Lavaliering/Pinning/Letters In Phi Mu Alpha???

[MysticCat]

Welcome, Brother Tarc! Glad to have you here!

I doubt that it's a matter of a lazy PG. From what I can tell, practice has varied from chapter to chapter and province to province. From your description, it sounds like Kappa Sigma (about which I have always heard great things) has made laveliering a regular practice. Perhaps it has been accepted practice in your Province as well. While perhaps a majority of chapters have, at least recently, decided that only Sinfonians should were the letters, many others have viewed it differently.

The amendment approved last week was, I think, a referendum on whether there should be a standard practice across the Fraternity or whether we should continue with variation from chapter to chapter and province to province. It would seem that the decision was that there should be a standard practice across the Fraternity.

Note, though, that the only two things that are "prohibited" are the Greek letters and the coat-of-arms.

[Tarc]

So, if it is now illegal nationally for anyone but brothers to wear letters or the crest, does that mean that all of those who have been lavaliered can no longer wear the letters that were given to them...?

Also, I searched sinfonia.org for the official ruling/statement on the matter, but I haven't found anything, so if any one could link to the official statement on the matter so I can pass it along, that would be great.

Thanks everyone!

OASAASLLS

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Tarc

So, if it is now illegal nationally for anyone but brothers to wear letters or the crest, does that mean that all of those who have been lavaliered can no longer wear the letters that were given to them...?

I would assume that, in the spirit of affection, we would consider them "grandfathered" ("grandmothered"?).

Also, I searched sinfonia.org for the official ruling/statement on the matter, but I haven't found anything, so if any one could link to the official statement on the matter so I can pass it along, that would be great.

It does not appear that sinfonia.org has been updated with the business transacted at the Assembly, but the docket can be found here. The proposal that I quoted above is NCP52-18 (found at page 45 of the .pdf file). According either to something I read at the 2006 Sinfonia Convention Blog or on sinfonia.org's listserv (not sure which), the proposal was adopted by the National Assembly.

I assume that sinfonia.org will be updated fairly soon to provide reports on the National Assembly and to provide updated copies of the Constitution and General Regulations. In the meantime, contact your Province Governor or CPR.

[buttnose]

I'm glad that this topic is getting more attention! On the SDG (national Sinfonian Listserv) just recently, there were a couple of emails that referenced this thread. It seems like there are many brothers who are frustrated or concerned with the lack of an enforced standard in this matter. Hopefully with the new legislation, this will become a clearly defined matter across every chapter.