How strict is your pledge ed programs...?
 

I was talking to a brother from another school and they require no smoking, no drinking, and no TELEVISION while a pledge is pledging. Is this comon, and do other places have strict and weird pledge policies? I mean, it seems a little out there

As long as the New Member follows the structure of the New Member Program set forth by our IHQ, then the chapter has no right to dictate whether or not she can smoke or drink during the New Member period. What she does in her personal time is her business.

I was a smoker (still am) during my pledge period (as it was called then), and it was never a problem because I never smoked at official events. All official events are non-smoking anyway.

Re: How strict is your pledge ed programs...?
 

I would think that most national organizations' policies regarding their pledge/new member programs would not allow chapters to have such requirements. I think that most orgs would view such restrictions as hazing, or very close to. This seems to get into some of the 'behavior modification' that used to go on in some pledge programs (along with calestenics, etc), that is no longer allowed.

However, that doesn't mean that particular chapters are doing this.

I agree OTW. Whatever a New Member does on her personal time is up to her, we have no right to tell them not to do anything. We ahve to follow the New Member program set by our Nationals.

Pledge Requirements
 

I had a chapter president tell me once that their pledges were required to wear a collar shirt tucked in at all fraternity-related functions. I asked him what happens once they're initiated and his response was, "collar shirt tucked in at all fraternity-related functions."

Interesting way of doing things. This chapter has a country club atmosphere/setting and I can see how this would be a requirement.

I think a lot of your "no smoking/drinking/sex/tv/etc" rules are created at the chapter level.

Re: Pledge Requirements
 

I know that, I was just curious how common it is for chapters of any fraternity nation wide

Most of the fraternity chapters at Nebraska usually have some rules governing when pledges can drink. One chapter has a ban on TV, not even allowing them to be brought into pledge rooms. Pledges are allowed to watch tv during special exceptions to the rule (football games and major news events mainly). Of course this ends up being a de facto ban on video games as well.

My chapter does not allow pledges to drink from noon Sunday to 5pm on Thursday when in Lincoln. Obviously it is a very carefully crafted rule that allows a great time but you get your work done too. Interestingly, most people usually follow this same habit of drinking through their four years for the most part, or at least solidly until they turn 21.

Re: How strict is your pledge ed programs...?
 

That chapter is hazing. Period. So is any other chapter that says you can't do x, y, or z on your free time.

Re: Re: How strict is your pledge ed programs...?
 

That is my/my chapter's thinking as well. Every other sorority (and I'm pretty sure all the fraternities) on campus forbids their NM from drinking. Now, we all know that unless you are 21 you can't drink (in the US)- let me just put that out there. But who am I, as an active, to tell a NM they can't drink just because she is a pledge. We are lead to believe that hazing is anything that seperates a NM from an active. Forbiding drinking to NM seperates that woman from a sister, therefore it is hazing. It is one thing to say "No drinking during new member events" but quite another to say "You can't drink at all until you are initiated."

Re: Re: How strict is your pledge ed programs...?
 

Yes. Anyway, why would someone put up with that sort of crap?

At my school I believe it's mandated by the school that you have a dry pledge period at least for some part. It's up to the sorority to decide how long the dry period is for. It varies from a week to the entire time I think.

It's one thing to say that certain times should be alcohol free (like pre initiation week or rush week or what have you) but that's for the whole brotherhood or sisterhood, not just the pledges.

DRY PLEDGE PERIODS ARE HAZING. My sorority figured this out in like 1972!!! I can't believe there are still people who put up with it. I also can't believe there is a school rule for it - that's so far beyond what an admin can do it's ridiculous.

Yes, at some campuses the whole pledge class is underage so it's a moot point - but at many other campuses they are not, and Canada is a whole other issue. I would bet the majority of Canadian pledges are legal drinking age.

Imagine if someone said "you can't eat meat while you are pledging" or "you can't take aspirin while you are pledging." While you are at designated pledge activities - yes, the GLO can tell you what to do. But the minute you walk out of the activity you are on your own time and you can drink and smoke while watching a Nazi porn movie if you want to.

It's not really a moot point because we all know how much underage drinking goes on.

When I pledged we were told we were required by sorority bylaws that we had to follow state, local and college laws/policies or we could be depledged. I doubt that this was made up and would bet that other orgs have the same type of clause. You can be released for illegal activity, underage drinking is illegal.

I have to say that I think in the (very) long list of things that are considered hazing, this is a minor item. I don't see anything wrong with telling pledges that they can't drink from Noon sunday till 5pm thurs. What else are they gonna do? Study, bond w/actives while sober? I know people take things to far, but asking people to refrain from excess can help create healthy habits in my opinion. I do wonder how many of the chapters that don't allow drinking for a period of the pledge program have had drinking problems.

You missed my point.

Yes, we have to follow "state, local & college laws" - that has been in our bylaws as long as I can remember. The reason it was written that way was due to different drinking ages in diffferent states & countries. Obviously if you are under 21 in the USA you shouldn't be drinking, whether you're a sister or a pledge. That's what I meant by saying the point was moot - if you're at Bama where the whole pledge class is 18 year old freshmen it's kind of like telling a man with no legs not to run too fast.

The thing is, if you are 21, and have a drink on your way home from whatever pledge activity you were at, you aren't breaking any of those laws. It's wrong to tell you you're not allowed to do something that is perfectly legal for you, ON YOUR OWN TIME.

This is anything BUT a minor item, as it says "hey, once you sign your bid, your free time is no longer your own." That's a very slippery slope. It leads to things like that no television garbage in the original post.

Actually, if it's a private school, the school can make any rules they want.