Guidelines for wearing your chapter name's letters

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by Bee

I'm looking for guidelines on use of chapter letters.

Like, if I'm a member of the Delta Zeta chapter of XYZ Sorority, are the chapter reference guidelines solely with the Sorority? Or is it totally acceptable to go around wearing the DZ letters?

I mean, NO! That can't possibly be OK. But I am searching for some official guideline somewhere. Where common sense does not, unfortunately, prevail.

This is happening and I'm trying to point out an error in judgment respectfully. Or, if I'm wrong here, I need to see it in writing somewhere.

Help?

Shall I assume the chapter letters in question are not attached to your initiation badge? Unless women are refusing to wear their initiation badges (the rampant Equity Revolt) and are choosing to wear chapter guards alone.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

Shall I assume the chapter letters in question are not attached to your initiation badge? Unless women are refusing to wear their initiation badges (the rampant Equity Revolt) and are choosing to wear chapter guards alone.

It's not related to an Equity Revolt. They just like their chapter letters I guess. I've just never seen this without also featuring the sorority itself. That the chapter letters happen to be identical to another national organization is what's leaving me floored.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Bee

It's not related to an Equity Revolt. They just like their chapter letters I guess. I've just never seen this without also featuring the sorority itself. That the chapter letters happen to be identical to another national organization is what's leaving me floored.

So... are they wearing, for example, stitched letter shirts with DZ plastered across the front and nothing else on it?

Do they know their chapter designation is the same as another NPC? Perhaps they're simply ignorant to this fact. You'd be surprised how many collegiate members of NPCs have no clue about national sororities that exist outside of their campus.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Bee, what council is your sorority a part of?

Originally Posted by Xidelt

I'd assume NPC. She has Alpha Chi Omega in her signature line.

Originally Posted by Bee

It's not related to an Equity Revolt. They just like their chapter letters I guess. I've just never seen this without also featuring the sorority itself. That the chapter letters happen to be identical to another national organization is what's leaving me floored.

Think about this: the NPC didn't formally come into being until 1902. Even back then some chapter designations were already identical to those of some NPC groups...Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma and Delta Zeta chapters likely existed within several of our oldest NPC groups by 1902. The NPC has never sought to control chapter greek designations within its groups.

And NPC groups joining in 1951 would DEFINITELY have already had chapters with names exacting those of some of our earliest NPC member groups.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

Think about this: the NPC didn't formally come into being until 1902. Even back then some chapter designations were already identical to those of some NPC groups...Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma and Delta Zeta chapters likely existed within several of our oldest NPC groups by 1902. The NPC has never sought to control chapter greek designations within its groups.

And NPC groups joining in 1951 would DEFINITELY have already had chapters with names exacting those of some of our earliest NPC member groups.

Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

IMO, the most likely (while still probably pretty unlikely) *might* be Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, but I simply don't understand the ordering of the assignment of chapter names of either group. Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

[chi-o_cat]

Originally Posted by naraht

Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

It appears Chi Omega has 2 current active chapters that share a chapter designation with an NPC group- Kappa Delta (Bowling Green State U) and Sigma Kappa (Austin Peay State U), as well as two inactive chapters, Phi Mu (Lehigh U) and Delta Gamma (Denison U). All four of these chapters were opened well into the NPC era, so Chi Omega would have known all of them existed.

I do see where Delta Zeta was skipped over in the chapter list, but I have no idea if that was done because there is already a NPC group called that, or it was for some other reason. Even if it was done for that reason, I guess it didn't become an official policy or lasting guideline, because the Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu chapters came along after that.

[UVASquirrel]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

It appears Chi Omega has 2 current active chapters that share a chapter designation with an NPC group- Kappa Delta (Bowling Green State U) and Sigma Kappa (Austin Peay State U), as well as two inactive chapters, Phi Mu (Lehigh U) and Delta Gamma (Denison U). All four of these chapters were opened well into the NPC era, so Chi Omega would have known all of them existed.

I do see where Delta Zeta was skipped over in the chapter list, but I have no idea if that was done because there is already a NPC group called that, or it was for some other reason. Even if it was done for that reason, I guess it didn't become an official policy or lasting guideline, because the Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu chapters came along after that.

Alpha Gam has both a Delta Gamma Chapter and a Delta Zeta chapter. But, the only place I've ever seen our women wearing "letters" is on their chapter guards attached to their badges. Now, chapter designations often appear on event T-shirts, but so does "Alpha Gamma Delta"

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by naraht

Is there *any* GLO out there that chose not to assign (for example) "Mu Mu Mu" chapter because "Mu Mu Mu" GLO exist?

IMO, the most likely (while still probably pretty unlikely) *might* be Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, but I simply don't understand the ordering of the assignment of chapter names of either group. Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

Pi Beta Phi designates chapters by state of chapter first (Illinois; New York; etc) then greek alphabetically by date. So their Illinois Alpha chapter is their founding chapter at Monmouth College.

AOII allows chapters to choose their own greek letter designation (within reason). Their recently-installed Delta Gamma chapter at Missouri State had a lot of help as a colony from the Delta Pi chapter of AOII at Central Missouri State. So when choosing their greek name, Missouri State AOIIs wanted their greek letters to somewhat resemble the letters Delta Pi, and the letters Delta Gamma did that for them. Their choice had nothing to do with secretly wishing they were members of The Delta Gamma Fraternity, and everything to do with honoring their first connections to AOII thru its Delta Pi chapter.

ETA: AOII also installed a Kappa Delta chapter at Wright State University in 1985, and an Alpha Phi chapter at Montana State University in 1917. It's been noted before on Greekchat that Alpha Gamma Delta has their Delta Gamma chapter at Montana State, and its recently notable that Delta Gamma has re-established their Montana State Gamma Delta chapter. FTR there has never been an Alpha Phi chapter at Montana State.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

Their choice had nothing to do with secretly wishing they were members of The Delta Gamma Sorority, and everything to do with honoring their first connections to AOII thru its Delta Pi chapter.

Just an FYI, it's Delta Gamma Fraternity.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Just an FYI, it's Delta Gamma Fraternity.

Fixed it Sounded wrong when I first typed it, now I know why.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by naraht

Kappa Alpha Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, while also constitutionally bound don't have any three letter chapters.

Should this be KKPsi?

[naraht]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Should this be KKPsi?

Whoops!

Thank You.