Quote:
Originally Posted by LXA grits
1) Significant Others (i.e. mothers, sisters, wives, or fiancées) doesn't legally include girlfriends or "chapter sweethearts." Do you personally have experience with them wearing the Official Badge? What about letters? Contemporary LCA lavalieres and stitched twill letters are oftentimes considered of great import to chapters in regards to respect for the wearer (some chapters even inappropriately deny use of them by associated members). Any thoughts on this proper or improper usage of the fraternity letters? I'm not trying to bring up copyright infringement issues; I just want to hear thoughts on women's use of the fraternity letters.
Yours in Z A X ,
Chris Hall
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Where to begin? OK-First, you need to realize that Lambda Chi Alpha doesn't have a "Badge Enforcement Division" or anything. No one is going to show up at your house and take away your birthday if do something you shouldn't have. That being said, it's up to each brother individually to decide what is appropriate. It's all about what those letters represent to
you. Remember that when you give a "significant other" your letters, you're giving her
my letters, too.
At my own chapter in the early 90's, Lavaliers were very popular. We had guys who were serial lavalier-ers. They'd go out with a girl for 2 weeks, and we'd see her running around the campus in letters. Then, in another two weeks, they'd be broken up and in another two weeks, it would be some other girl. Eventually, another brother (or several) might hold an intervention of sorts to remind the brother to consider more carefully in the future.
Most of us, though, took this stuff pretty seriously. If a steady girlfriend was given a lavalier, (or, if the brother was more steeped in fraternity tradition, a friendship pin,) it was a pretty big deal. It was the equivilant of a "pre-engagement." At this point, the young lady was permitted to wear the letters as well.
If a brother in our chapter had allowed a girl who did not meet the constitutional critera to wear an official badge, we would probably have driven him several miles into the state forest and dropped him off in the dead of night in his underwear. If he was very lucky. He might very well have been brought up on charges.
Now for the grain of salt. A few things you should know about me: 1.) I chose not to wear letters until I was initiated, because I didn't want to advertise something I didn't fully understand. 2.)In my life, I have only given a set of letters to one woman; my mother. 3.) I have frequently loaned my fraternity jacket to ladies on cold evenings, as I believe a gentleman should, but I always turned it inside-out first, lest anyone see the letters and get a wrong idea. So I probably take this stuff more seriously than most brothers do.