Stop the "Baby" Talk

[dukedg]

Originally Posted by MaggieXi

I agree that this is a great blog and the term "baby" should not be used to refer to or describe new members of any organization. I know that the term "baby" came about when I was a junior (gah! 13 years ago!). It was the year that Rush became recruitment, Rushees became Potential New Members and Pledges became New Members. Campus panhellenic had decreed that we were to use all the new terms and added that we were not allowed to call the new members, or even the PNMs "Girls" or even "new girls" or "Ladies" because it was derogatory (I'm not sure how Ladies was derogatory, but it was on the list of words that we could no longer use). However, the word Baby was not on the list.

So the sororities who had names for their new members - Phis for Phi Mu, Rosebuds for AOPi, continued on with their tradition. Since the rest of the orgs on campus didn't have names for their new members and could essentially only call them mouthful "new members", and a year before called them pledges, adopted new names for the them. Zeta had "Zeta Babies", AXiD had "Little Xis", Sigma Kappa had "Kappa Kuties", etc. I don't know when all of them changed over to "Babies", but eventually they did. But I think a lot of this Baby calling came out of the fact that they could no longer be called "Pledges" and "New Members" is a mouthful and boring if you compare it to the groups that have names for their new members.

IMO, Pledges is far less derogatory than Babies.

I completely agree with all of this. The switch in terminology happened when I was in college too and it was immediately a switch to "babies". It was so confusing to us at the time, because we had been pledges and didn't think it was offensive at all! I think "pledge" is such a convenient word, you can pledge something, be a pledge or join a pledge class.

Where do I sign the petition to bring back the word "pledge"?

[adpiucf]

Junior League new members are called "provisional members" or "provisionals" for the first year, when they go on to "active" membership. I think sororities could use that term, as the new members of a sorority have provisional membership until initiation.

I think all these cutesy names for new members are dumb.

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Junior League new members are called "provisional members" or "provisionals" for the first year, when they go on to "active" membership. I think sororities could use that term, as the new members of a sorority have provisional membership until initiation.

Actually, I believe that AJLI has gone to "New Members" as well. That's what my city was told to do. I believe it's for some of the same reasoning of pledges. We were told not to call them Provisionals any longer.

[RaggedyAnn]

Originally Posted by shirley1929

Actually, I believe that AJLI has gone to "New Members" as well. That's what my city was told to do. I believe it's for some of the same reasoning of pledges. We were told not to call them Provisionals any longer.

You are correct. That happened last year.

As for baby ladybugs, having recently researched one, ick! Those are pretty ugly baby bugs. I'm also not sure when it happened, but pearls is now considered a "slang" and we have moved onto new members.

The hardest part of changing terminology all the time is that it becomes difficult for the new members and alumnae to have intergenerational conversations and actually know what everyone is talking about!

[honeychile]

There are some chapters of ADPi who insist that they can only order pins with pearls and blue stones (blue topaz, aquamarine, sapphires). This is NOT an edict from EO - it's a chapter tradition. Two very different things!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by dukedg

I completely agree with all of this. The switch in terminology happened when I was in college too and it was immediately a switch to "babies". It was so confusing to us at the time, because we had been pledges and didn't think it was offensive at all! I think "pledge" is such a convenient word, you can pledge something, be a pledge or join a pledge class.

Where do I sign the petition to bring back the word "pledge"?

I think I recall that Phi Mu was the first to drop the word "pledge", and I think the reasoning was that it was heavily associated with hazing. I have heard Phi Mu officers use a soundbite to the effect of "pledge is a verb, not a noun".

Obviously changing the word does not change a hazing culture, but I'm okay with using "phi" instead.