Infraction stories

[IrishLake]

For us, it varied year to year. The one year out of my 4 was the funky 5 day silence period, aside from saying "hello." (Seriously, it was just "Hello," not "hi," "what's up?" "how's it going?" etc.). but we always had a STRICT no contact silence period between the end of preference and when the new members ran to their new chapters during bid day activities. Once the PNM stepped foot out the door at the end of preference, there was no more communication allowed (so as not to sway the PNM on who to decide to put as #1 on their bid card).

[MaggieXi]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I think infractions get really childish, it became very tattle-tale-y on my campus during silence. I was so frustrated one year and sat in the middle of the student center eating lunch with a friend who I knew was not rushing and was a sophomore. One of my sisters said something to me about how risky that was later. I was just fed up and didn't care. If someone did tattle it was ignored and if it had gone further it would have been easy to prove that I didn't violate the rules.

But the silliness just to avoid getting told on even for NON infractions... ugh.

The only things I remember on campus were the violations of rules against going to the local bars. Being in the city, there were other options, but members were prohibited from going to bars within a certain radius of campus. We always thought it was silly since most PNMs shouldn't have been in the bars anyway.

Similarly, a sorority tried to file an infraction against my group because one of our members happened to be in a group picture of honors society she belonged to that also included a PNM. The picture had approximately 20 people in it - including 3 other sorority members from other organizations. The Greek Life director's response was "your kidding me, right?"

We have one group on campus who lovvveess to run to greek life and tattle tale.

[Psi U MC Vito]

last question and I will return to my lane lol. For the silence rules I assume there would be exceptions for things like siblings and room/suitemates right?

[SWTXBelle]

In my experience - no, exceptions are not made. You wouldn't talk to your sister going through rush, and if you lived with a pnm you would have to move out for recruitment.

[jennyj87]

I had an infraction last year. I posted something about it a while ago if any of you remember.

I was at my parents house and it was too hot to go outside. I had 1000 pictures from the last 6 years of us being a chapter so I decided to make a video because i was bored with our pictures and the purpose. I posted it on FB because it had a lot of the alumnae in it, especially our founding sisters who I am friends with. It never said anything like "Go Tri Delta!" or "Tri Delta is the BEST" or anything along those lines, but they cited me as "advertising". Even though I wasn't friends with any PNMs and my FB is completely private, they still filed it. It was a load of bull to be honest, but it lead me to get involved with Fat Talk Free Week so thats a positive.

Our panhellenic is getting a little crazy with the rules to be honest. I am friends with a girl who is a Chi Omega and as a joke we started saying we were "Chi Delta" to each other saying that it was our Student Government sorority. I posted something about i on her wall and the Assistant membership director called me and asked me to take it down. Mind you, this was before disaffiliation started.

We also got an email saying not to join the freshmen group that some incoming freshmen started. What if I'm in another club and want to promote it there? My FB is private, you can't see my friends or anything. Its getting a little out of hand.

[MaggieXi]

The chapter I help out with, on their campus, the Greek students aren't really allowed to be friends with any freshman until second semester. Its assumed that all freshman women are PNMs - even if they have zero interest in greek life and have no intention of going through recruitment for whatever reason.

[violetpretty]

Jeez, I now realize how lax Maryland's silence rules are compared to a lot of other schools!

[IrishLake]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

In my experience - no, exceptions are not made. You wouldn't talk to your sister going through rush, and if you lived with a pnm you would have to move out for recruitment.

Originally Posted by MaggieXi

The chapter I help out with, on their campus, the Greek students aren't really allowed to be friends with any freshman until second semester. Its assumed that all freshman women are PNMs - even if they have zero interest in greek life and have no intention of going through recruitment for whatever reason.

Yep, few exceptions to the rule. Only in the event of a major family tragedy could you talk to your biological sister at my school. A few exceptions were also made for those on a fall sports team with games and stuff going on (volleyball, soccer, etc). We also assumed that all freshman were PNMs, so in the summer and those few weeks before formal rush started, the infraction rules still applied.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

last question and I will return to my lane lol. For the silence rules I assume there would be exceptions for things like siblings and room/suitemates right?

If your roommate was just non-greek and not a PNM then you were fine. We primarily had freshmen at recruitment and so I never saw what happened if you were in a sorority and your roommate was going through recruitment. But, for example, the Pi Chis would have to move out of the greek floor or essentially hide in their rooms if it was an apartment before school even started.

If you had a sibling you did not talk in public, at all. You were expected to watch what you said in private as well. However the only time I recall the older sister was a Pi Chi so it was a whole other set of rules and frustrations.

[carnation]

I'm sure I've told this before on GC but when I was asst Panhellenic director at MS State, several RCs and I were policing (felt like it anyway) the pref parties, which were held at alums' homes. I walked down the hall to to the restroom...the light was out and the door was cracked. When I opened the door and flipped on the light, there was a rushee sitting on the closed toilet--surrounded by members. It scared me, I screamed, they screamed, and no, I don't remember how we dealt with it anymore!

If you're going to hotbox a PNM, don't do it in the bathroom.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

last question and I will return to my lane lol. For the silence rules I assume there would be exceptions for things like siblings and room/suitemates right?

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

In my experience - no, exceptions are not made. You wouldn't talk to your sister going through rush, and if you lived with a pnm you would have to move out for recruitment.

Our rush signups happened way after room signups/assignments/lease signings, so you really couldn't be forced to move out. How could you make someone paying for an off campus apartment do anything?? You could talk to them about things like "where is my shampoo?" but not about rush. For the silence btwn the end of pref and bid day, though, the sorority roomie usually went and stayed somewhere else.

I also just want to state for the umpteenth time that any school who has deferred rush and is preventing sorority members from interacting with freshmen or any non-sorority women is missing the whole damn point.

[aephi alum]

I have two lovely "infraction accusation" stories from my days as an active. Neither involved my chapter.

There was a particular chapter that would use glitter sprinkled on the floor as part of their decorations during the first round of recruitment (which was held in the student center). During that round, PNMs sat on the floor and watched a skit. Inevitably, glitter would cling to the PNMs' shorts, legs, and the soles of their shoes, and would get tracked out into the student center halls. Invariably, some other chapter tried to stick them with a violation for allowing their PNMs to take objects (i.e. said glitter) out of the rush room. Panhel had to hear the charge every year, but it was always found in favor of the "glitter chapter" - it's just glitter, for crying out loud. (The sisters did vacuum the room and the immediate surroundings thoroughly after the parties were over for the day.)

We also had a work week, before the start of recruitment, during which wearing or displaying letters was strictly verboten. One year, during that week, a sister of ABC from my school saw someone out jogging in an XYZ shirt. So ABC brought XYZ up on charges. Of course, there are a LOT of colleges and universities in the Boston/Cambridge area, and many of them have greek systems, and old recruitment/party/event shirts make great workout clothes... you see where this is going - the XYZ in question was from a different school. The charges were dropped.

[chickenoodle]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Period of time where sorority members MAY NOT be in contact with ANY PNM.

Length varies by campus.

Example: Silence for us lasted from the time the PXs disaffiliated to midnight after Bid Day.

I'm confused. If Bid Day is Saturday, silence ended Sunday at midnight? How did that work?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by chickenoodle

I'm confused. If Bid Day is Saturday, silence ended Sunday at midnight? How did that work?

Ugh. I actually meant the midnight of Bid Night.

Ex: if Bid Night is Sunday night, silence is over as of midnight Monday AM.

[jennyj87]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

There was a particular chapter that would use glitter sprinkled on the floor as part of their decorations during the first round of recruitment
.

Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies-demitri martin.