Can Alumni Wear Letters?

[LyonLuv]

Okay I am positive that alumni can wear letters, but I have heard other things. I would think that you could wear letters your whole life if you wanted too.

[sageofages]

Originally posted by LyonLuv
Okay I am positive that alumni can wear letters, but I have heard other things. I would think that you could wear letters your whole life if you wanted too.

ABSOLUTELY AlumNAE can wear letters !! What a silly idea that they couldn't!

Phis can wear letters too (FYI).

Having a large and frequently worn collection of "letter" Tshirts , I wonder where that notion of not wearing letters came from....

[LyonLuv]

really? Phis can wear letters? That's so...weird. Lol. On my campus no new members can wear letters, those are something you "earn". Hmm. I guess the use of new members wearing letters varys by campus?

[TNPhiMu]

I'm assuming you mean raised letters? Officially, Phi's anywhere CAN wear letters. However, we encourage them not too on our campus. We explain that our letters mean alot to us and they may want to wait until after initiation so that they can know the true meaning of Phi Mu before wearing them.

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

I think a lot of women don't understand that Phi Mu is a NATIONAL fraternity for women.... not just a loose collection of chapters with their own rules! I know we had a lot of traditions on my campus that I thought were Phi Mu national rules... and it was also true that on my campus, new members were encouraged not to wear letters until initiation. It just made sense - would you wear a shirt with something big written on it in French, if you didn't know what it meant in English?



Phi Mu states (I think in the Phi Manual, too) that Phis do not "earn" their letters. If we thought you embodied the ideals of love, honor, and truth enough to extend you a bid, you don't need to "prove" anything more to us. The New Member period is so you can get to know your new HFME and the current sisters can get to know you!

[Debutante]

Originally posted by LyonLuv
Okay I am positive that alumni can wear letters, but I have heard other things. I would think that you could wear letters your whole life if you wanted too.

I am an ALUM who proudly wears our letters ALL OF THE TIME!!! My car has a Phi Mu sticker on the back windshield and of course, the Phi Mu license plate. I also wear our letters on a golf or t-shirt at least 2-3 times a week, along with my Phi Mu hats and fraternity duffle bags, suitcases or canvas purses. Phi Mus should always wear letters (until death does us part )...and even then, bury me in my pink & white(tee-hee).

[LyonLuv]

Phi Mu states (I think in the Phi Manual, too) that Phis do not "earn" their letters. If we thought you embodied the ideals of love, honor, and truth enough to extend you a bid, you don't need to "prove" anything more to us. The New Member period is so you can get to know your new HFME and the current sisters can get to know you!



I know, i didn't mean earn in a degrading way. I just couldn't think of the right word to use.

[PM_Mama00]

It's tradition in our chapter that the big sister buys the little sister's first set of letters and she receives them on Initiation. It's not that we tell them they can't, it's just that it's more meaningful.

Like others have given reasons (other orgs) for not letting members wear letters..... why would you want to wear something that you don't know the meaning of? You don't find out the true meaning of Phi Mu before initiation. Personally I wouldn't have felt right wearing letters before initiation. I like it better the way we did it. Plus, being a commuter campus our orgs tend to have at least one girl de-pledge. I wouldn't want that girl to wear OUR letters, especially since we've already seen deactivated members still wearing letters. To me those people are not worthy. (<-- not new members, people who depledge or deactivate)

[CarolinaCutie]

Originally posted by PM_Mama00
It's tradition in our chapter that the big sister buys the little sister's first set of letters and she receives them on Initiation. It's not that we tell them they can't, it's just that it's more meaningful.

This is how it is in my chapter... although rules are definitely bent. We were given chapter letters to wear on my Bid Day because the Bid Day shirts hadn't arrived yet!

[PM_Mama00]

Yeah Bid Day shirts always have letters on them but we don't do what most chapters do... the tshirts with big Greek letters on them. We usually use the screen prints from like Greek101 or someone else designs something.

[phimu_za]

I thought only the crest was limited to initiated members. The greek letters are just that much more meaningful to you once you know what they REALLY stand for.