Wearing letters

[jojapeach]

Originally Posted by blkwebman1919

However, overkill is bad, whether you are active/undergrad or alumni. Less is more, they say....

I agree, but you know we break the rule for our "Seasoned" members with 40+ years in the org. I've seen "Seasoned" members of different orgs with 2, 3, and even 4 pieces of 'nalia at once.

There's nothing wrong with wearing your letters. It's just showing pride in what's a part of you. Just keep the 'nalia tasteful and neat, and don't go around acting like a brand spanking new undergrad neophyte, ie chanting, singing, doing calls etc, during the workday.

I keep a jacket at work for the arctic A/C, and I keep my lanyard for my keys on display.

There was a teacher at the school I taught at who everyone knew was an Omega. How did we know? He donned purple and/or gold every single day. He didn't run around barking or throwing up hooks, but everyone knew he was one of the 8 Omegas on the faculty.

I take pride in wearing my letters!

[BadSquirrelBeta]

I don't own a piece of clothing any more with my GLO letters. I kick myself for not keeping my T-shirts, etc., when I was an undergrad to make a quilt from, but moving around so much I think most of those things were lost.

I have various badges (3) that I don't regularly wear, but would like to wear as a piece of jewelry either on a ring or necklace mount when I am at Luncheons, JL, etc. I do have a very nice ring with the crest that I recently found in my jewelry box. I have been getting a lot of comments on it lately. I honestly thought it had been stolen with some other things. I want to take it and get it engraved with my name and initiation date.

If the opportunity arose I would probably buy a tasteful piece of clothing or a book bag with letters for use at GLO-specific events.

Both my husband and I have a ton of stuff from our alma mater.

I do have a BSP sweatshirt we got for conclaves. I wear it only around the house...it isn't a high quality one.

[PreppyTriDelta]

I saw a woman, about 50-55, in the grocery store wearing an Everybody Loves a Delta Gamma Girl shirt. She was so adoreable that I went out and order a Tri Delt one. I thought I may be too old to wear shirts like that, although I do wear my letters and pin, but she really reminded me how nice it is to see other alumnae/i supporting their GLO and that it doesn't just have to be the greek letters.

It is important for us to show the same pride we did as collegians. Membership is for life afterall.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by PreppyTriDelta

I saw a woman, about 50-55, in the grocery store wearing an Everybody Loves a Delta Gamma Girl shirt. She was so adoreable that I went out and order a Tri Delt one. I thought I may be too old to wear shirts like that, although I do wear my letters and pin, but she really reminded me how nice it is to see other alumnae/i supporting their GLO and that it doesn't just have to be the greek letters.

It is important for us to show the same pride we did as collegians. Membership is for life afterall.

I got a Theta shirt like that a couple of months ago and I love wearing it!

[ShowStopper]

Originally Posted by REE1993

I have a few "vintage" (circa 1993) letter sweatshirts that I wear bc they are so comfy. But they are tattered.

Do any of you alums, active or inactive, wear letters? I live in New England and spend a lot of time in sweatshirts, so I was considering buying one or two letter sweatshirts.

Just wondering what others do.

I am also a Gamma Sig. I graduated about in 2005, but I still wear my letters!

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by PreppyTriDelta

but she really reminded me how nice it is to see other alumnae/i supporting their GLO and that it doesn't just have to be the greek letters.

Especially when they are financial and active.

With hundreds of thousands of members, I always say that my sorority doesn't need anymore young or old women walking around with our symbols on if these women aren't contributing beyond that.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by BadSquirrelBeta

I don't own a piece of clothing any more with my GLO letters. I kick myself for not keeping my T-shirts, etc., when I was an undergrad to make a quilt from, but moving around so much I think most of those things were lost.

I have various badges (3) that I don't regularly wear, but would like to wear as a piece of jewelry either on a ring or necklace mount when I am at Luncheons, JL, etc. I do have a very nice ring with the crest that I recently found in my jewelry box. I have been getting a lot of comments on it lately. I honestly thought it had been stolen with some other things. I want to take it and get it engraved with my name and initiation date.

If the opportunity arose I would probably buy a tasteful piece of clothing or a book bag with letters for use at GLO-specific events.

Both my husband and I have a ton of stuff from our alma mater.

I do have a BSP sweatshirt we got for conclaves. I wear it only around the house...it isn't a high quality one.

So you managed not to lose the tons of stuff from your alma mater in all of your moves but lost your lettered stuff?

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by jojapeach

I agree, but you know we break the rule for our "Seasoned" members with 40+ years in the org. I've seen "Seasoned" members of different orgs with 2, 3, and even 4 pieces of 'nalia at once.

They are the only ones who should even consider wearing XYZ tennis shoes, XYZ jogging suits, XYZ shoelaces, and other things that just scream "I'm seasoned and I don't have to have 'nalia moderation." I've seen younger members trying to do this stuff and I always shake my head.

I remember when I first crossed, I tried to put every piece of car 'nalia on my vehicle. It was the Delta mobile and my Greekfriend had to pull me to the side and say "we get the point, give it a rest...and take off that humongously ugly neo wooden lettered pin...and stop always carrying around that darn bag they made for you all...and put that huge, plastic Fortitude pin to rest too."

[PreppyTriDelta]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Especially when they are financial and active.

With hundreds of thousands of members, I always say that my sorority doesn't need anymore young or old women walking around with our symbols on if these women aren't contributing beyond that.

How VERY true!!! Its not a lifetime commitment to wear letters, its a lifetime commitment in all aspects.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Especially when they are financial and active.

With hundreds of thousands of members, I always say that my sorority doesn't need anymore young or old women walking around with our symbols on if these women aren't contributing beyond that.

I totally agree!!

[Ocalagirl]

[QUOTE=PreppyTriDelta;1336345]I saw a woman, about 50-55, in the grocery store wearing an Everybody Loves a Delta Gamma Girl shirt. She was so adoreable that I went out and order a Tri Delt one. I thought I may be too old to wear shirts like that, although I do wear my letters and pin, but she really reminded me how nice it is to see other alumnae/i supporting their GLO and that it doesn't just have to be the greek letters.
[QUOTE]

I love that story! that is soo cool (I think I've said this before, but) I met a women at an alumni panhellenic meeting and I thought it was soo cute that she said "My name is Susy and I'm an XYZ." Not "I was," but "I am!" I have never met or seen anyone except people my own age with the occasional bumper sticker sporting their GLO letters or anything.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Especially when they are financial and active.

With hundreds of thousands of members, I always say that my sorority doesn't need anymore young or old women walking around with our symbols on if these women aren't contributing beyond that.

How do you know they are not contributing?

Did you go up and ask them!

Who gives you the right to belittle people for wearing letters?

I wear mine, so am I wrong?

I have been a member of The Greek Community a heck of a lot longe than you!

Your symbols? You are the only one who feels that You can wear Those symbols?

You better thank God for those people who made it available for you to be able to wear them today!

[AXO Alum]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Who gives you the right to belittle people for wearing letters?

I wear mine, so am I wrong?

I have been a member of The Greek Community a heck of a lot longe than you! (

Only Tom Earp would make something like this to be a personal attack against him!!

What gives YOU, Tom, the right to belittle people for sharing an opinion? If you will think for a second about what she is saying, it makes sense! The point is simple -- DON'T wear letters if you don't continue to contribute to the org past collegiate days. This OBVIOUSLY doesn't apply to you. Get over yourself & quit making problems where there are none.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

So you managed not to lose the tons of stuff from your alma mater in all of your moves but lost your lettered stuff?

I think she means she didn't keep her T-shirts and stuff. When she mentioned the badge(s) and the ring with the crest that would be the lettered stuff that she expected to have forever.

This is a little random, but it's kind of connected:

How important were/are particular items of clothing to your group, especially ones that you would save and have forever? Which items are they?

In my chapter at the time I was an undergraduate, we wore sweatshirts with letters in beautiful fabrics and we had a lot of event T-shirts, but we didn't do official jerseys with nicknames and bigs and littles names. I've heard folks talk about those kind of jerseys on GreekChat, and I would think that you'd save them forever. Would you wear that as an alum, or would it be weird?

I can see that if you had a line jacket, you would save it forever. And it seems to me that D9 groups are much more likely to display letters with pride throughout your whole membership. (and to stay more active in all aspects of the group.)

In NPC and IFC groups, it seems that what you would wear as an alum would be much subtler. Is that true everywhere, or just in my head?