girl in my letters!

[FuzzieAlum]

I apologize if that post was a little harsh -- I've just been VERY worried about this and the first post confirmed my fears.

Kristy, I wouldn't worry too much! Most of this thread is discussing how we would feel AFTER we knew someone else was wearing our letters and they oughtn't be. I know that if I see someone in my letters, I assume they are a sister. We used to see that in college - the occasional transfer, more often grad students (the grad school was twice as big as the undergrad). Usually, people would be very friendly to them. There just aren't that many Greek impersonators out there. (There's probably more girls who have been "de-sistered" out there wearing their letters than pretenders, and sometimes they DO still pretend to represent their former organization.)

Are you planning on affiliating at your new school? Because if you are, you'll meet the girls right away, and them seeing you in your letters won't even be an issue. Otherwise, they'll probably just strike up a friendly conversation and want to know all about your chapter!

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by FuzzieAlum


Kristy, I wouldn't worry too much! Most of this thread is discussing how we would feel AFTER we knew someone else was wearing our letters and they oughtn't be. I know that if I see someone in my letters, I assume they are a sister. We used to see that in college - the occasional transfer, more often grad students (the grad school was twice as big as the undergrad). Usually, people would be very friendly to them. There just aren't that many Greek impersonators out there. (There's probably more girls who have been "de-sistered" out there wearing their letters than pretenders, and sometimes they DO still pretend to represent their former organization.)

Are you planning on affiliating at your new school? Because if you are, you'll meet the girls right away, and them seeing you in your letters won't even be an issue. Otherwise, they'll probably just strike up a friendly conversation and want to know all about your chapter!

I agree with FuzzieAlum on this... I never knew of any sister who was rude to a stranger wearing our letters on campus. I think the majority of us assume that the girls are members and approach them with that thought in mind.

[LeslieAGD]

Kristi, I did not mean for this post to worry you about your transfer! Like FuzzieAlum said, this post was directed towards someone who ought not to be wearing a GLO's Greek letters. I was worried that the girl I saw was someone who was falsely persenting herself as a pledge of my chapter. Even then, I was in no way rude to her, just a little curious and confused. The girl was wearing a Greek Week shirt that had our sorority and our university on it and Greek Week just took place last week. Also, my roommate was the one passing out the shirts so if someone not of our chapter had one of the shirts I would probably have known about it.

I hope this clears things up and explains my situation a little better.
In this situation, how would people react?

[lifesaver]

The only time I have ever worn any letters other than my own was when I was running a campaign for student government and I had the campaign ticket t-shirt on. The top two gals onthe ticket were Sigma Kappas. There was 10 minutes left to vote, and I hadent yet, but couldnt go vote with that t-shirt on. (Campaigning near the voting booth), so the only solution was that the prez candidate gave me her sweatshirt to put over the campaign shirt. Outta respect, I wore it inside out. So you would have trouble seeing the letters. Also I can assure you it was on less than 5 minutes, as it was Sigma Kappa Lavender.

It was wired wearing someone elses letters tho - . I also knew that the gals could get in serious tropuble for letting a guy wear the letters, but I figured it was ok, 'cause they were inside out and 2, it was while trying to help a couple of Sigma Kappas.

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by Cloud9
After all, just because we are greek letter orgs doesn't mean that we OWN the greek alphabet! it's a free country, as long as they are just wearing some letters and aren't trying to claim false membership, it doesn't really bother me.

Personally, if I was still in a sorority I would be flattered if I see someone wearing my letters or "perpin", rather than insulted. Cloud9, I think the issue that they are having is that those letters have a special meaning, they worked hard to earn them, and that's one of the things that bonds them as sisters. So, to see someone sport their letters who is not affiliated with their org can be percieved as disrespectful by some.

[aephi alum]

My sorority doesn't allow anyone but initiated sisters to wear letters... so if I saw a girl in letters, I'd assume she's an AEPhi from a different chapter (either a transfer or someone visiting). If I found out otherwise, there would be trouble!

For party/event type shirts... if a guy were wearing it I'd assume he's a member's S.O. If a girl were wearing it, I'd assume at first that she was an AEPhi, but I wouldn't be too bothered if she was a member's sister, best friend, mom, etc. as long as she was up-front about it (i.e. not perping).

[AchtungBaby80]

I'm like the majority of you all--if I saw someone I didn't know with my sorority's letters on, I would think, "Oh, cool, somebody from another chapter!" I think that's what most people would think.

However, at Region Day last year, someone was talking about a girl at her school who wanted to be in our sorority so bad that she would walk around in our letters and even had Delta Zeta bumper stickers on her car, and the whole chapter was pretty upset about it. Now that I can definitely see--I would really wonder why anyone would want to do that sort of thing when there's a chapter of that organization at his/her school and it would be so easy for people to figure out that they were really just pretending.

[Cloud9]

Personally, if I was still in a sorority I would be flattered if I see someone wearing my letters or "perpin", rather than insulted. Cloud9, I think the issue that they are having is that those letters have a special meaning, they worked hard to earn them, and that's one of the things that bonds them as sisters. So, to see someone sport their letters who is not affiliated with their org can be percieved as disrespectful by some.

Right, I understand that. But, again, although I would find it sketchy, I wouldn't lose sleep over it unless, as I previously said, there is a specific reference to my school on whatever garment happens to sport the same letters that represent my org. After all, in reality, there is no law that says no one else is allowed to use those particular letters for any purpose other than as a member of xyz org. And I actually think is ok, I have friends who are greek, as in actually FROM greece, and one of them happens to have a necklace with her initials in greek. Now, suppose they happen to be the same as a sorority...should she be given grief over it? Or even some one who is just interested in it for trendy reasons...much like the way people will get Chinese characters in a shirt or even tatoo. I definitely agree however on the points that those specifically aiming to misrepresent an organization are wrong. Maybe greek orgs should have specifically designed logos like any other big organization? Something that is put into law---that way, although letters themselves are free to the public, your logo design would be property of xyz org. Or is there already something like this in existence? Excuse my ignorance if there is!

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by Cloud9
Or is there already something like this in existence? Excuse my ignorance if there is!

Coat of arms? I don't know. I don't think there is . But, you have a good idea!

[Glitter650]

I agree with most of you. If a girl who wasn't a sister of my chapter happened to be running around campus in my letters I would think she was visiting, or maybe alum I hadn't met or something of the sort. If I found out she wasn't affiliated I would be kinda upset that she was wearing our letters. Like someone else said, we went through a whole process in order to be able to wear those, learned all about them and wear them with pride.
Actually Cloud9 I think that althogh the greek alphabet is free for anyone to wear, the fact that GLO's pick certain letters in a certain order to form the name of an organization does make it legally THEIR letters, the name of the organization is copyrighted.

[Beryana]

Originally posted by Cloud9
Maybe greek orgs should have specifically designed logos like any other big organization? Something that is put into law---that way, although letters themselves are free to the public, your logo design would be property of xyz org. Or is there already something like this in existence? Excuse my ignorance if there is!

Actually, a lot of the greek orgs names ARE copyrighted - as well as badges, crests, etc. For example, the grouping of letters of Alpha Omicron Pi is copyrighted by Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity - only members are allowed to use them, have items printed, etc. in the United States. Now, if someone is 'caught perping' they would be asked to stop and if they continue to use the letters without proper authorization I'm sure that there could be legal ramifications (I'm not a lawyer, etc just referencing our constitution and thinking what happens with copyrighted materials.) If they are someone's initials and on a necklace that would be a different story altogether as its not 'perping'.

Sarah

[Harmony]

I don't think there's anything wrong with going up to someone who's wearing your letters at your campus and you don't know them. I'm not saying you should attack them, though. If you just go over and say, Hi, I'm an XYZ here. I was wondering if you're one also. (Or something to that effect). If she's not legit, then you can ask that person not to wear it and nicely explain that if anything happens, real XYZs are the ones who have to deal with it.

Some of my sisters and I were all sitting at brunch one day, with one of our national officers, nonetheless, and all of a sudden some random girl walks past us in our Homecoming sweatshirt with our letters on it and the letters of the fraternity we paired up with. After we picked our jaws up off the floor one of us went over and asked her if she's a SK somewhere else. The girl was like, "Oh, no, my brother is an AB and I stole it from his closet." That's not cool, so our girl asked her if she wouldn't wear it for the reason I said above. The girl gave her attitude so our girl asked her to ask her brother what he thinks about a girl wearing other sorority's letters. We never saw her in the shirt again.

[ChiOChic]

Some of my sisters went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 2001 and one of them who was roommates with a Delta Gamma, went somewhere and left that girl in the hotel room during the day. That chick took it upon herself to throw on our Bid Day shirt because "she had nothing else to wear" (sure) and then take pictures in our letters, drinking and smoking! We were not too happy when we saw those from the trip!

[Katey Alpha Gam]

Leslie- You have to give me info on who this was...and who's sister is going through next year?!?!? I would be really upset if this happened too. I am on student senate and the other day our new SG president (who I don't like, but that neither here nor there) was wearing a shirt that said "Eastern Michigan Greek" on it. My friends from SDT came into our student organization offices throwing a fit about it. So I asked her where she got the shirt from and she was ike "a friend let me borrow it" and I was like "that's cool, but just so you know, a lot of people consider it an insult to wear anything greek when you aren't greek" and she was like "ok, I'll put on my sweater" but it still made me mad that someone would let her borrow greek stuff when she isn't greek!

[LeslieAGD]

Katey, check your PM box.