pledge/new member program.

[Optimist Prime]

what does yours consist of?

[Kevin]

My chapter is currently figuring out exactly how we want to run our candidate education program. In fact I'm heading the committee next week that will revise our bylaws and constitution to comply with our being a chapter instead of a colony =)

Other than Sigma Nu's LEAD program (Leadership, Ethics, Achievment, Development) and the way we've taught it the last 3 years we have nada. That of course is WAAAY better than nothing. It's a fairly extensive 4 year member education program that includes everything from Leadership training to personal relationships to professional conduct, job interviewing and community service (I'm leaving plenty out but it's a big program)

We're fairly sure that Greek Week will be run for the active chapter (with expectation of full participation from the active chapter) by our candidate class. Same goes for homecoming events.

I'd be very interested to see what other chapters are doing around the country though. I'll bet ya'll have some great ideas!

LHT
Kevin
MT 5
University of Central Oklahoma

[Chopper David]

I'm still in the midst of LXA's Associate member program. Our's consists of six weeks of fraternity education, followed by one week of I-week. I am about to enter week six and my experience has been phenominal. I'm almost saddened that my association period is about to end.

[KDHoney]

Ours is a 6-week program consisting of everything from sorority history to proper behavior at events. Basically, it gives our new members a glimpse into everything Kappa Delta. We involve members as much as possible...for example, we had socials every week with the new members so that they could meet and do ice breakers with the members.

[Betarulz!]

Ours is very extensive and run on a point system that ends up determining the order of roll numbers when initiated.

First off, some basic rules - NO pledge can consume alcohol from noon Sunday to 5pm Thursday, unless there is permission given by the pledge educator - examples include homecoming week and on pledge class sneaks during pledge semester. Also pledges aren't allowed to go to certain parts of the house (chapter room and hallways leading to it). They also, out of respect to the actives, aren't supposed to say the words Kai and Wooglin. Those are the main rules in addition to normal university standards and expectations of full brothers.

Other parts of our pledge program:

12 documented study hours per week. The pledge class gets to choose how those are split up (time as a pledge class in the library, individual, time with pledge fathers, other) All pledges have to get a 2.5 GPA to initiate (just recently made a 2.6).

Weekly tests over songs and lore. Usually had 2 songs per week (be able to write out lyrics and then sing as a pledge class) and then a 15 question test over lore per week and a large final. If a certain number of the pledge class (for my pledge class it was 3 of 24)didn't pass the tests then everyone had an extra hour of studying in our dining room after our time in the library.

We were required to be a member of two campus organiztions.

Minimum of 18 community service hours in pledge semester.

Play in a minumum of 4 intramural games (not sports - so could fill the requirement with one sport in which you played 4 games).

Weekly meetings as a pledge class with the Pledge educator, as well as weekly meetings as a pledge class, all were mandatory unless circumstances were insurmountable.

Had to go to house events, such as theme parties, serenades, brotherhood events, as well as take turn being DD.

Individual Pledge project - something to benefit the house: Some painted murals, put up new mailbox, researched early history of the chapter and made a booklet about it, one of my pledge brothers is a really good guitarist so he recorded one of our songs with his guitar.

Pledge class also has to give a gift to the house. My class gave a DVD player for our third floor OA, new pool cues, new stereo reciever, new multidisc cd player, and a new tv stand. Previous class gave a DVD player for our main tv. (Demonstrates why my pledge class is considered the strongest in the house...)

Pledges are supposed to interview as many actives as possible during the pledge semester.

Pledges are also in charge of daily clean up of the house with each pledge having a duty that takes at most 15 minutes a day. Duties were rotated regularly during the semester. Pledges are also supposed to answer the house phone, and are required to clean up the kitchen after formal dinner on Monday nights. As a service, and "payment" for older guys having parties at their apartments or duplexes, the pledges are to go over the day after the party in order to clean the place up.
Obviously required attendance for every ritual.

It's a good program that while taking a lot of time, really prepared everyone for success throughout the next four years.

[Optimist Prime]

well, guess I should post mine, since started the thread

We had to interview the brothers
Make a project, but i think that was dropped for this class
We had to make paddles for our big brothers, but NO did not get spanked.
Um.....we sang for a girl.
Mostly it was, and still is lots of team building exercises, and learning about international/local history, why our colors were chosen, what our flower is, etc.

[aephi alum]

AEPhi's new member period is between 6 and 8 weeks. Mine was 8 weeks, but spring break was in there, so it was really only 7 weeks.

We had to:

- Attend all new member education meetings and rituals (duh)

- Pass a new member test that tested things like colors, flower, mascot, founders' names, names of national council members (this last item was hard to learn - you can create mnemonics for everything else, because it won't change, but it's not really practical when the national council members change every 2 years!)

- Meet the minimum GPA requirement for initiation (we didn't hold for grades - you had to meet the GPA requirement before you pledged, and be on track to continue to meet it during the current semester)

- "Earn" the 27 pearls of the badge, by attending cultural events, academic-related things like study hours, and non-mandatory sorority events (sidebar: We had a running joke that if you failed to "earn" all 27 pearls, you would be initiated with a badge that had a couple of the pearls removed. Never happened, though, and we wouldn't have done that anyway )

And, of course, we had to follow all the rules that applied to sisters (no drinking while wearing your pin, etc) as well as university rules and the law.

We were encouraged, but not required, to wear our new member pins or ribbons at all times. New members were not permitted to wear letters.

Pretty standard stuff, I guess.