Co-Ed Fraternity needs ideas for new member period

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by rockinnrobin

I'm in a co-ed fraternity, and in the fall we're going to start having official new member periods, and are doing bigs and littles for the first time

I'm the new Pledge Mom, and am looking for ideas for the new member period, especially for big/little revealing.

Any ideas?

What were you doing "unofficially"? How were members educated previously?

[rockinnrobin]

We didn't really have a new member period. After people turned in their applications, they were just regular members and we had an inductions ceremony towards the end of the semester.

A lot of our members are in social fraternities or sororities as well, so previous leadership hadn't wanted to do bigs/littles and new member period. But our organization has grown a lot, and we've decided to start doing these this year.

[33girl]

Is this Alpha Phi Omega? If so, and even if not so, it would be best if you not call yourself "pledge mom." That reeks of sorority and will alienate men who want to pledge. Pledge trainer or pledge educator or pledgemaster are fine.

If this is a service fraternity, pledges should have to complete a certain number of service hours.

I'm not sure how men do big/little in fraternities, but again, stay away from anything that is too sorority like (string, squealing, etc) or it will alienate men who want to join.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Is this Alpha Phi Omega? If so, and even if not so, it would be best if you not call yourself "pledge mom." That reeks of sorority and will alienate men who want to pledge. Pledge trainer or pledge educator or pledgemaster are fine.

If this is a service fraternity, pledges should have to complete a certain number of service hours.

I'm not sure how men do big/little in fraternities, but again, stay away from anything that is too sorority like (string, squealing, etc) or it will alienate men who want to join.

Some *large* Alpha Phi Omega chapters have both a pledge mom and a pledge dad in a given semester. All of the chapters I've seen that have that are on pretty liberal campuses and have pledge classes on the high side of 30...

[33girl]

Originally Posted by naraht

Some *large* Alpha Phi Omega chapters have both a pledge mom and a pledge dad in a given semester. All of the chapters I've seen that have that are on pretty liberal campuses and have pledge classes on the high side of 30...

Well, considering that apparently people just signed up and paid their $$ and were automatically members by doing absolutely nothing, I'm hoping to heaven this is NOT Alpha Phi Omega.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well, considering that apparently people just signed up and paid their $$ and were automatically members by doing absolutely nothing, I'm hoping to heaven this is NOT Alpha Phi Omega.

*Unless* this is a newly (re)chartered chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, and what she described as happening before is the situation of the Petitioning Group with a Petitioning Group Ceremony at the end of the semester. That is possible, but for an APO chapter to start using pledge mom immediately would be somewhat unusual...

I hopefully await information on whether the co-ed fraternity is Alpha Phi Omega, and if it is, which of the chapters it is...

Randy

[emb021]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well, considering that apparently people just signed up and paid their $$ and were automatically members by doing absolutely nothing, I'm hoping to heaven this is NOT Alpha Phi Omega.

We don't know.

In APO we use a pledge program, but each chapter is free to develop their own specific program, so long as it follows our 20-point 'National Pledging Standard'. Many chapters have big/littles (we just rolled out an optional big/little ceremony that chapters can use, if they want). I've never heard the term "pledge mom" in APO. Its usually pledgemaster, pledge trainer, or the like.

Now, because some schools may not allow our chapters to use a proper pledge program, we do have an 'alternate new member education program' that can be used. At those school, they are basically forced (by the school, mind you) to do exactly that: induct people directly as members of APO, afterwhich we then have to educate them into what APO is all about. AFAIK, this is done at only a small number of schools.

[court4short]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Is this Alpha Phi Omega? If so, and even if not so, it would be best if you not call yourself "pledge mom." That reeks of sorority and will alienate men who want to pledge. Pledge trainer or pledge educator or pledgemaster are fine.

If this is a service fraternity, pledges should have to complete a certain number of service hours.

I'm not sure how men do big/little in fraternities, but again, stay away from anything that is too sorority like (string, squealing, etc) or it will alienate men who want to join.

I know many people in sororities think that a co-ed Fraternity shouldn't be calling their "pledge trainer" a "pledge mom" because it might scare away the males, I have to beg to differ. Speaking from experience, I was in a co-ed Fraternity and we had a pledge mom. It was usually women who filled the position, anyway, but if men did, they were pledge dads. The guys in my pledge class did not mind whatsoever, they in fact LOVED their "MILF".

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by court4short

I know many people in sororities think that a co-ed Fraternity shouldn't be calling their "pledge trainer" a "pledge mom" because it might scare away the males, I have to beg to differ. Speaking from experience, I was in a co-ed Fraternity and we had a pledge mom.

33girl was also in a co-ed fraternity as well as a sorority, so I'm guessing she speaks from experience too. Speaking from my experience (as a guy), I'd pretty much agree with what she said.

The guys in my pledge class did not mind whatsoever, they in fact LOVED their "MILF".

'Cause that's the dynamic you're going for.


FWIW, we (in my non-co-ed fraternity) had a very simple way of telling probationary members who their big brothers were -- your big brother pinned your probationary member pin on you at the pledging ceremony. I liked that way of doing it.

[court4short]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

33girl was also in a co-ed fraternity as well as a sorority, so I'm guessing she speaks from experience too. Speaking from my experience (as a guy), I'd pretty much agree with what she said.

'Cause that's the dynamic you're going for.


FWIW, we (in my non-co-ed fraternity) had a very simple way of telling probationary members who their big brothers were -- your big brother pinned your probationary member pin on you at the pledging ceremony. I liked that way of doing it.

I hadn't realized 33girl was also in a co-ed fraternity, my apologies to her. I wasn't trying to be condescending or mean or anything, just making a suggestion from my own personal experience. And the MILF thing was a joke, just trying to show that it didn't really scare the guys off....

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by court4short

I hadn't realized 33girl was also in a co-ed fraternity, my apologies to her. I wasn't trying to be condescending or mean or anything, just making a suggestion from my own personal experience. And the MILF thing was a joke, just trying to show that it didn't really scare the guys off....

Gotcha.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by court4short

I hadn't realized 33girl was also in a co-ed fraternity, my apologies to her. I wasn't trying to be condescending or mean or anything, just making a suggestion from my own personal experience. And the MILF thing was a joke, just trying to show that it didn't really scare the guys off....

Our APO chapter had enough problems with "incest" without calling anyone a MILF. Bwah.

At any rate, padprelaw (who is a poobah in the OP's org) has put the kibosh on any squealing or big/littling, so I don't know why there were any posts after his.