Properly wearing a badge

[Trey_P-I_47]

Just had a question on how to properly wear your LXA badge. I have been told to wear it on the outermost article of clothing (ie, suit jacket or sweater) and I have been told that you should wear it on the outermost unremovable piece of clothing. Also would like to clarify about the type of clothing it should be worn with. Only formal shirt and tie, or is it acceptable to wear with jeans and a polo type shirt? And one more thing, how about the proper display of a TKN badge with a LXA badge. I have been told that it should be worn directly under the LXA badge, but I just wanted to confirm before a conflict arises.

[justaflaneur]

Code VIII-4. Official Badge. Every initiate of Lambda Chi Alpha is encouraged to obtain and wear an Official Badge. The Official Badge is worn over the heart by initiated members in good standing on the outermost layer of clothing that is not normally removed, i.e., pull-over sweater, vest, or shirt (when neither of the former is worn). It is worn only on a collared shirt. It is not worn on a jacket of any type including the coat-style sweater. It may also be worn in similar fashion, usually in the miniature or medium size, by a fiancée, wife, mother, or sister of a member in good standing. In unusual cases the badge may be worn by a housemother. The badge guard normally is the Greek letter(s) designating the Zeta; without exception the guard is worn by all members so that the guard is clearly below the Delta Pi on the badge. The one authorized variation is that charter members of a chapter may wear the badge of the preceding well-established local society in place of the Zeta designation. The badge is never appropriate on stationery or for similar decorative purposes. The coat of arms, the crucicrescent, or possibly the seal should be used instead.

[Trey_P-I_47]

Thanks Lynn

OK from what i just read, it is ok to wear on a polo type shirt...and feel free to correct me if i am wrong. So that pretty much clears up how to wear our badge. But what about a TKN badge, It only mentions the proper display of a Local Badge.....Is it even acceptable to wear a TKN badge as a brother of LXA, and if so should it be displayed like the Local Badge, or right under the LXA Badge.

[Tom Earp]

I can corrected if I am wrong, but a Badge can be worn on a polo shirt but not with patch pockets as in blue jeans type of pants. See the Paedagogus for dress attire.

While I wear my BX Local Pin below my LXA Badge and Guard, Brother Lynn pointed out at GA 2 years ago, I could use it as a guard.

But, now, a TKN Badge raises another question?

While each of us who have one may feel it honors those Brothers who joined us in 1939, it does bring up a good point. Not just displaying it but honoring those members from long ago.

Any thoughts?

[justaflaneur]

Trey,

I can't point you to anything in our Laws that covers use of the Theta Kappa Nu Badge. The specific references in our Laws to the wearing of the guard or the wearing of the pin of the former local would lead me to the conclusion that it is improper to wear any other item of Fraternity jewelry in adornment of our Badge. I also know there was specific agreement at the time of the merger that precluded the performance of the Theta Kappa Nu Ritual in the future. My guess is that the former Theta Kappa Nu members would have felt the same about the wearing of their Badge - particularly by men who were not TKN members at the time of the merger.

But these are just my impressions based on no research at all. Don't carve them into stone as "Rulings of the Grand High Pi!"

In ZAX,
Lynn

[Trey_P-I_47]

I was just wondering about what would be appropriate for us as brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha to do in such a situation. I hope someone can find a little research on it or that we can all kinda come to a general consensus about LXA brothers wearing a TKN badge. It just seems a shame that we cant display our merger a little bit more proudly. But I also want to steer away from offending anyone by wearing a TKN badge too. The only way ive been able to come up with displaying our merger is by purchasing our letters, but in the colors of TKN (ex. black shirt, red letters, silver outline). Basically just looking for official feedback about the situation if any exists, or gathering peoples opinions if not.

[JoinerLxa]

At Homecoming, at least years ago, our ThKN initiates wore both (or some
just had a ThKN badge). In a couple of cases, sons of ThKN initiates wore
their father's ThKN badge along with their LXA badge. The custom seemed
to be to wear ThKN below the LXA.

What about a badge from a non-social fraternity, like Alpha Phi Omega??
There are many brothers who are LXA and APO.

[john1082]

This is a well reasoned approach.

Had I been in San Francisco in 1939 (hosted by Mu Zeta) I might have suggested that brothers who were initiates of TKN could wear their TKN badge in lieu of the chapter letter style guard; thus they would wear both badges. Then again, I wasn't there and nobody ever said I was reasonable.

The issue would have been that some Universities, Berkeley included, had chapters of each. A Brother who entered via TKN would have had a distinctly different badge than those who started out as members of Lambda Chi Alpha. Thus Brother James Doolittle would have had both badges if my proposed scheme had been adopted.

Originally Posted by justaflaneur

Trey,

I can't point you to anything in our Laws that covers use of the Theta Kappa Nu Badge. The specific references in our Laws to the wearing of the guard or the wearing of the pin of the former local would lead me to the conclusion that it is improper to wear any other item of Fraternity jewelry in adornment of our Badge. I also know there was specific agreement at the time of the merger that precluded the performance of the Theta Kappa Nu Ritual in the future. My guess is that the former Theta Kappa Nu members would have felt the same about the wearing of their Badge - particularly by men who were not TKN members at the time of the merger.

But these are just my impressions based on no research at all. Don't carve them into stone as "Rulings of the Grand High Pi!"

In ZAX,
Lynn

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by JoinerLxa

At Homecoming, at least years ago, our ThKN initiates wore both (or some
just had a ThKN badge). In a couple of cases, sons of ThKN initiates wore
their father's ThKN badge along with their LXA badge. The custom seemed
to be to wear ThKN below the LXA.

What about a badge from a non-social fraternity, like Alpha Phi Omega??
There are many brothers who are LXA and APO.

Kevin, if there are any or many fellow TKN Brothers out there, They Have The Right To Wear the TKN Badge.


While I would love to Honor them with wearing one of my TKN Badges, I was not Initiated in TKN. But, I have thought about it at times.

I too am a Member of APO and have a beautiful Badge from My Fraternity of APO, I was not sure either.

Now, I am thinking, if I wear My LXA Badge and Guard, then My Local Pin of BX the Local, the TKN Badge Badge that I have, and my APO Badge, I am wondering if it would look a little out of place.

My Lapel would like a BSA Merit Badge Sash.

Oh, not debasing BSA, I am an Egale Scout with two Palms.!

[Ottor 246]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Now, I am thinking, if I wear My LXA Badge and Guard, then My Local Pin of BX the Local, the TKN Badge Badge that I have, and my APO Badge, I am wondering if it would look a little out of place.

My Lapel would like a BSA Merit Badge Sash.

I was thinking of Manuel Noriega, but whatever.

Mark

[boz130]

Yes, and scoliosis might be a consideration, too...