What to do if you spot a random guy wearing your letters?

[SnuKnight172]

Sigma Nu has rules that member have to follow. Only the following people can be given letters by a brother and how they fit me personally:

Fiance (was a sweetheart of Sigma Nu before we were engaged so she could already wear letters)
Wife (see Fiance)
Mother (she has a hoodie that I bought her a few months after I was initiated. She understands how much Sigma Nu means to me so she treats them as if they were her own.)
Sister (She attends the school I graduated from. In my chapter it is an unwritten rule that no other bros can give a sister letters other than her blood brother. When she started school I asked her if she wanted a set to wear and she refused by saying "why would I want your letters? I want to earn my own." She became a member of Alpha Phi and the thought of me giving her letters now is moot... Sometimes when we are out she wears mine when she is cold)
Grandmother (I never even thought about giving either grandmother her letters I don't think they would understand the significance.)

Here is a question: Do any of the other guys here carry a non letter sweetshirt in their car so that if a date or another lady is cold you have a sweetshirt for her other than your letter?

[nwu43]

Originally Posted by SnuKnight172

Sigma Nu has rules that member have to follow. Only the following people can be given letters by a brother and how they fit me personally:

Fiance (was a sweetheart of Sigma Nu before we were engaged so she could already wear letters)
Wife (see Fiance)
Mother (she has a hoodie that I bought her a few months after I was initiated. She understands how much Sigma Nu means to me so she treats them as if they were her own.)
Sister (She attends the school I graduated from. In my chapter it is an unwritten rule that no other bros can give a sister letters other than her blood brother. When she started school I asked her if she wanted a set to wear and she refused by saying "why would I want your letters? I want to earn my own." She became a member of Alpha Phi and the thought of me giving her letters now is moot... Sometimes when we are out she wears mine when she is cold)
Grandmother (I never even thought about giving either grandmother her letters I don't think they would understand the significance.)

Here is a question: Do any of the other guys here carry a non letter sweetshirt in their car so that if a date or another lady is cold you have a sweetshirt for her other than your letter?

That would certainly be a good idea.

I was in a very awkward situation two years ago when I left a party with a girl. We had to wait for a ride and it was cold outside. She wasn't wearing that much, and I had my linejacket on.

The gentlemanly thing to do would be to put my jacket on her but that's basically like letting her wear my letters, which is pretty bad (it's like putting a girl above my letters or something like that). Outside, there were bros EVERYWHERE, and I knew that if they saw me do that they would never stop giving me shit about it. At the same time... I really *REALLY* liked this girl, and what would she think? She'd probably think I'm a total jerk and never want to have anything to do with me

I just kept thinking to myself, man what the **** am I gonna do??!?!

[SnuKnight172]

Originally Posted by nwu43

That would certainly be a good idea.

I was in a very awkward situation two years ago when I left a party with a girl. We had to wait for a ride and it was cold outside. She wasn't wearing that much, and I had my linejacket on.

The gentlemanly thing to do would be to put my jacket on her but that's basically like letting her wear my letters, which is pretty bad (it's like putting a girl above my letters or something like that). Outside, there were bros EVERYWHERE, and I knew that if they saw me do that they would never stop giving me shit about it. At the same time... I really *REALLY* liked this girl, and what would she think? She'd probably think I'm a total jerk and never want to have anything to do with me

I just kept thinking to myself, man what the **** am I gonna do??!?!

We don't have linejackets persay but I am sure your bros wouldn't have said anything had you given her your jacket turned inside out. I have on occasion been without my reserve sweetshirt and turned a set inside out. I know the lady would still be wearing it but it shows you were respecting the letters as well as being a proper gentleman. Had you done this and explained to her why she must wear them with the letters not showing she probably would respect that you care so much about something. She may have even found it to be an endeering quality and wonder how she could get you to care about her as much of as your Fraternity. It sounds mushy but ladies go for that stuff. (on the other hand if I linejacket is what I think it is that may be a little uncomfortable to wear inside out. They are satin or nylon right?)

[aephi alum]

While it is annoying to see some random stranger in your letters when you know s/he isn't a member of your org... there's not really much you can do.

What you can do, is try to make sure your own lettered items don't end up in the hands of non-members. For example, I have some lettered t-shirts that are still wearable. When they are no longer wearable, I'll make something useful out of them. So I won't be donating them to charity, where anyone could end up with them, but at the same time, I won't just toss them in the trash.

[Ilaria Ame]

i agree that there's not much you can do if it's just some random person. maybe approach them and ask where they got their shirt, and get back any other para that might be for sale. now, if it was someone on my campus wearing letters that didn't belong to them, there would be confrontation. that's completely disrespectful.