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Nationally I don't think many of the chapters have them, but mine does. We always had a paddle party, where the new members decorate their paddles. It was usually a big/little kind of event, and everyone was welcome. So there would always be members who never quite finished their paddles or wanted to add to them that would show up, too.
We were't required to do anything with them, they just hung up in your room (mine's still in my bedroom!) as decoration. I think every chapter on our campus had paddles, because I can't think of a greek's room I was ever in that didn't have one. Although I know some went about making them differently (e.g. making them for your big or little, your pledge educator, etc.)
I got signatures from all of the actives and fellow new members when I was pledging. Then my senior year at our end of the year banquet I took it and had everyone sign it, so almost everyone I was ever active with signed it. Which I think is really cool.
One of the fraternities on campus required their new members to carry their paddles at all times. They had to get signatures from all the actives, their pledge brothers, their advisors, all of the faculty that were alumni, etc. It was kind of cool to see how many faculty alumni there were, because all of these guys would be having them sign those things for weeks! Then one year the administration cracked down and said they couldn't require the pledges to carry them at all times, so the brothers and the pledges carried them for the last week of pledging. As far as I know, that worked, and they still require them to carry those things the whole time (except sleeping, jobs, etc.) and the pledges seemed pretty proud to be carrying them- a whole unity thing I guess.
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FB
To Be Rather Than To Seem To Be
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