Initation Question

ThetokenCanuck · #1 05-16-2002, 06:10 PM

Hey,

OBVIOUSLY i'm not going to talk whats in my sororities initation BUT I do have a question:

I would like to make initation at my sorority a bit more challenging. I have heard pledges say that the initation is easy. As pledge Ed for next year I would like to make intiation more difficult/challenging. However I do not know how to convince the sisters on how to do this. SO i would like tips on if anyone knew how i could approach this, ect. and anything else.

Thanks.

TriSigmaTX · #2 05-16-2002, 06:44 PM

Initiation is not supposed to be a "challenge" or where someone is supposed to prove something to you. Initiations are supposed to be a celebration of the person entering your membership. It should be a ritual where you welcome them...not make them prove themselves. If you want them to prove themselves, then maybe you shouldn't have chosen them for membership in the first place if you're not accepting of them till they do something for you.

Please think about this, seriously....sounds like you're barking up a hazing tree.

CutiePie2000 · #3 05-16-2002, 06:50 PM

I agree with TriSigmaTX, it sounds like you are barking up the hazing tree. Initiation is a ceremony of celebration.

If you are looking to make the New Member Education more challenging, you could have tests on your sorority's history or something. Note, this should be covered in education, so that all information can found, not some obscure fact that no one would ever know. You could also do philanthropy projects, etc.

If you are wanting your pledges to "prove" their worthiness, I agree with TriSigmaTX there too, you should not have chosen them in the first place.

LexiKD · #4 05-16-2002, 06:52 PM

TriSig: Ditto

DeltaBetaAGD · #5 05-16-2002, 07:04 PM

Dionysus - hate to break it to you but that would be considered hazing. It may sound like fun and the intentions may be in fun but it is hazing.

TriSigTX - You are correct!!!

If you have any questions about hazing and what is defined as hazing, by most schools and organizations, you can check out the site http://www.stophazing.org/definition.html.

Kevin · #6 05-16-2002, 08:58 PM

I know nothing about your sorority, but isn't the initiation supposed to be an even that marks the change of your new member to a full initiate?

An initiation usually involves the revelation of the secrets of the organization and that's pretty much it. Their new member being challening though is another question entirely.

You must be EXTREMELY careful when laying out a plan for your new members, I'd use a committee and use my time during the summer to come up with something good.

Just be certain that everyone knows where the fine lines are as far as hazing goes.

LHT
Kevin

ThetokenCanuck · #7 05-16-2002, 10:12 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions,

Our iniation used to be almost hazing but nothing close! I wouldnt even dare to try that. I got a suggestion from a sister saying that maybe we could incorporate less talking to the pledges-i think the sisters talk a lot to them and have more individual challenges for them-nothing hazing just something to give them a fuller experiance.

I Just wanted some tips on how i could convince my sorority to accept this because they are resistant to change.

Thanks for all the advice tho!

#8 05-17-2002, 04:05 AM

don't make it too hard or you may loose pledges who have a life outside of what you expect from them. just follow what national sends you and make sure they know local history and traditions.

ThetokenCanuck · #9 05-18-2002, 12:26 AM

We dont have national standards because you are local. But thanks for the input!

Tom Earp · #10 05-18-2002, 04:35 PM

While, I will not divulge any part of the LXA Ritual, it is basically, a Ritual of explaing to the New Associate (Not Pledge ), the true meanings of our Badge and Coat of Arms.

Each and every part has a significance for the Standard of what LXA means and What It Stands For.

It must be something special for the New Active to stand up and say i am Proud to be a member of XYZ Fraternity/Soroity!

I know everytime I see Our Ritual, I get goose bumps on the back of my neck!

No there is no hazing as it not allowed by our Internatioanlal or my self as having been the Founder! Well of the Local Chapter!

Beat a dumb horse and he will still not drink, just still be dumb!

ZTAngel · #11 05-22-2002, 01:23 PM

Initiation is supposed to be exciting. But challenging?
My suggestion is to make pledgeship more challenging. Not by hazing though!

Have pop quizzes to see if they can remember the creed. Think of new ways that they can remember your sorority's history. You can also have a requirement that the participate in a philanthropy project or a school activity outside the sorority or have a certain GPA before initiation. Before I was initiated, we had to do all three before we were initiated.

OnePlus69Is70 · #12 06-23-2002, 02:06 AM

We're a local, and our initiation actually is a bit of a challenge. It's a way to use what you're supposed to have learned during your pledge period- chapter history, chapter values, etc. Everyone gets through it together, brothers and pledges. And we change it slightly every year, depending on the experiences of the class- incoporating things that they did.

Something you might want to try to make it more special is having more alumni there. That's a huge thing for us- the majority of our alumni come back twice a year for initiation. Granted, we don't have that many of them, but some of them drive hundreds of miles just for that day.

Also, I don't know if it's practical for your ritual, but try doing it somewhere besides the house. We've done it in a hemlock grove on the edge of campus. It means replacing the candles with flashlights, and posting a guard on the path, but it makes for an interesting ceremony.

You might want to try posting in the locals group- you'll find a lot more variety there than with the stuffy old nationals.

ivysis · #13 06-23-2002, 03:55 PM

Almost everything can be considered hazing these days. I think it also depends on the organization and campus. In some places you cannot give tests because it is hazing. Even pledge olympics are considered hazing because it is something only pledges take part in. Just be careful and research your organizations and campus' rules on what constitutes hazing for you.

ivysis · #14 06-23-2002, 04:03 PM

Almost everything can be considered hazing these days. I think it also depends on the organization and campus. In some places you cannot give tests because it is hazing. Even pledge olympics are considered hazing because it is something only pledges take part in. Just be careful and research your organizations and campus' rules on what constitutes hazing for you.

JonoBN41 · #15 06-23-2002, 11:56 PM

A good ritual is a finely crafted work of art. In my fraternity it has a way of putting the initiate, actives, and alumni, all on an equal footing. It's hard to explain without explaining it, which I can't.

Suffice it to say that even after it's over, it takes the newly initiated a little bit of time to come to the realization that this is how it was supposed to happen, and indeed, always has.

No hazing is involved; no one is touched. And yet I've seen alot of guys break down and cry. A bond is formed later on in the ceremony with the explanation of what happened, along with explanations of our symbols and mottos.

An excellent initiation takes a LOT of labor, research, thought, and revisions before being set down permanently. Then it should be standardized and followed to the letter henceforth.

Sorry I couldn't be more explicit about our own, but it's still a pleasure to offer some advice and perhaps help someone else out. Good luck.

Jono