Principles of Pledging

[SAEalumnus]

For the sake of (potentially) improving everyone's pledge/new member program, I propose we post the things we feel are most important to be covered in an effective pledge program. Hopefully some new ideas might start floating around to different chapters. I'll start:

1. Academics: importance and integrity
2. Ritual: importance and function (no details obviously)
3. Operations: officers' duties, parlipro, bylaws, etc.
4. Social: that's why we're all here, isn't it?
5. Financial: handling credit, basics of finance
6. History: local and (inter-)national
7. Traditions: the finer points of the chapter
8. Community: awareness and service project(s)
9. Personal values: eg. value shield exercise
10. Continuity: importance of passing on values to future pledge classes

[FuzzieAlum]

That's a really great, comprehensive list. The only thing I would add is to stress the importance of lifetime involvemnt - membership is not until you decide you're bored and want to quit, not until you graduate, but for your entire life. Schedule something with local alums, recent and not exactly recent.

[Optimist Prime]

great idea. I sugested starting a pledge forum a while ago.

What is the value shield exercise? Is that where you put things important to you on on your own coat of arms? Anyway, I would add to this:

-a basic lesson in ettiquite
-Gentlemanly conduct: what behaivorshould be expected of pledges

[SAEalumnus]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
What is the value shield exercise? Is that where you put things important to you on on your own coat of arms?

Somthing like that. It was forever ago that I was pledge ed of my chapter... it was in my officer's notebook. But check with your HQ; I'd be willing to bet they've heard of it. They can probably send something out to you as well. What ever happened to the idea of a pledge (education) forum?

BTW, good additions - I was just coming up with things off the top of my head and those would have been things I might have added had I thought longer.

[RockChalk]

I'm curious as to what you meant by #5. Are you talking about educating new members on chapter finances or about their own personal finances, or both? Since most pledges are freshmen (thus making them prime targets for credit card solicitors), maybe it would be a good idea to do a session on managing one's money.

[SAEalumnus]

Actually, I intended both. First, the new member (/pledge/associate/whatever) needs to know how to properly deal with money (their own money anyway). Second, it'd be nice for them to know exactly where all of their fees are going. Chapter finances was the smaller of the two areas of focus though.

[Betarulz!]

I think one thing that isn't necessarily delineated in your list is how the chapter is going to help the pledge. I mean in a general sense if a pledge program has these principles the pledge is goign to do all right, but it's just as important as to how the actives will improve, and help the transition to college for the new member.

Two things I would add.
1)Involvement on Campus is soemthing that my chapter stresses a lot.
2)Recognition of how the pledges' actions reflect on the pledge, the chapter, the GLO, the Alumni, and the Founders that we all hold dearly.

[Optimist Prime]

I don't know what happend to the pledge ed. forum. I think i should email the administration of this board.

[SAEalumnus]

There's a thread in the Greek Life forum petitioning John to create such a forum. I PMed John to let him know about it. If anyone is curious and hasn't yet seen it: click here.

[sweetie adpi]

I think that a pledge ed forum would be wonderful... i agree with your list and scribbled a few ideas down after reading it, thanks! i'm the new member coordinator for my sorority and over the past few years our alpha period (pledge perdiod) had gotten to be just some meetings to learn what was on the initiation exam... i'm really trying to flesh out the program and make it more worthwhile for the new sisters. hope to see a pledge ed forum in the future!

[GammaPhiBabe]

Wow, that is a great list and these are some good ideas. I'm the new member advisor for the local Gamma Phi chapter and one thing that we stress to our new members is time management. It can be overwhelming to freshmen, being at a new place where there are no parents around telling you exactly what to do and when to do it. Plus, there are meetings and parties and mixers and...the list goes on and on! So they fall behind on their schoolwork and the next thing you know, their GPA has taken a dive.
And I can't agree more with the person who suggested stressing the lifetime commitment. You'll only be a collegiate for 4 years, but you'll be an alum for the rest of your life.

[pandarose18]

I am in complete agreement with everyones lists but I also feel that philanthropy should be included. We all put a good amount of time into our philanthropy work and should be proud to educate our new members about it!

Sarah

[Peaches-n-Cream]

SAEActive - You outlined some of the most important aspects of pledging. Great job! My sorority focuses on the 5-S's: sisterhood, social, scholarship, service, and self. I would like to add 'self' to your list because sometimes college students especially freshman forget to take care of themselves. That doesn't mean become selfish or self-involved. It means to take personal responsibility for yourself, your health, and the decisions that you make.

[shadokat]

Cream,

We from the old days when self was an S!!

What a great list of things. Fuzzie, I agree with you that we need to emphasize to our members that sorority/fraternity is a lifetime membership and doesn't end because you graduate from college. So many alumnae don't know how to get involved, or even where to start. I've been doing a workshop at chapters that emphasizes the idea of "sisterhood for a lifetime", which is our big alum push. It's worked out well, and we've got a bunch of new volunteers from it.

Originally posted by Cream
SAEActive - You outlined some of the most important aspects of pledging. Great job! My sorority focuses on the 5-S's: sisterhood, social, scholarship, service, and self. I would like to add 'self' to your list because sometimes college students especially freshman forget to take care of themselves. That doesn't mean become selfish or self-involved. It means to take personal responsibility for yourself, your health, and the decisions that you make.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Heather,
Did they change that, too? Actually, when I pledged the 5-S's didn't include self, it was sorority. They revised the list to include self - physical and emotional health and personal development. I think that it is important to remember.