New names for "pledge"

[BrianMUDU]

I didn't mean to say that calling someone a pledge was considered hazing. The point I meant to get across was that "pledge" and "rush" have a negative connotation. I personally would rather be able to use pledge and rush, but I guess nowadays they aren't the best words to use.

[Corbin Dallas]

Originally posted by BrianMUDU:
I didn't mean to say that calling someone a pledge was considered hazing. The point I meant to get across was that "pledge" and "rush" have a negative connotation. I personally would rather be able to use pledge and rush, but I guess nowadays they aren't the best words to use.

I totally agree as far as the reasons for getting rid of pledge and rush. i'd rather use the word rush, pledge or AM doesn't matter to me, but that's the way i was taught, and technically, we can get in trouble for calling them pledges. I know the name is different to stress that they are members, with all rights and privelages, except when it comes to ritual. they can't be ritualist or vote on someones initiation until they are fully initiated brothers. dzrose said it was considered hazing to call them pledges, in her org.

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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

[33girl]

dzrose, I totally agree with you about "recruitment" sounding like the Army. I can also think of an even more negative connotation it has - cults. I think "membership selection" would have been a better choice if they were hell bent on changing it.

The Crows offically call their pledges "postulants" - I think that is kind of cool. Unoffically, they called them bags (yes shadokat, I see a pattern! ) Some sororities use the name of their flower or their jewel.

As I've said before though, even the nicest name can sound nasty if you want it to. It is not WHAT you say it is HOW you say it.

[josh8o]

hey if we are looking for new names for pledges, could we also look for a different name for maggots?!?!
lol
j/k

[N2]

New name for a "pledge"? This make me SICK. Those of you that want to make GLO's so PC, go join a club. There is nothing that should be PC about a fraternity. It is not your right to be a Brother. It is not your duty to be a Brother. It is not a privilege to be a Brother. In my chapter it is a life changing event that is earned every day. A fraternity in its self is discriminate. We, the Brothers, do not join the pledges. They are attempting to attain Brotherhood. Brotherhood in my chapter does not come easy. It is by far the most difficult challenge I have ever had in my life. It is also the defining event in my life. It rings true throughout my chapters Brothers, both active and alumni. Why? Because we pledged. We did not join a warm and fuzzy PC club. We paid for the letters that we wear. We earned them through blood, sweat and tears, TOGETHER! There is a difference.

[pbear19]

Originally posted by N2:
New name for a "pledge"? This make me SICK. Those of you that want to make GLO's so PC, go join a club. There is nothing that should be PC about a fraternity. It is not your right to be a Brother. It is not your duty to be a Brother. It is not a privilege to be a Brother. In my chapter it is a life changing event that is earned every day. A fraternity in its self is discriminate. We, the Brothers, do not join the pledges. They are attempting to attain Brotherhood. Brotherhood in my chapter does not come easy. It is by far the most difficult challenge I have ever had in my life. It is also the defining event in my life. It rings true throughout my chapters Brothers, both active and alumni. Why? Because we pledged. We did not join a warm and fuzzy PC club. We paid for the letters that we wear. We earned them through blood, sweat and tears, TOGETHER! There is a difference.

Well, just so you know, since I posted the thread, I am in a service sorority. Although we don't make it easy for people to get in, we're not out to make their lives miserable, either. We have a lot of girls in social sororities too, so our group is their second priority. (But we have a majority who consider it their first priority.) What we're about is serving the community while getting to know some cool other girls on our campus and having fun too. We are highly selective when it comes to choosing new members, because service orgs are HUGE on my campus and we try to keep our numbers low for quality's sake. So probably the toughest part of my sorority is getting a bid. Last fall we had 60 girls turn out and only took 20.
So do I want to make our girls suffer to become members? No, because that's not what we're about. I realize your post may have been a response to some of the replies on this thread, but since I posted it, I just wanted to let you know that not everyone who posts on here has the same type of organization. Would I do anything in the world for my sorority? YES! Does every member have the same level of committment as I do? No, but that can be said about any org. And even if they aren't called pledges, there will be many more girls who will come through and be just like me, thankful every day that they joined and active for the rest of their lives.

[shadokat]

Before this thread gets off on the tangent it's heading, the word "pledge", "new member", "bag", "associate", or whatever else you want to call them, does not indicate how "easy or hard" it is to get into an organization. It's so ridiculous to classify new member programs as easy or hard, so let's not even get into that!

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Delta Phi Epsilon, Celebrating nearly 84 years of Dedication, Pride and Excellence!

Ohteeny, I think Junior ALL God's Daughters would be better then little squirrels

[ULChiOCutie]

We call our plegdes "new members." We also have called them our "little hooties," because I am a chi o. Then when they initiate, that have graduated to Owls. It is just something a little cheesy that we do, but everyone seems fine with it!

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Loyaly in our bond,
ULChiOCutie
Check out UofLouisville's Chi Omega Website!
http://chio.webprovider.com

[PinkStar17]

We call our pledges "Phi's" I always loved being a Phi because it was neat to have a special name.. while all the other sororitys on campus called their pledges "new members" we were called Phis! It always sounded so much nicer.. Even as a sister I miss getting the attention I got when I was a "Phi"

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Love, Honor, Truth

[unforgettable]

hey pinkstar, what soror are you in? Locally we call are new girls lil phi's...kind of like what your newbies are called. Im an Alpha Phi...what are you?

[PinkStar17]

Hey Im a Phi Mu... From Miami, Florida

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Love, Honor, Truth

[PinkStar17]

Unforgettable,
I am a Phi Mu from Miami, Florida!
Theta Gamma chapter
pretty neat how more than one sorority uses the name "Phi's" its such a cute way to refer to new members!


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Love, Honor, Truth

[LeslieAGD]

I pledged Alpha Gam in the fall of 99 when the terminology was changing over at my university. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is about saying pledge/rush, etc but we do call our girls new members. Usually I just call them our "newbies" but I do wish there was something that sounded better.

[LexiKD]

I don't have a problem with the name change because many groups call their new members something different anyway! I think the word "pledge" carries such a bad connotation that it would be better to change.
I think the cub thing is cute and the ADPi thing awesome!