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As far as pledge tests and fraternity heritage requirements go -- as a pledge, why in the world would you WANT to make a LIFELONG commitment to an organization that you didn't know anything about? Would you buy a car before even starting the engine????
I am a FIRM BELIEVER in fraternity heritage and pledge tests. As the chapter advisor I have proctored the pledge tests for the last several years -- I can tell you that it is not a mystery what is on the tests, but we do expect our new members to understand basic facts about Pi Phi before they wear their letters and call themselves members of our sisterhood. And this DOES NOT end with pledging -- we have fraternity heritage trivia at every chapter meeting, we read from the constitution, we go over local history at founder's day and at alum meetings.
What separates us from just pure social groups if we refuse to respect those who have come before us and remind ourselves what our organizations stand for???
(I'll step off my soapbox now...)
As for the shorter pledge periods, we have delayed formal rush until the beginning of spring semester. When Pi Phi had a 12 week minimum pledge period, that meant that we couldn't pledge and initiate in the same semester....so I pledged in January 1993, and didn't get initiated until after summer vacation in September of 1993 -- a SIX MONTH pledgeship!!!! Boy, was I ready to finally wear those letters! I personally think a shorter pledgeship is a good thing for us -- it was really sad when someone transferred over the summer, so they never got to be initiated, and in some instances had to go through rush all over again on another campus or didn't rush, even though they wanted to be initiated. The grades are less of an issue because of delayed rush -- we already have their first semester college grades, which weeds out a lot of people before rush even starts.
I know for a fact that our pledges get an EXCELLENT fraternity orientation, because I (and the other members of our alumnae advisory committee) meet with EVERY pledge one on one before they are initiated to make sure that they understand that they are making a lifelong commitment to our sisterhood.
Length of pledgeship does not necessarily denote quality of activities or new member orientation. It all depends what you put into it on a national level, as a local chapter, and as alumnae.
But I would NEVER criticize any other GLO, fraternity or sororities, new member orientation process, because lets face it -- I have no idea what actually goes on, or what it means to be a member of that group.
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