Hey Mikki!
My GLO gets paddles, too. The week before initiation we have a "paddle party". It's so much fun.... the new members come to the chapter room where paddles, paint, glitter, glue, markers, etc. are available, and they get to decorate their own. (The idea behind this is that we are an arts fraternity, and it's a way for everyone to create some art within the fraternity). Sometimes actives will bring their paddles and touch them up.
This is a tradition that's been going on for as long as anyone can remember. Everyone usually got signatures of members on them, too. The back of mine's covered with them!
I don't
know of any sororities or professional GLO's that "take wood", but most
do have paddles. Interesting, isn't it?
Some other examples:[list][*]One local sorority on campus the bigs made paddles for their little's and presented them to them on their initiation night[*]A-Phi-O had the littles make them for the bigs (only chapter i've ever heard of this).. so you had to take a little before you got your paddle. The pledgeclass also made a paddle for their new member educator I think.[*]Our Phi Mu Alpha chapter had the pledges make their paddles (or maybe their bigs made them for them?).. but they had them the night of induction (first night after recieving bids).. there's were kind of cool because they had to get signatures of their pledgeclass, the actives, and all of the professors that were alumni of PMA, and their advisors. It was cool because there were so many professors that were alum.
FYI- Just so no one thinks I am sharing big secrets of other GLO's, these practices were (are) common knowledge among students and faculty.
------------------
SilverTurtle@greekchat.com
Phi Beta Fraternity
Phi chapter