Scroll numbers?
 

I apologize if this has already been discussed (even more apologies if it's been discussed ad nauseum) but a few weeks ago I ran into a young lady who's currently active in the DZ chapter at a nearby college, and she started spouting off her class and scroll number. I had heard of other chapters who named their pledge classes (you know, the Greek alphabet sort of deal) even though we never did, but the number thing really confused me. I was always under the impression that Delta Zeta didn't use scroll numbers. I said so and the girl seemed incredulous that I could be a DZ and not know my scroll number, oh horror! She said, "Don't you ever look at the back of your badge?" Well, just out of curiosity, I got my badge out the other day and looked at it--and all that's on it is my initials, the Greek letters of my chapter, and my initiation date. Plus some little squiggly mark up near the latch that could be something, but probably not. I've been wondering about this since my conversation with this girl, though...have I been in the dark all this time, or am I crazy?

You're not crazy. And actually, I've always been under the impression that naming your pledge classes and having scroll/badge numbers was against a rule somewhere. It's probably just a chapter tradition or something.

I thought about that. But then I wondered why she would have a number on the back of her badge and I don't? Have they changed things since I graduated?

Or maybe that girl was the crazy one. :p

I was initiated in Fall '04, and I don't have any such number on my badge. Just my initials, initiation date, and chapter name.

The other girl is the crazy one, not you! :)

Our pledge class had a name (greek letter) but we were the last class to have one. The classes after ours weren't named.
I'm pretty sure the only thing on the back of my badge are my initials, initiation date, and chapter too.

Scroll numbers are not on the back of the badge, but rather something that each chapter may keep track of and pass down to - I've understood that you could tell your scroll number from your membership number, but I don't think that's true - I was told mine during my first active semester. Correct or incorrect, it meant a lot to me and many of my sisters - scroll numbers were typically a big deal on my campus in general.

I was told about the membership number thing, too. However, when I think of my membership number , I can't believe that many women actually initiated into my wee chapter.

I have heard of Alpha Sigma Tau using scroll numbers, but as a Delta Zeta no. DZ usually says their initiate number and the intituals of their chapter for example if you belonged to the Beta Delta Chapter of Delta Zeta you would say BD567 was your number.

Delta Zeta does NOT recognize the use of scroll numbers either on a national or chapter level. However, some chapters are still using them. They're not supposed to, but they should be trying to break themselves of the habit.

what exactly is a scroll number? my chapter has pledge class numbers