NPC Ladies - What is "Ribbon Pledging"?
 

I looking at the AOPi website and it said this:
"Ribbon Pledging is allowed on campuses where this is traditional. However, the period between Bid Day and Formal Pledging shall not be longer than two weeks."

What is Ribbon Pledging? Is kind of like:
You finished rushing the sororities, you've accepted the bid extended to you, but you haven't been "formally pledged" yet?
Please explain and thank you. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

You guessed it!! Unless I'm mistaken, "ribbon pledging" is where the new members may wear a little red & white ribbon in the place of the new member pin (formerly known as the "pledge" pin), prior to formal "pledge-in". I remember having a little, informal ribbon ceremony on Bid Day. :-)

Yes, when I accepted my bid, we later had a ribbon ceremony where I received a little pink and green ribbon to wear until we received our 'pledge' pins (which we only wore with a dress) and we wore the ribbons all the other time. However, in a lot of areas, this custom might be gone--it might even be gone from all sororities now because according to one of the active members from my college chapter, it's considered hazing to have your 'pledges' wear ribbons all the time (they have done away with it totally I believe). I, however, was honored to wear my ribbons--it gave me as much pride as the day I could wear letters. ALL sororities on campus, when I pledged, had their pledge members wear ribbons or buttons.

Also, with my professional fraternity, we wore red and white ribbons (because those were our colors) as well.

[This message has been edited by mgdzkm433 (edited December 06, 2000).]

We had ribboning on bid day and our formal pledge ceremony (where you got your pledge pin, which you wore thru the knot in your ribbons) usually a week later, after we had taken all the open bids we were going to take. We had to get rid of it because our nationals called it hazing. How lame! It was because it was an extra ceremony (God forbid anyone should do anything beyond the bare minmum) and because it wasn't in our ritual book. The really dumb thing is, we did it that way out of RESPECT for our ritual - we didn't want to do a white ceremony in our bid day jeans & t-shirts.

I'm with you, Mikki - I was VERY proud to wear my pledge pin & ribbons! We only had to wear them from 8-5 on weekdays, so it wasn't like we had had to go to parties with our giant "PLEDGE" sign on. Another harmless tradition lost...

[This message has been edited by 33girl (edited December 06, 2000).]

My sorority's national policy is to have a ribbon ceremony when a bid is accepted. We then give the girl another set of ribbons to wear under the pledge pin after formal pledging. And ANOTHER set to wear under the badge after initiation. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif

According to the book, the girls are then supposed to wear the ribbon for a week after each ceremony...BUT..National's then considers it HAZING!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/confused.gif

So basically we have to tell the new members: "You can wear the ribbon anytime you want, but you don't have too!" According to the books their also supposed to be wearing the pins for a week after each ceremony...but that's just more hazing!

We had a friendship ceremony on my bid day (back in 98). My pledge sisters and I gathered in a circle and the two ribbons were all linked together with a pin for each of us. Our pledge educator did her little piece and then cut a section for each of us. We wore them all the time until we recieved our actual pledge pins.
The class behind mine got lavaliers to wear also (but to be returned for the next pledge class).
Up until this semester I wore my ribbon pin on my backpack! LOL! I loved it!

33Girl - aren't you a Chi O? Because I didn't hear anything about this ceremony being hazing?! Interested to know specifics!

Yes - you guessed correctly (I'm an AOII).

This is done so you can wear a symbol to the outside world in the interim before the Formal Pledging Ceremony takes place. At the Formal Pledging ceremony, you are invested with your New Member pin (sheaf of wheat) which you wear until Initiation.

Hope that answers your question!

For both AXO chapters I have been involved with, we have worn ours since we got them during our ribbon pinning ceremony. We still wear our ribbon pin with our badge and new member stick pin, and most of us have chapter guards with a chain from which we hang certain charms (gavel for president, etc.) I love dressing up and wearing all the insignia. It always looks so lovely on all the girls.

As for my pledge period (yes I am old enough to have been a pledge and loved it!) - we wore our ribbons with normal dress wear, and also wore them after receiving our pledge pins. We weren't required to wear them, but we all wanted to because we were so proud to be AXO's.



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"Alpha Chi Omega - If you only had 2 wishes, what would your second one be?"