do any alumni wear letters?

[aab225]

I felt like all of the seniors in my chapter passed down EVERYTHING they had with DG on it! Is it weird or inappropriate to wear letters after graduation? I know we're sisters forever, so is there something wrong with representing that? Or is it just not as socially acceptable as when you're in college?

[33girl]

You might not have as many opportunities to wear letters, but it's not inappropriate or weird, IMO. Would I wear them for casual day at work? No. Shopping or to the gym? Yes of course, why not?

We have sisters who gave away everything when they left school...and 20+ years later are buying new sets of letters because they miss not having them. I've never understood the "pass down" concept, unless you went really hog wild buying stuff.

[knight_shadow]

I wear letters at my GLO's events and if I go to Greek functions at my alma mater.

[DubaiSis]

Shortly after college I still wore my letters frequently - gym, hanging out, etc. As those shirts got older and smaller , they sort of went by the wayside. It would look pretty odd for me to be wearing them now, at 45, but if it was a t-shirt from an event, I suppose that would be a different thing. I think handing down some of your stuff is a great idea, but I don't think I'd hand down ALL of it. What would I have had to make a t-shirt quilt out of?

[RaggedyAnn]

I wear letters a lot, but they are usually an event shirt, such as for convention, etc. or a polo. I leave the block letters for sorority events or college events.

[ASUADPi]

I wear my letters everyday, via flip flops . I do wear my letters. I wear t-shirts. I have polos that I wear to work. Sweatshirts when it is cold.
I don't wear them as much as I did when I was in college, but I'm a proud member of ADPi and I'm going to show it.
Plus, wearing your letters is a great way to meet other sisters but other greeks as well.

[LatinaAlumna]

I wear mine to sorority events. I also wear my t-shirts and sweatshirts out around town (running errands, etc.). I frequently wear sorority jewelry to work (necklace or bracelet). No one ever looks at me weird, and if they did, I wouldn't care.

[AlwaysSAI]

I have an SAI lavalier that I wear daily. I used to have an Alpha Gam one, but, it got tarnished in the ocean when I forgot to take it off. (Anyone know how to clean it?)

We have jean Fridays where I teach, so occasionally, I'll wear an activity shirt. During the winter, I usually wear a letter sweatshirt under my coat. I frequently wear letters out and about around town, too.

I'd like to use all my activity shirts to eventually make (or get made) a t-shirt quilt.

[DrPhil]

This varies by council and conference.

In the NPHC, alumnae/alumni wear symbols/letters anywhere the organization's protocol doesn't prohibit. The key is understanding that symbols/letters include but are not limited to 'nalia tshirts. If it can be done in a grown folks style, NPHCers do it until the dayyyyyyy weeeeeee dieeeeeeeee.

ETA: I am not saying that there are no variations within councils and conferences; or that the NPHC is the only council or conference in which members tend to wear symbols/letters as alumnae/alumni.

[AlwaysSAI]

^^^You Delta, you!

[thetalady]

I do wear jewelry with my crest or badge on it regularly. I don't wear clothing with letters. I have moved far away from college, so I am not on campus for any activities. For me, I think going toward other forms of showing your affiliation is more appropriate at this point in my life.

[LAblondeGPhi]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

This varies by council and conference.

In the NPHC, alumnae/alumni wear symbols/letters anywhere the organization's protocol doesn't prohibit. The key is understanding that symbols/letters include but are not limited to 'nalia tshirts. If it can be done in a grown folks style, NPHCers do it until the dayyyyyyy weeeeeee dieeeeeeeee.

ETA: I am not saying that there are no variations within councils and conferences; or that the NPHC is the only council or conference in which members tend to wear symbols/letters as alumnae/alumni.

I've noticed the same thing. I've seen plenty of older NPHC alumni wear their letters (or more commonly, I see a ton of license plate frames), but if I see NPC letters somewhere, it's almost always on a college woman. It also reminds me how many alumnae I encounter who say "Oh, I was a such-and-such in college". You're always a such-and-such!

Anyway, I have a nice Tiffany's-style heart necklace that has Greek letters on it that I used to wear quite often with a business suit. I thought it was subtle enough. I also have a pink leather business card case that has an engraved clasp, and I love that thing - I think it's pretty and appropriate for a young professional.

[AOII Angel]

I have a chrome AOII on the back of my car that looks really nice. I actually got our Emporium to start selling it. I paid $30 for mine on eBay and now they sell it for $10. Oh well. I wear my badges all the time, and occasionally wear a shirt with AOII embroidered at the top or a screen print shirt from convention. I never wear really big lettered shirts except for last Saturday I wore one to a spring training game for an alum event so we could spot each other in the crowd. I got some really weird looks. It did it's job though!

[AnchorAlumna]

Those shirts do have a tendency to shrink over time!
I'm very careful about where I wear lettered T shirts. I don't want any future potential new members to think that we're ALL short, fat, gray-haired grandmothers! I usually only wear them around the house.
I do proudly wear my anchor badge, though, to church etc.

[OPhiAGinger]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

I don't want any future potential new members to think that we're ALL short, fat, gray-haired grandmothers!

This cracked me up, probably because it mirrors my worst fears about myself. I wore my letter sweatshirts a lot more in the first few years after graduation. As my college years grew more distant, I started to be self conscious about whether people would be whispering, "Who is she trying to kid? There's no way she's a college girl!" Now I bring out letter shirts only to the 1-2 sorority events I go to per year.

That being said, I have a jeweled alumnae charm that I wear on a charm bracelet almost every day. It's a more subtle way for me to feel a connection to OPhiA.