Does your chapter haze? - Page 9

SoCalGirl · #**121** 11-12-2006, 09:49 PM

It's all semantics. In NPC/IFC pledging means the new member period during which you're learning history, etc. In NPHC pledging seems to relate more to actual types of activities, more or less. I think that with NPC/IFC there was a push for eliminating use of the words pledge and pledging because of the general populations perception that pledging consists of crazy hazing "rituals". I believe that NPHC pushed for an elimination of pledging due to a more direct link between pledging and risk management issues (which may or may not be considered hazing by the groups).

macallan25 · #**122** 11-12-2006, 10:08 PM

I could care less what a bunch of GDIs think about what we call our pledges.

SoCalGirl · #**123** 11-12-2006, 10:15 PM

I think the concern from an NHQ standpoint is not so much with students who have already decided not to go greek as much as it's for parents and potential members.

macallan25 · #**124** 11-12-2006, 10:26 PM

This is just from my experience, but, my entire family and extended family were all greek, at big schools, and in top fraternities and sororities. The men were all "pledges" and talk about "pledging."

To put it roughly, they would think it was a little queer to use the term New Member or Associate Member.

Obviously, I can't comment on the feelings of people I don't know.

SoCalGirl · #**125** 11-12-2006, 10:36 PM

It's great that your family is so greek. Unfortunately not everyone has that benefit. As GLOs expand to schools with new greek systems and to schools/areas that aren't as pro-greek as the South they will encounter more and more first generation greeks. Which means more and more objections by students and parents based on the media's presentation of greeks. That goes for movies/tv and news stories.

While it has personally taken me a while to get used to using the new terms (I was in the last PLEDGE class at my chapter) I recognize that changing words is no big deal. The "new members" may go by a different name but they're participating in all the same activities that I did as a pledge.

PrettyBoy · #**126** 11-12-2006, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

PrettyBoy, have a seat somewhere.

LOL.

PrettyBoy · #**127** 11-12-2006, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eirbear

I don't think it's considered "hazing" just because someone says "pledge." I mean, WE don't say it, we say "new member" (although, sometimes it's easier to just say "Pledge Class" rather than "New Member Class"...at least, my class referred to ourselves as "pledge class '05" sometimes), but I think the word pledge just has too many bad connotations associated with it. Back in the day, when my parents were in college and in greek life, hazing wasn't really illegal. And they called their new members "pledges." So, I think over the years, the word pledge has just gotten a bad rap, and now we're just trying to change things.

Anywho, my chapter doesn't haze. We make it very clear to the new members when they join us that if they ever feel uncomfortable with anything, that they need to tell someone in exec, and then the person in exec will talk to the people who caused the uncomfortable-ness.

I like it the way it was when your parents were in college. It was like that when my parents were in college too. I pledged the same way,(Old School) and I don't see why it has to change. Like I said before if I was in XYZ org. and lets say I pledged 5 years ago, and I worked hard to get in, and then 5 years later new members joined under the new rules. Now they have the same benefits I have. That's not fair. I pledged for 16 weeks the old way, and for the greeks who didn't pledge......sorry to hear that.

PrettyBoy · #**128** 11-12-2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macallan25

I am so sick of this PC bullshit corrupting the greek systems. We don't call our pledges "new members" or "associate members" because.......... THEY AREN'T MEMBERS YET.

I can't agree with you more.

The way it is now, lets just let everyone in our greek letter organizations for FREE without working for it and become one big happy family.

PrettyBoy · #**129** 11-12-2006, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macallan25

I could care less what a bunch of GDIs think about what we call our pledges.

Preach!!!! Preach!!! LOL

I agree!!!

jon1856 · #**130** 11-12-2006, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyBoy

I like it the way it was when your parents were in college. It was like that when my parents were in college too. I pledged the same way,(Old School) and I don't see why it has to change. Like I said before if I was in XYZ org. and lets say I pledged 5 years ago, and I worked hard to get in, and then 5 years later new members joined under the new rules. Now they have the same benefits I have. That's not fair. I pledged for 16 weeks the old way, and for the greeks who didn't pledge......sorry to hear that.

Before I say anything PrettyBoy, I have to ask you this:
When you first met up with a Brother, do you ask him if his pledgeship was old school, new school, Middle school or High School?

Have you taken any time to read, not the entirety of this thread but, the several older threads in RM that are all about Hazing?

PrettyBoy · #**131** 11-13-2006, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon1856

Before I say anything PrettyBoy, I have to ask you this:
When you first met up with a Brother, do you ask him if his pledgeship was old school, new school, Middle school or High School?

Have you taken any time to read, not the entirety of this thread but, the several older threads in RM that are all about Hazing?

When I meet a member of my organization I can tell what his pledge period was like just by talking to him. Middle School and High School? Uhmmm...not sure what you mean by this. Maybe this is your idea of sarcasm, but I take pledging seriously. We don't need to ask a member of our fraternity anything to see how he pledged. We can just tell. Yes, I've read some of the other threads. I just think the bottom line is either you pledged right or you didn't. There is no in between.

violetpretty · #**132** 11-13-2006, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macallan25

To put it roughly, they would think it was a little queer to use the term New Member or Associate Member.

So people who use the term "new member" must be sexually attracted to other people who use the term "new member."

33girl · #**133** 11-13-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eirbear

Back in the day, when my parents were in college and in greek life, hazing wasn't really illegal. And they called their new members "pledges." So, I think over the years, the word pledge has just gotten a bad rap, and now we're just trying to change things.

Wrong.

Hazing has always been illegal. That is, if you don't consider ridiculous things like calling someone a pledge or asking them to take a quiz hazing. And even that isn't "illegal", it's against GLOs' policies.

I don't like the term "new member" - because they're not initiated yet. If they stopped pledging, they could join another sorority in a year. Do we really let our "members" do that? I like the cutesy terms that some of the sororities use even less. If someone had called me a "baby ladybug" I would have said "KTHXBYE."

33girl · #**134** 11-13-2006, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Well if pledging is considered illegal for many organizations, as is hazing for all organizations, why would anyone FORMALLY be called a pledge?

You can take a pledge to the organization (like a pledge of allegiance) but you are not allowed to pledge (as in process) or to formally be called a pledge. Makes logical sense to me. Have a problem with it, talk to the people who banned pledging years ago for some of these organizations.

Pledging is not banned for any of the NPC groups, it just happens in a much different way than it used to.

This is the same thing over again where "pledging" means one thing to NPHC groups and quite another to NPC and IFC groups. Same as the word "depledging."

violetpretty · #**135** 11-13-2006, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

I don't like the term "new member" - because they're not initiated yet. If they stopped pledging, they could join another sorority in a year. Do we really let our "members" do that? I like the cutesy terms that some of the sororities use even less. If someone had called me a "baby ladybug" I would have said "KTHXBYE."

Yeah "new member" is a weird term, but it does represent one phase of membership.

I like how Alpha Delta Pi refers to new members/pledges/etc as Alphas, initiated collegiate members are Deltas, and alumnae are Pis. Calling your new members "Alphas" takes the weirdness out of the term "new members". Unfortunately this does not apply to other GLOs.