Non Member Wearing Badge

[Sciencewoman]

How would you handle this situation: this past fall one of our new members told me quietly after a new member meeting that one of her professors was wearing her mother's Gamma Phi Beta badge. The prof. approached the new member in class and they had a polite conversation about her mother and she said that she likes to wear her badge in her memory. We didn't know what to do, because I didn't want to offend a colleague (I don't know her; she's in another dept.) or say anything when the new member was still in her class. I also thought about making a friendly contact. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt...maybe she didn't know, and if it means that much to her, maybe she'd make a good AI candidate. Then I just forgot about it.

Sooooo...today I was in her building and I happened to stop to look at the big hallway bulletin board featuring teaching award winners and there she is...wearing the badge in her picture! This is a professional, studio portrait! The badge is obviously a historical design. Now I've gone from viewing this a case of well-meaning ignorance to an outright impersonation/masquerade ...I looked her up, and she is not a Gamma Phi.

What would you do?