Kappa Badge as Gift
 

Hello ladies

Sorry to 'crash' your forum but I had a couple of questions. My younger sister is a Kappa alumna. She initiated her freshman year of college but then ended up leaving the university for several years. When she returned she chose not to affiliate with the chapter (as she was trying to finish her degree, was older, etc. etc.)

ANYWAYS I recently learned that she never received her badge. I'm guessing they were ordered and because she left was not around to get hers.

I'd love to surprise her with one as a gift this year. So first, would it be acceptable for a non-member to order a Kappa badge FOR a sister? (It appears anyone can order them through HJ Greek).

Second, would there be any way to figure out her initiation date without asking her? I'm hoping to surprise her, but if all else fails I can just ask. I tried going to the chapter's website (Lambda, University of Akron) but couldn't find any contact information.

Thanks!

I'm crashing your crash :)

Is she FB friends with anyone from her chapter? They might be able to get the initiation date info. Most likely the HQ won't give it to a nonmember since it might have to do with her member number and such.

Crashing the crash:

Try contacting Kappa HQ. They can probably help you order a badge for your sister.
She may need to have a current address with them for shipping.

Or you could PM me and I could look her up for you.

If you still need help, please send me a PM. Lambda is my chapter.

Everyone - thanks for the suggestions and offers of assitance. I sent a PM but if that doesn't work out I'll probably try and contact Kappa HQ.

I'm unclear about something: Did she order a badge when she initiated? If so, what happened to it? Shouldn't it have been sent to her or held for her to come get it? She didn't resign; she just transferred. I think your best bet would be to contact Kappa HQ.

Another crasher, and obviously you'd know this better than I would, but I seem to remember from another thread some discussion that Kappa doesn't require initiates to order a badge, though it may be common in some chapters for everyone to order a badge. So perhaps she never ordered one?

ETA: Here is the post I was thinking of, from the "Badge Trends" thread.

This Kappa didn't order her badge when everyone else did because I was stupid and 18. I got mine the next semester. That was a while back, but it wasn't included for my chapter.

^^^This. You don't HAVE to order a badge as a new member, and a lot of people wait a semester or so (especially in the chapter in question). Also, she would have been responsible for ordering her badge, and it would have been sent to her (not the chapter) if she had. I'm guessing she never ordered one.

The procedure has changed since I initiated then. I remember the Registrar ordered our badges. I guess with the size of some NM classes, this became more like a full-time job!

Sorry for another crash, but THIS. Our new members must order and pay for a new badge through the New Member Educator, and it must be done a certain number of weeks before initiation. There are many different badge options to choose from.

As New Member Education advisor, let's just say it's like herding cats. Seriously. There's even a special approval process if a legacy wants to wear an inherited badge instead of ordering a new one. Again, this has to be done by the same pre-initiation deadline.

When I called Pi Phi HQ to order my daughter's badge, I couldn't believe how easy it was. Their new members get a gold-filled badge included with the initiation fee, and anyone who wants to order an "upgrade" just places an individual order through the Pi Phi store on their own, at any time. I told the Pi Phi rep. how much easier this was, and she already knew about Gamma Phi's process. :o

I think it's entirely possible that this may vary from chapter to chapter.

I'm not sure of the chapter procedure, but we've both been out of school for a long time. So my guess is that she didn't order it. She also made the decision to leave the university kind of unexpectedly (and due to person things, blah blah) so it probably wasn't on her mind at the time.

If you PM me, I can access our membership data and tell you her initiation date. I would be glad to!

I had to replace my own badge after college. It disappeared in my early twenties, and ordering another one never seemed to get to the top of my to-do lt. Fast forward and my daughter is going through rush. I sooo wanted my badge but was afraid that by ordering a replacement (you know, just in case I needed it for initiation!) I would jinx her rush! So, I waited until the day after bid day!

Again, happy to look this up for you!