Calling new members "baby"

[scrapcat]

I'm amused with this thread. I have two daughters, two different sororities. My Phi Mu daughter says she was a "Phi" during her "new member" phase but , here's the kicker.. when showing bid day photos she says "here I am with my pledge class!"

I know my Delta Zeta has called herself a "turtle" but nothing with baby attached. She had a "turtle time" last night. Whatever that is! LOL

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

No.

Just, no. Read this, below, and then tell me that Bettie Locke Hamilton would approve of Thetartots (wince), or Theta babies (ugh), or kittens (really?), or anything else.

http://books.google.com/books?id=JJ3...page&q&f=false

Sorry the link is funky, I'm too annoyed to make it pretty.

AZ- I loved reading this!! How have I missed this fascinating story? I never knew about Bettie & her kitties. I have "more than a few." Makes me see more of a connection with her

[SoCalGirl]

Originally Posted by thetaj

We don't in seriousness call them babies. It's meant to be endearing, it really is. We aren't schemingly oppressive, we love our new women.

As for Thetartots, it's just something silly. It makes me giggle, but I wouldn't want to be called that lol.

Idk *sigh* I feel like there are much greater offenses to our founders out there, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms. This doesn't really bother me. But really, I think this might only bother the generation or so older than us, because it's so widely-used in colleges without hardly anyone in the sorority, other than HQ, fussing about it. This is just an observation, though.

Originally Posted by AzTheta

No.

Just, no. Read this, below, and then tell me that Bettie Locke Hamilton would approve of Thetartots (wince), or Theta babies (ugh), or kittens (really?), or anything else.

http://books.google.com/books?id=JJ3...page&q&f=false



Sorry the link is funky, I'm too annoyed to make it pretty.

Agreed. The various NPC founders, for the most part, would be clutching their pearls over our clothes, hair, make up, and practically everything else that is part of many greek systems day to day activities.

Date dash? Shameful!

Baby _____? Not so much!

[Old_Row]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Better than "hooters".

I actually attended formal meeting as an advisor yesterday and I was asked to remind the chapter to not say babies/baby doves/etc.

Would that make the initiated members "big hooters?"

[AUAZD2001]

I've never had a problem with the term New Member. I believe that the moment you accept your bid you are a member. While you cannot know Ritual until you are an INITIATED Member, you still pay dues and attend all chapter functions. I am, however, a fan of extending the New Member period to a full semester. That way New Members could only be initiated if they proved themselves academically. 6-8 weeks is just too short to know if someone is a grade risk.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by Jen

I KNOW there is a thread for this, but 20 minutes of searching has infuriated me and turned up nothing. .....Does anyone else's group have rules relating to the terms used for new members? Does your group encourage you not to use baby? Do you even like it?

I *KNOW* the thread that you're referring to, because I have been on these boards since the dinosaurs.

I vaguely remember it being about "baby squirrells" and then the discussion went from there.

DG refers to its new members as "Pi Alphas" as that's what it says on the new member pin (i.e. pledge pin) . I think it's commonly accepted as a term and is considered respectful, etc.


I wouldn't be surprised if any new members were called "baby Hannahs" or whatever...I'm not a fan of the whole calling young women by the diminuitive of "babies", but maybe if you had asked me when I was my 18 year-old-self and rushing, I might not have minded as much -- it's hard to say....

Trying to find that thread for you now....

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

Besides, I might have belted anyone who called me a baby giraffe...

You would like my sister, I received a text message from her on bid day to the tune of "If one more person calls me a baby bunny I'm going to assault them!"

In retrospect I'm not sure if her objection was to being a baby or being a bunny...

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by Old_Row

Would that make the initiated members "big hooters?"

Bwah ha ha ha....GOOD ONE!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by 33girl

There was no usage of Pearl until after at least the 1994 convention, or it might have been 1996. It definitely wasn't used when I was an active.

This is definitely misleading in Advantage, then, because it makes it seem like one of those things that has always been.

And I hadn't heard anything about not calling them just Pearls - that's what we were called.

[goldendelta]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

As far as I know, ASA pledges have been Pearls loooooooooong before the 90's, whether they were commonly referred to as such or not.

This is actually Tri Delta. New Members are Pearls, Collegiates are Pines and Alumnae are Pansies. However, I have seen "Baby Delta" here and there and I cringe every time I see it.

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

This is definitely misleading in Advantage, then, because it makes it seem like one of those things that has always been.

And I hadn't heard anything about not calling them just Pearls - that's what we were called.

Well you know if you do something once in a GLO it's "tradition" and if you do it twice it's "the way we've always done it."

Originally Posted by goldendelta

This is actually Tri Delta. New Members are Pearls, Collegiates are Pines and Alumnae are Pansies..

Remember unthread when we talked about not making assumptions about other organizations? New Members can be pearls in Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Sigma Alpha.

[AOII Angel]

We're just New Members, Collegians and Alumnae. I've seen some chapters use Pandas or occasionally Baby Pandas for new members. We have one chapter that calls themselves Angels, so I know they use Baby Angels. Back in the day, my Great to the 5th Grand Big Sis called all of her family members "Baby Pi". We called her Granny Pi. That's as far as Baby went, and it was a localized term of endearment.

[Shellfish]

Originally Posted by Gusteau

Well you know if you do something once in a GLO it's "tradition" and if you do it twice it's "the way we've always done it."

That sounds like students at my alma mater. They call traditions things that didn't even exist a few years ago. It's usually amusing, but a few years back in the school newspaper, the Panhel president attributed rules about parties (i.e., that they have to be held outside the house) not to risk-management policies but to a sort of brothel law. Argh.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by scrapcat

I'm amused with this thread. I have two daughters, two different sororities. My Phi Mu daughter says she was a "Phi" during her "new member" phase but , here's the kicker.. when showing bid day photos she says "here I am with my pledge class!"

And there you have it.

The men have never changed their terminology and are still using rush and pledge. The women hear it and realize it's far less lame than the PC ridiculousness we are supposed to use. The women use the old terminology despite all their "education."

(....waiting for a national officer to jump in here and say that in that case, we shouldn't socialize or hang out with fraternities.)

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by 33girl

(....waiting for a national officer to jump in here and say that in that case, we shouldn't socialize or hang out with fraternities.)

And wouldn't that do wonders for our membership numbers?