[SIAsensacion]

I know most of the posts on this thread are a little old, but the thread is quite interesting, and I wanted to add my perspective as a member of a Latina sorority.

I thought the comment made by lecacypbs about Latino Greeks was very interesting: "Hold on to your hats, but Latino greeks namely the latinas of Sigma Lambda Upsilon pledge above ground. Damas as they call them, dress alike, walk in line, uphold what is called social probation, and take part in intense information sessions. By the attention being drawn to who is in fact on line they have to be wearyful of physically endangering the ladies. At various times they also greet other greek organizations, much as we do in probate shows. This is an enlightening experience and one that I feel we would benifit from.” What legacypbs said about LGLOs is true (and I am speaking in GENERAL about LGLOs here, NOT about my specific sorority): many LGLOs pledge above ground for all or part of their process. Each LGLO has their own process and practices, but some of the pledging characteristics/activities of some LGLOs include: uniforms, walking on line (locked up with LBs/LSs), greeting big brothers/big sisters, serious/stern look on the face, always walking/running fast and with a purpose, cutting corners, eating in unison, not walking on grass, social probation, chanting, probates, etc. Each LGLO has their own practices, and there is a large variety of pledging practices among LGLOs, but most have some part of their pledging process above ground. Beneath the surface of above ground pledging, many LGLOs are serious about educating during the pledge process, and pledges learn about themselves, their LBs/LSs, their organization, and the Latino culture. The advantage that a lot of LGLOs (at least the smart and organized ones) have is that their process is sanctioned by nationals and STRICTLY controlled, and safety of the pledges is always carefully maintained. This would probably be next to impossible for BGLOs considering the size of your orgs, but for LGLOs, most of which are 13-30 years old, our orgs are small enough to maintain careful control of the membership process. Having the process closely watched and controlled by nationals allows the best of both worlds: the benefits of working hard and earning your letters, without the dangers of crazy letter-wearers pledging members underground and endangering the organization.

It’s true that our orgs are young, and most have not been hit with lawsuits yet. Whether or not we get hit with lawsuits, above ground pledging may not last long (considering the problems that lawsuits cause for ALL greeks, not just the org dealing with it). I hope that BGLOs and all other greeks are able to come up with a membership process that first and foremost does not endanger potential members, but at the same time satisfies current members and allows potential and new members the benefits of working hard and the pride of earning letters rather than signing on the dotted line.