question for fraternity members!

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by sairose (in part)
I am friends with four Pikes and I have NEVER seen them wear their badges (not sure if they even HAVE them), nor have I really seen ANY fraternity members on campus wear them, except for Sinfonians.

and

Originally posted by DeltAlum (in part)
Standard dress for college men today is jeans and whatever goes with them (tees, etc.) That dress is not appropriate for the display of a Delt (or most anyone else) badge. We require collared shirts, etc.

and

Originally posted by HPU PIKE (in part)
I am sure this applies to many other fraternities as well, but for my chapter of Pikes, we have strict rules for wearing the badge.

I agree with DeltAlum and HPU Pike. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia also has rules/traditions about wearing the badge, and those rules "rule out" wearing the badge with everyday class attire.

Our General Regulations state that the badge "is not intended for overt display, but rather is to be worn 'nearest the heart,'" that it "is worn on dress shirts, vests, or pullover sweaters," and "should not be worn on coat lapels, collars, ties, the watch pockets of vests, coat sweaters, or T-shirts." Aside from the usual dress occasions when the badge might be worn, each chapter will usually dress in "badge attire" on Founder's Day (and yes, it is supposed to be a singular Founder's for us) and Chapter Day (the anniversary of the chapter's chartering). They may choose to do this on other days as well.

Whether or not the badge (or letters) can be worn while drinking alcohol is not specified nationally; practice will vary with chapters.

It is possible that, even with these rules, sairose sees Sinfonians with badges on more often than members of other fraternities. I’ll hazard a guess as to why: for obvious reasons, Sinfonia chapters tend to have a lot of music majors/musicians/members of music ensembles in them. Men in music ensembles tend to have to dress in coat and tie (or tux) much more frequently than the average guy on campus. And many Sinfonians will wear their badges when dressed for a performance, if the director of the ensemble allows it. So, this gives Sinfonians a lot of opportunities to wear badges when they would be seen by the general public. Just a guess, as I said.