledge period since 95 percent of them do so anyway.)

Is that an additional 15, or a total of 15 by the end of the semester?

That's a weird requirement. Not aware of any other chapter that does that.

Most chapters once they induct a pledge as a Brother view them as 'active' at least thru the end of the semester they activated. They don't have to start worrying about racking up service hours for active status until the next semester. To me, doing this would be the equivalent of asking the pledge to pay their dues as an active for the semester they activated. It just doesn't seem fair.

No, am not aware of any National policy that forbids this. It just doesn't strike me as far.

A bit of a tangent, but I just found my pledge handbook and thought I'd share what my pledge requirements were, back in Fall 1993.

• 25 service hours (12 of which had to be performed at chapter-sponsored activities, 5 of which had to be pledge project hours...those could also apply to the 12 chapter hours)
• Attend Induction and Initiation
• Participate on two committees: one pledge and one active
• Attend 6 of 9 Pledge meetings
• Attend 3 active meetings
• Attend at least one Big/Little function or do 2 service hours with your Big Brother.
• Complete six quizzes, 90% or better
• Get pledge paddle signatures: 30 pledges, 10 actives, all the exec board members, 1 faculty advisor, and 1 non-Mu chapter brother

That last requirement would probably be considered hazing these days...but most of the people in my pledge class actually got all the signatures and then some.

Getting signatures is not in itself hazing. If you're forced to do something to get the signature, or its very difficult to get signatures and that can prevent you from activating- that can push it into hazing. I would be concerned about the numbers (30 pledges if you have less then that), having to get all of the exec board member's (what if one refuses to give their signature? uh, you're screwed), and getting a non-chapter Brother's signature (may be hard for some chapters if there aren't any opportunities to do so).

I meant that they have to complete fifteen hours by the end of the semester and ten of those must be during pledging. Does that make more sense?

Our chapter usually goes the extra mile when it comes to brothers and pledges:

-40 service hrs for brothers/20 hrs. for pledges

-Pledges must attend 90% of their meetings, and 3 Brother meetings (Same required for brothers, except vice versa).

-Wear APO pledge jersey on Thursdays (Brother meeting days^Brothers encoraged to wear their letters)

-Gain 5 signatures from each member of active brotherhood and advisors (Honorary, Alumni, Associate, and Inactive brother signatures may count toward extra credit on quizzes).

-90% proficiency on pledge tests,/Satisfactory performance on midterm and final exams

-Wear pledge pin (except during 4 S's)

-Participate in Adventure Week activities

Is that 40 hours in a year or per semester?

Per semester.