Minimum age for membership in your GLO?

[naraht]

I was working though a Delta Gamma Anchora with history about the early days when I saw the following...

September 24, 1879... Miscellaneous business was next in progress, resulting in the introduction of three amendments into the Constitution, 1st that the house fee be reduced to 35 cents, 2nd the initiation fee to 50 cents, third that no one should be admitted into the club under 13 years of age.

(Yes, I know a *lot* of things have changed...)

But I wonder which of the GLOs have a minimum age of membership these days. I can easily imagine a GLO with a minimum age of 18 (or one that requires parental signature for those below 18) but 17 or 16 wouldn't be that surprising.

I'm a few months younger than Gary Coleman and I remember watching "The Kid with the 200 IQ" which was filmed when he was 14/15 and finding it *really* odd that he was invited to a fraternity rush party.

[ChioLu]

I do not know if Chi Omega has a minimum age to join. My goddaughter joined Kappa Alpha Theta at age 16 because she graduated early from high school.

[AZ-AlphaXi]

I pledged Alpha Xi Delta 6 weeks after my 17th birthday as I had graduated from High School a year early. There were others from my class who had also graduated early who pledged Chi Omega and Alpha Delta Pi at the same time.

One interesting note, one of the founders of Alpha Xi Delta was 16 at the time of our
founding.

[*winter*]

This brings up a really good question. Some of the NPC founders were super young- like mid teens. Did people go to college at a younger age back then? It seems so commonplace that there has to be more to it than just people graduating early.

[Titchou]

Many were at girls' schools. Delta Gamma was founded at one. Not many women were allowed in universities in the 1870s when we were formed...just stone's throw from Ole MIss. And secondary schools didn't all have the same grade levels as we do now. You'd have to do a case by case pre 1900 or so

[DGTess]

I, too, pledged a few weeks after my 17th birthday because I graduated high school a year early. I know my parents did not sign anything, and I wonder if the contract I signed was binding on a 17-year-old in 1973. One of those things one ponders in the shower from time to time, I guess. It's only in my wildest flights of imagination I think "but it wasn't a legal contract, so ..."

If I recall correctly, it wasn't until the early 1890s that the US proposed a nationwide system of grades, including "high school" and I think it was much later than that that mandatory attendance to a certain point was directed.

[aephi alum]

AFAIK, AEPhi does not have a minimum age for membership.

If you're under 18 (which can easily happen - I was among the youngest in my high school cohort, so I was only 17 when I got to college) you have to have a parent or guardian sign a financial obligation note stating that they'll cover your dues if you can't. But that's it.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

AFAIK, AEPhi does not have a minimum age for membership.

If you're under 18 (which can easily happen - I was among the youngest in my high school cohort, so I was only 17 when I got to college) you have to have a parent or guardian sign a financial obligation note stating that they'll cover your dues if you can't. But that's it.

I'd actually be surprised if a member of the NPC *didn't* have a requirement of a countersign/parent/guardian of the financial obligation note for a 17 year old. (Not sure what they'd do with an emancipated minor)

[alum]

My niece pledged and initiated into an NPC org in 2021 as a 17 year old. She turned 18 about a month after her initiation. Her parents didn’t have to sign anything regarding the GLO.

[Sciencewoman]

There was a 14-year-old in my pledge class. We knew she was in a special early college program, but we didn't know she was that young until we were preparing for Initiation. Our pledge director wanted to call IH to check on this, but they were closed. She was initiated.

[Titchou]

NPC recruitments rules require only that one be a full time student at the school.

[jolene]

I remember eons ago when the dinosaurs roamed that my BFF who was a DPhiE they were allowed to take in a 17 year old, but Phi Mu could not.