Drinking in letters

[CarolinaDG]

Originally posted by adpiucf
There is such a negative exisiting perception of Greeks being whorish alcoholics that it only makes sense to avoid any sort of GLO-affiliation with your attire when you are acting loud and obnxious, drinking alcohol or looking to get your groove on. It's a PR thing. If we come off looking like polished, classy students with our letters on, that's good PR.

I'm not advocating binge drinking and rowdy behavior just because you aren't wearing letters-- even when you are not wearing your letters, people tend to know "who" you are. But college is a place to make mistakes-- hence all the over-drinking-- make your mistakes wisely. Stay safe.

I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but...

At one point, my chapter was known as the "prude" chapter, where noone drank and noone had fun. In fact, a couple of non-greeks thought we were one of the community service sororities. So, as a "PR" move, we started letting our letters "slip out" at parties. Nothing drastic, but maybe we'd make sure to mention we were in a sorority while drinking, or "accidentally" leave our keychains on our keyrings. It was nothing that other sororities hadn't been doing for years, but it helped us lose our reputation as the "non-fun" sorority.

Also, something that we always have said to our new members, and that was said to us is that as large as our school is (I went to U of S. Carolina), Greek Life is small, and for the most part everyone knows what sorority everyone is in, anyway. You should always act with your letters off as you would with them on.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but...

At one point, my chapter was known as the "prude" chapter, where noone drank and noone had fun. In fact, a couple of non-greeks thought we were one of the community service sororities. So, as a "PR" move, we started letting our letters "slip out" at parties. Nothing drastic, but maybe we'd make sure to mention we were in a sorority while drinking, or "accidentally" leave our keychains on our keyrings. It was nothing that other sororities hadn't been doing for years, but it helped us lose our reputation as the "non-fun" sorority.

wow. ummmm

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but...

At one point, my chapter was known as the "prude" chapter, where noone drank and noone had fun. In fact, a couple of non-greeks thought we were one of the community service sororities. So, as a "PR" move, we started letting our letters "slip out" at parties. Nothing drastic, but maybe we'd make sure to mention we were in a sorority while drinking, or "accidentally" leave our keychains on our keyrings. It was nothing that other sororities hadn't been doing for years, but it helped us lose our reputation as the "non-fun" sorority.

Also, something that we always have said to our new members, and that was said to us is that as large as our school is (I went to U of S. Carolina), Greek Life is small, and for the most part everyone knows what sorority everyone is in, anyway. You should always act with your letters off as you would with them on.

I'm sorry if others don't agree with me, but I really don't see much wrong with this. If they were drinking responsibly and not acting like drunken idiots, then I personally don't see it as bad PR. I kinda see is as good. But, maybe I understand this because of the chapter that I came from.

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by LilPhiRose
I know reputation can sometimes be a lot, but the good girls you get will always be the ones who don't care if you're "non-fun." Also, the ignorant ones on campus are the ones whom will be concerned if you party or not- many guys like the good girls. I know.

In a perfect world, you would probably be right..... But in the incredibly cut-throat and superficial greek world that exists on some campuses, reputation means alot more than it should.

I think you need to find a balance between being the "prude" chapter and being "those stupid ABC's who are always making fools of themselves at parties".

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Lindz928
I'm sorry if others don't agree with me, but I really don't see much wrong with this. If they were drinking responsibly and not acting like drunken idiots, then I personally don't see it as bad PR. I kinda see is as good. But, maybe I understand this because of the chapter that I came from.

I agree. I'm sick and tired of the idea that we have to be all holier-than-thou all the time. The average college girl drinks, so why can't the average sorority girl? While I certainly don't condone pulling down your pants to show everyone your thong with letters on it, I think there are bigger problemsin Greek life than drinking with a lavalier on.

[MTSUGURL]

I don't think the rule "no drinking in your letters" was made because of the girl that drinks responsibly while remaining ladylike and just happens to have on her lavalier or keychain. I agree that that may not be a huge deal or bad PR. When I hear "no drinking in letters" told to our pledges, I generally think of a girl getting drunk off her backside with letters plastered across her chest at a bar or fraternity party. One girl acting like an idiot can ruin the great reputation my chapter spent the last few years building up.

[33girl]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but...

At one point, my chapter was known as the "prude" chapter, where noone drank and noone had fun. In fact, a couple of non-greeks thought we were one of the community service sororities. So, as a "PR" move, we started letting our letters "slip out" at parties. Nothing drastic, but maybe we'd make sure to mention we were in a sorority while drinking, or "accidentally" leave our keychains on our keyrings. It was nothing that other sororities hadn't been doing for years, but it helped us lose our reputation as the "non-fun" sorority.

We did the exact same thing. And guess what, our rush numbers started to go up. No girl wants to join a chapter full of drunks, but no one wants to join the chapter full of prudes either. Of course neither "image" is true, but if it's gotten to the point where you are losing girls to other sororities and fraternties don't want to mix with you, one way or another, you have to do something. And no, it's not true that "the good girls won't care if you're non-fun." Many of them will because they don't want to pay hundreds of $$$ in dues to join a sorority that (from what they see) never mixes with fraternities and is judgemental of people who drink.

And for the gabillionth time, at a lot of schools it doesn't make a damned bit of difference if you are in letters or not, because everyone has seen you during the week in class wearing letters anyway. To piggyback off my other post, if you're worried about girls acting like idiots when they get too drunk, educate them about their limits and how to drink responsibly instead of having BS rules about wearing letters.

[KSUViolet06]

See, where I come from, our numbers would most likely go down b/c PNMs automatically swear you off as the "drunk" sorority. If it works for you- good. It's just a matter of following our national policies. SEVERAL groups on my campus have been in trouble for letting letters "slip" at parties, so we're extra cautious about that around here.

[AUDeltaGam]

Around here, it's generally looked down on to drink in letters. We even have it in our bylaws saying that we are not allowed to drink in letters. I just think it helps us look more classy!

[Lindz928]

At my campus, it was pretty uncommon to see girls at parties (especially fraternity parties) wearing their letters. We also didn't see very many wearing letters at the bar.

Then, I came to Austin and here, sorority girls wear their letters to just about anything it seems. Every fraternity party I have been to, I have seen almost every girl wearing her letters. It is almost strange if you DON'T wear them.

I have also found that lots of times, people somehow know that you're in a sorority whether you're wearing letters or not.

[PhiStar]

Originally posted by KLPDaisy
What would happen if a girl was unaware of this rule and got a tatoo with letters on it? Would nationals make her get it removed?
ETA: Does a tatoo of AOT fall under the "no letters" rule?

i know a few phi mus with related tattoos but no badge, crest or letters. One has carnations, one has a quatrefoil outline, one has stars.

is that bad?

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by PhiStar
i know a few phi mus with related tattoos but no badge, crest or letters. One has carnations, one has a quatrefoil outline, one has stars.

is that bad?

My personal opinion.... NO, that's not bad at all.

I plan on getting a tatoo of a violet to represent ADPi. I think something like a flower or diamonds or stars or something is a good idea if you want to get a sorority tatoo. Better than actual letters anyway. Not everyone will know exactly what it standa for, and it can probably be prettier.

I think getting letters tatooed is a pretty common thing in fraternities though.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by exlurker
In general I agree with 33girl's point, although I would add that chapters can also "educate" members about the option of choosing to drink -- or switch to -- non-alcoholic beverages when doing so makes sense.

Now for one more question: for chapters / campuses where "drinking in letters" is frowned upon, what about symbol bracelets and lavaliers? Not ones with actual letters or crests; I'm talking about silver or gold bracelets with "links" of arrows, keys, anchors, tridents, kite outlines, owl outlines, violets, diamond shapes surrounding pi, quatrefoil shapes, and so on, or the lavalier equivalents. Are they considered to be like "letters," or are they supposedly neutral enough that they can be worn while drinking? Just wondering -- I have no idea. (And for all I know, those kinds of jewelry items may not be particularly in fashion right now at a lot of campuses.)

I don't think these are letter equivalents - at our convention this summer we received some really cute crescent moon necklaces as a gift and I've worn mine to the bars. I think anybody who knows enough to say "Oh, she's wearing a crescent moon, she must be a Gamma Phi" would also know that I was a Gamma Phi without my having the necklace on.

[tunatartare]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
I don't think these are letter equivalents - at our convention this summer we received some really cute crescent moon necklaces as a gift and I've worn mine to the bars. I think anybody who knows enough to say "Oh, she's wearing a crescent moon, she must be a Gamma Phi" would also know that I was a Gamma Phi without my having the necklace on.

I agree with GP. Just because you're wearing a kite/key/owl/anchor/arrow etc. doesn't mean you're necessarily a member of a sorority that has that as one of its symbols. One of my sisters has a rhinestone anchor necklace that she always wears and she's obviously not a DG or an AST.

[agnerd]

Sigma Alpha can absolutely not drink in their letters....we're totally dry :-D

Shelley