Quote:
Originally posted by AXO Alum
As for the points system - I saw someone else question this as hazing - yes, for AXO anyway, the NM "points" system is considered hazing. In fact, we just had our hand slapped because we give the NM's these pretty paper cut-out lyres that we hang on the wall, and for each "accomplishment" she makes (in personal or sorority life - for example, if she attends a forum on domestic violence), she gets a paper "pearl" on the lyre. The original objective was to show them how proud we are of what they do in and outside of sorority life. And they always LOVED to show off their "pearls" - well, Nationals said "NOPE" - because this could be used as "mental leverage" on them to hold them to higher standards or whatever. So unfortunately, even something that is designed to reward them and boost their confidence, can be misconstrued under the right circumstances. So that was that.
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Wow. It's sad that something like that, intended to be fun, could be twisted into hazing. The whole point (pun intended) of this sort of thing is to encourage the NMs to take on an active role, both in the sorority and in the greater community in and around campus.
AEPhi has a "pearls" system where NMs "earn" the 27 pearls in the badge by participating in cultural events, activities, and sorority events. This is part of the national NM education program. It's very easy to earn pearls - NMs often end up getting most or all of their pearls for things they would do anyway, like playing a varsity or IM sport, going to a concert or museum, etc. Pearls can't be taken away. If you're a few pearls short when initiation is held, you're still initiated just the same and you're still just as much a sister. (The running joke is that the sisters will remove 1 or 2 pearls from your badge
but that does not actually happen.)
BUT, sisters are also expected to get involved in the sorority, in on-campus activities, and in the community to the same degree as the NMs. Since the sisters are doing it too, I wouldn't consider it hazing. True, NMs are asked to keep more careful track of their activities, but mainly that's because it's the first semester they're doing it.
As for NMs living in the house, my chapter of AEPhi didn't have a house, so I'm not sure what the policy is - but my freshman year, Alpha Phi had just gotten a huge house and they were having trouble filling it, so two NMs did live there. So that makes two NPC sororities that allow it.