questions about pinning

simplejane · #1 03-29-2001, 11:43 PM

can someone tell me what pinning is ....and i don't mean the giving of letter to another person...i know that...i want to know what it MEANS...what does it mean for a relationship? thanks

Billy Optimist · #2 03-30-2001, 12:52 AM

one step right before engangement. At least that's what i've learned from this board.

DeltAlum · #3 03-30-2001, 01:08 AM

Yup.

unforgettable · #4 03-31-2001, 02:25 AM

Where I go to school, we have the same tradition amongst the greek community, but instead of giving his pin, a frat boy gives his beloved his "drop" aka his lavelier or whatever. My boyfriend just "dropped" me!

KSigkid · #5 03-31-2001, 11:45 AM

Here we have lavaliering, which is a serious step in our chapter...basically you give it to a girl who you think is the love of your life. At some schools it's less serious, just a boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but in my chapter it's one of the most serious things you can do.

DBPM04 · #6 03-31-2001, 06:20 PM

This is how it works becuase we do ritual for it. Lavilering is before a pin (less serious) but few schools still use "pinning" pinning is supposed to come before engagement, but as i said, it's an older tradition. SO at most school lavilering is seen as the "big step."

Miami1839 · #7 03-31-2001, 10:03 PM

Most of the time it was a very serious thing with our chapter too and usually the girl was the love of the brothers life. It was definitely a big step, one where all my brothers welcomed the lady into our family.

[This message has been edited by Miami1839 (edited March 31, 2001).]

ErikaXO · #8 03-31-2001, 11:53 PM

At Kent State, there were basically 3 stages....lavaliering, which meant you were seriously dating, pinning, and then engagement. I got all 3 from my Delt hubby of 6 1/2 years. He had been lavaliered once before

but never pinned. I kept my pin until after my hubby's dad, also a Delt, passed away....I gave it back to go into the casket so that my hubby could keep his dad's badge. At our school, if a sorority girl was dating a GDI, he could lavalier her with her own letters, which I always thought was stupid. We also had "hurricaning," which most of the fraternities did when guys got lavaliered, pinned or engaged. My poor hubby had to go through it 3 times for me!!!

DeltAlum · #9 04-01-2001, 01:01 AM

In the "old" days, we did both. A lavalier was kind of like "going steady" -- although a little more serious, maybe, then pinning was a step away from engagement.

dzjen27 · #10 04-01-2001, 09:19 AM

At my school (U. of Tampa), giving someone your letters is a big deal. It means more for a girl to be given the letters of a fraternity than a guy those of a sorority, I think. But I've been to some very beautiful lavalerring ceremonies for DZs, and they made me cry both times.

Jen

simplejane · #11 04-01-2001, 01:04 PM

can you UNpin someone? because what if they are not the right person for you and you don't figure it out until after the fact...

DeltAlum · #12 04-01-2001, 01:53 PM

SimpleJane,

Yes, you can -- but it's not nearly as much fun. Kinda like you can break off an engagement, but probably won't enjoy the experience.

ErikaXO, glad that the relationship with a brother Delt worked out well. Congratulations.

My wife and I were lavaliered in college, but never pinned. (She had bids from Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi and Alpha Delta Pi, but her parents said they would not pay a penny of her college is she pledged -- which is interesting since her Mom is an ADPi). Anyway, we've been married for over thirty years, though, so I guess it worked out.

DeltAlum