NPHC Greeks - how do you feel about this?

[Wolfman]

This is a scene from Howard Univ. in the 1950s. Pictured are Ques and a coed. Note the "beanies," a fairly common item for Black Greeks at the time. This is a tradition but would current members of BGLOs today understand this? (Personally, I like the style.)

http://groups.msn.com/NPHCArchivePho...o&PhotoID=1471

[Cruise4fun]

Originally Posted by Wolfman

This is a scene from Howard Univ. in the 1950s. Pictured are Ques and a coed. Note the "beanies," a fairly common item for Black Greeks at the time. This is a tradition but would current members of BGLOs today understand this? (Personally, I like the style.)

http://groups.msn.com/NPHCArchivePho...o&PhotoID=1471

I think the beanies were popular across many GLO's at that time. I remember an alumna on our Housing Corp. showing us her purple beanie.

[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by Cruise4fun

I think the beanies were popular across many GLO's at that time. I remember an alumna on our Housing Corp. showing us her purple beanie.

Exactly. There's always been cross-pollination across GLOs in terms of trends in dress and other traditions. This is nothing new. A diachronic look at this phenomenon will put to rest the "exclusivist" notion about certain things of this nature.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by Wolfman

Exactly. There's always been cross-pollination across GLOs in terms of trends in dress and other traditions. This is nothing new. A diachronic look at this phenomenon will put to rest the "exclusivist" notion about certain things of this nature.

I have seen sweaters circa 1950's through the late 60's or early 70's. I think the beanies migrated into caps as time went on. I think both my grandfather and father had beanies. My mother did not and she pledged the Pi Chapter at Fisk University.

Looking through my parent's Fiskites yearbooks, I do distinctly remember they made all the men who pledged Omega shave their heads and that was early 1960's. In the Bethune-Cookman books that are circa 1970's I saw the line ups based on height of all the pledges.

[Little32]

/hijack

Man, that is the one piece of 'nalia that I really want. A letter sweater.

/end hijack

[L.O.C.K.]

Wolfman, you should write a book dude. You know your shit.

[DSTCHAOS]

A 60s Soror gave me her college sweater when I crossed. It's a keepsake and not something I would wear.

[Aurora6]

Originally Posted by Little32

/hijack

Man, that is the one piece of 'nalia that I really want. A letter sweater.

/end hijack

/HIJACK

I finally purchased one for myself at our last Boule in Dallas!

It was $$$$$$ but oh so worth it. It was the only piece of 'naila I picked up that year.

And I wear that big ole Super Sigma Sweater, even in the summer, as much as I paid for it. lol

/END HIJACK

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by Aurora6

/HIJACK

I finally purchased one for myself at our last Boule in Dallas!

It was $$$$$$ but oh so worth it. It was the only piece of 'naila I picked up that year.

And I wear that big ole Super Sigma Sweater, even in the summer, as much as I paid for it. lol

/END HIJACK

I still want to get one. I think they are classic...

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

I have seen sweaters circa 1950's through the late 60's or early 70's. I think the beanies migrated into caps as time went on. I think both my grandfather and father had beanies. My mother did not and she pledged the Pi Chapter at Fisk University.

Looking through my parent's Fiskites yearbooks, I do distinctly remember they made all the men who pledged Omega shave their heads and that was early 1960's. In the Bethune-Cookman books that are circa 1970's I saw the line ups based on height of all the pledges.

On my yard it just wasn't the Omegas who shave the "dogs" heads--the term used for all NPHC frats going into the probate period. It wasn't until my senior year that they all got to keep their hair (afros) out of respect to the Black Power movement.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Even I wouldn't understand it because it was not around when I pledged in '69. The only beanies were freshman beanies. LOL

I heard the same thing in the late 60's and early 70's. I bet it is one of those things that the NPHC organizations did back in the day, and then the schools adopted them to provide "unity".

It's the same now as with "stepping, handsigns and calls". LOL

Originally Posted by ladygreek

On my yard it just wasn't the Omegas who shave the "dogs" heads--the term used for all NPHC frats going into the probate period. It wasn't until my senior year that they all got to keep their hair (afros) out of respect to the Black Power movement.

You know, it may be that they kept there afros because of the "draft". If one shaved their hair, then the military would be looking for you. At that time, you think the "police" would be interested if you actual were inducted during the "drafting days"?

It may have been an "overt inadvertant protest" against the draft the war... Same way these kids wear baggy pants to look like they are felons these days. We do not understand it and these kids do not know how to articulate it. But, where we are these days, may be we need to explain how "thangs" were done back in the day during the ole skool...

And ain't that ole skool!!!

My folks are ole skool and still pimp out. Hayle my aunt wears much more fashionable clothes than me.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Cruise4fun

I think the beanies were popular across many GLO's at that time. I remember an alumna on our Housing Corp. showing us her purple beanie.

All male freshman at my dad's college in the late 50s had beanies. I think they all had to have their heads shaved too. At the time it was an all white school, so it would have been odd if they had copied the tradition from NPHCs.

[DSTRen13]

At GA Tech all the freshman still get caps. Not that many people wear them and properly fill them out (you're supposed to write different info on them, etc) anymore, but everyone at least has them.

[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

All male freshman at my dad's college in the late 50s had beanies. I think they all had to have their heads shaved too. At the time it was an all white school, so it would have been odd if they had copied the tradition from NPHCs.

In fact, the use of the beanie (called a "pot") originated in the Middle Ages as a part of undergraduate life in Europe. This practice was transferred to American undergraduate life as a part of freshman hazing. In many cases, as freshman hazing was outlawed, Greek life became the sole repository of many of these practices. I will now quote from the Introduction: "The Rise of College Fraternities" in The History of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity by Dr. Herman Dreer:

"The Middle Ages furnished another prototype for the Greek-letter society in the institution of the guilds. Especially might we consider the guilds of notaries in Florence, those of attorneys in London,the book writers-sellers guilds of Pairs, and the guilds of scholars at Boulogne, Paris, Oxford, Lisbon, Prague, and Heidelberg; and we might consider the guilds of many other medieval cities, where they evolved into universities. Various practices of the guilds of scholars we can today find in college fraternities" p. i-ii.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by Wolfman

This is a scene from Howard Univ. in the 1950s. Pictured are Ques and a coed. Note the "beanies," a fairly common item for Black Greeks at the time. This is a tradition but would current members of BGLOs today understand this? (Personally, I like the style.)

http://groups.msn.com/NPHCArchivePho...o&PhotoID=1471

Even I wouldn't understand it because it was not around when I pledged in '69. The only beanies were freshman beanies. LOL