lavaliering @ U of Cincy (SAE)
 

My friend is an SAE at the U of Cincinnati. We got on the subject of lavaliering and pinning. He isn't quite sure how it works at our univeristy... if there is a difference between the two, and what the exact significance is (pre-enagement, or just the girlfirend being considered equal or above the brothers) but doesn't want to ask his brothers because he'd probably get some slack for it. I was going to ask my sisters for him but I figured that I'd pose the question here on the off chance that one of you goes to UC.

I personaly feel that it matters more what he thinks lavaliering or pinning means to him and his girlfriend... but it would still be nice to give him a better answer than that.

any comments are appreciated... Thanks Guys!

I thought it was universal that lavaliering is a step down from pinning.

I've never heard it any other way than lavaliering > pinning > engagement > wedding.

well the way I always heard it was:

lavalier/pinning > your fraternity brothers get to haze the crap out of you, but hey you really love her right so you will take it biiiiiiiiitch > engagement > wedding > cough cough don't do it frank

thanks guys... thats all basicly what I thought... but I'm a new greek and didn't want to pass along false information. Thanks!

LOL - actually, the most honest way!

It is unless you don't pin; my chapter didn't do pinning, just lavaliering. If you lavaliered someone, it was a step down from engagement.

Pinning is more serious though - going from wearing someone's letters to wearing someone's badge is a serious step.

lol I think my chapter always thought it was the same thing.

6 dudes have pinned women. I'll tell you what, they probably never knew what the term lavalier meant. I never heard of that word before in my life until GC, and even when I saw it, I thought all you people were freaks and meant to spell Cavalier. So then I thought, why they hell do these chicks want to get Cavaliered? Dude, I thought a Cavalier was some kind of aristocrat or something. So then I had to look it up. And yeah, I thought you were all crazy for the longest time.

Anywyas, what is the difference then? Is lavaliering just saying " hey baby girl wear this necklace and tell everyone you're mine cuz I'm yo suga daddy" ?

Is there some kind of special pinning ceramony like the way they did on saved by the bell ?

In my chapter the guys just stood up and made an announcement during meeting. You could always tell what was coming too becuase these guys were always the most whooped up dudes who never spoke. And they would make some really gay speech as if it was some big super big deal. Here is what one would sound like:

The Dude-"Thank you Mr. President. Well brothers...

Bobbythedon thinks in his head: well brother? what the hell is he doing up? Oh god is he going to pin whats her name? Oh good God. How gay is this. And why does he have to be all formal saying, WELL BROTHERS. thats it. I'm getting ideas right now on how to get him....

The Dude- "As you all may know, I have known Karyn for a while now. And things have gotten pretty serious between the two of us.

Bobbythedon thinks in his head: hmmm we could hog tie him...strip him down...get everything in the fridge....

The Dude- " Too me, she has sacrificed so much for our relationship and she understands how much I love this chapter. In fact, she loves this chapter probably even more than her sorority. She looks at you guys as an extension of her family

BobbyThedon thinks in his head: Oooh I know, we can make signs saying "I love Karyn" and have him hold it up while he streaks down Holt...

The Dude- "there is no other woman in the world who I believe is right for me. IT would honor me if she wore our letters and our badge, but I ask you guys your permission for me to pin her"

BobbyTheDon thinks in his head: Hmmm we could get him while he sleeps...

Some random brother in chapter: " Well you do realize that open season is on you now, and we can do WHATEVER we want?

The Dude- GULP...."yes"

Other random brother in chapter : " This is pretty serious stuff, do you plan on asking her to marry you?"

The Dude: " Yes, after we graduate"

Then we all look around. And say, " yeah dude go ahead and pinn her, congratulations!!!!" (i mean seriously, what do you expect us to say? HELL NO DAMMIT DONT PIN HER I HATE THE BITCH!)

Yeah...suddenly THE DUDE is seen less and less frequenty... and we all have to plan like Cloak and Dagger how we are goin to get him. BUT WE DO! yeeeeeehaw!

God I miss my chapter. Such fun loving guys.

:(

Guys in my chapter usually did it during formal. Everyone would gather on the dance floor, brothers would make a circle around the girl (our chapter was around 70 guys and 10-15 pledges), and he would do something (sing to her, play the piano for her. etc.). He would then put the lavalier around her neck, and everyone would applaud.

I would imagine pinning a girl would work the same way if my chapter did it. I'm not sure how it's done at other schools.

My wife is in a sorority and has her own letters, so I never really saw the point of lavaliering/pinning her. Also, I was never really big on the idea in the first place, so I wouldn't have done it even if she wasn't Greek. I always said that if I was that serious about a girl I would propose to her, and that's what I did.

instead of lavaliering, we called it "getting dropped" b/c we called the lavalier a drop (since letters looked like they are dropped in a line, i guess. i don't really know). i.e: jen got dropped by robert last night.

don't know if the guy would ask permission from his brothers or not. i guess they approved, b/c they usually helped. it would be done at a mixer, formal or semi-formal. i think some would do it outside of socials, but the guys still helped. if a bunch of them showed up with the guy and approached his gal, you pretty much knew what would happen.

i don't know of any girls that got a guy's pin. i remember hearing from one fraternity guy that their HQ frowned upon it - they didn't want non-members wearing pins, unless it was a sweetheart and i think the fraternities have special pins for that.

We use that term as well - either was fine, I think saying someone was "dropped" is less of a tongue-twister than saying they were "lavaliered."

All I knew about lavalering/pinning when my friend first asked me and before I asked you guys was that my friend will be hog tied buck naked to a tree in the front yard of the chapter house if he goes through with pinning his girl ... but being that I'm trying not to discurage him ... this is why I was looking for more information.
And to think that the girl will get a candle light ceremony... c'est pas juste!

thanks guys

I think the idea is sweet and stuff I guess, but it still seems strange to me... I don't think ANY chapters on my campus really did that very often. The year I lived in the house, one of my roommates got "dropped" by her Kappa Sig boyfriend, and we were all just kinda like, "cool... whatever". It just was not a big thing there at all.

I am also a little bit confused by the pinning thing... I too always thought it discouraged to let a non-member wear your badge.

I find it really interesting how different things are in different places. :)

Most guys here won't give up their badge- it's a pretty harsh hazing if they do. We add the extra step of a pearl drop instead. So pearl drop>lavaliere>(pin goes here if it's given)>engagement>marriage

When my fiance pinned me, he was thrown in the university lake....ahh good times :D