Pledge Education Course

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by naraht

As opposed to back in the 1950s, over the last 30 years, the Fraternity has put out one pledge manual for each convention cycle. So a new pledge manual won't be produced until after the 2012 convention. The one on apo.org is good for this fall.

Fall and Winter pledge classes? Is Wayne State on a quarter system or is the Winter pledge class the one that starts in January/February?

As for the pledge manuals, you can order those from the National Office for free, pick a large enough number that you are sure and order them. Beats having to have the chapter pay for printing...

Wayne is on the semester system, The Winter pledge class is the one that starts January/February.
So I am guessing that it would be wise to wait on the winter binder assembly, since convention is in December, right?

I asked the chapter president to order the manuals for me. I feel like 20 would be a fairly decent number if we are ordering for fall and winter, half that if we only order for one semester.

I should look this up, but just in case I can't find it: Do chapters have to pay s&h?

You are sooo helpful by the way; sometimes I feel like no one in my chapter knows anymore than I do and that I am just shooting wildly into air, hoping I hit something!

[arvid1978]

Originally Posted by Royal_Blue_True

Wayne is on the semester system, The Winter pledge class is the one that starts January/February.
So I am guessing that it would be wise to wait on the winter binder assembly, since convention is in December, right?

I asked the chapter president to order the manuals for me. I feel like 20 would be a fairly decent number if we are ordering for fall and winter, half that if we only order for one semester.

I should look this up, but just in case I can't find it: Do chapters have to pay s&h?

You are sooo helpful by the way; sometimes I feel like no one in my chapter knows anymore than I do and that I am just shooting wildly into air, hoping I hit something!

Chapters do have to pay for Shipping & Handling, so if you have stuff to order it is best to package as much as you can. I always recommend chapters order:

- Enough pledge books for this semester and next (just in case you get a large pledge class, and so you have ex
- 100 of the "Leave college with more than a degree" and 100 of the "Make college more rewarding" pamphlets for recruitment tables
- Enough pledge pins to up the chapter supply to cover your pledges

One of my chapters just made this order, and I think shipping came out to $15 or $18 (they ordered 40 pledge books)

-Justin

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by arvid1978

Chapters do have to pay for Shipping & Handling, so if you have stuff to order it is best to package as much as you can. I always recommend chapters order:

- Enough pledge books for this semester and next (just in case you get a large pledge class, and so you have ex
- 100 of the "Leave college with more than a degree" and 100 of the "Make college more rewarding" pamphlets for recruitment tables
- Enough pledge pins to up the chapter supply to cover your pledges

One of my chapters just made this order, and I think shipping came out to $15 or $18 (they ordered 40 pledge books)

-Justin

Forgot ALL ABOUT the pins. Before I left my post as treasurer, I was supposed to authorize a pin purchase

That is perfect, that only takes 20 out of my overall budget for pledge education!!! w00t!

Also the recruiting pamphlets are an excellent idea Justin. I will talk to our membership chair about that!

All my Brothers are amazing Lifesavers! I am learning so much from everyone!

[naraht]

My guess is that the changes in the pledge manual after convention won't be complete before pledging starts and even if it is available as a PDF, it may not be as a hard copy version from the National Office. Maybe they've gotten better, I don't know.

(If the national board went after chapters for either using old pledge manuals or old pledge rituals in the winter/spring after convention, there wouldn't be much of a fraternity left).

[Royal_Blue_True]

That is perfect, I won't wait then.
My chapter has a requirement that the pledges complete 3 Tests and a Final Exam.
On each test I give 20 questions; half multiple choice and half short answer. The pledges have 30 minutes to complete each test. I haven't gotten to the Final Exam yet.

But are the test requirements reasonable? I don't want to overwhelm the pledges.

[naraht]

I've been told that at the *extreme* end that pledging should take no more time than one class, this isn't there. But I've seen things tested for in other chapters in pledging that my chapter wouldn't have even thought about. I know one chapter expects the entire purpose to be memorized (because there is a youtube video of a pledge singing it to Yankee Doodle) and I know of at least two chapters where the pledges are expected to know the pledge class of every active brother and what position they had in it.

I also wouldn't make it that much beyond what the current brothers know. If an active brother would fail the test, its either too hard or the actives need a refresher course. I definitely would test the following: Greek Alphabet, anything on the APO Symbols page(Golden Eagle, etc.), chapters in the section, location of section/region, etc.

I also *thoroughly* support extra credit questions given in advance *with* the understanding that the pledges can share that information among them. These could be things like (at various levels of difficulty)
For 5 points, where is Zeta Pi chapter of APO-Philippines? (Marian College) For 5 more points, on what two days did it charter. 12/3/83 (Fraternity) & 12/7/83 (Sorority)

For 5 points, what section was Wayne State in prior to 55? (54) For 5 more points when did it change (between the Spring 2005 and Spring 2006 conferences, so August of 2005 officially, I believe)

For 5 more points, what section was it in prior to 54? (19) For 5 more points, when did it change (Between Con-con and the 1968 convention).

Note, any pledge who manages to track down the answers to all 6 of these extra credit questions should be initiated on the spot and made historian.

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by naraht

I've been told that at the *extreme* end that pledging should take no more time than one class, this isn't there. But I've seen things tested for in other chapters in pledging that my chapter wouldn't have even thought about. I know one chapter expects the entire purpose to be memorized (because there is a youtube video of a pledge singing it to Yankee Doodle) and I know of at least two chapters where the pledges are expected to know the pledge class of every active brother and what position they had in it.

I also wouldn't make it that much beyond what the current brothers know. If an active brother would fail the test, its either too hard or the actives need a refresher course. I definitely would test the following: Greek Alphabet, anything on the APO Symbols page(Golden Eagle, etc.), chapters in the section, location of section/region, etc.

I also *thoroughly* support extra credit questions given in advance *with* the understanding that the pledges can share that information among them. These could be things like (at various levels of difficulty)
For 5 points, where is Zeta Pi chapter of APO-Philippines? (Marian College) For 5 more points, on what two days did it charter. 12/3/83 (Fraternity) & 12/7/83 (Sorority)

For 5 points, what section was Wayne State in prior to 55? (54) For 5 more points when did it change (between the Spring 2005 and Spring 2006 conferences, so August of 2005 officially, I believe)

For 5 more points, what section was it in prior to 54? (19) For 5 more points, when did it change (Between Con-con and the 1968 convention).

Note, any pledge who manages to track down the answers to all 6 of these extra credit questions should be initiated on the spot and made historian.

Wow, I had no idea about all of that, and I was pledge class historian when I pledged.

Our pledge education course is 10 weeks, and each week, Pledges are asked to read about 10 pages of the pledge manual. I hand out 1-2 worksheets that highlight the main points in the pledge manual, and on those worksheets are 10 questions that can be answered in 1-2 sentences IF THEY READ( as college students usually don't do). We go over the worksheets in the next class. If a pledge completes the worksheets, they will have no problem with the tests, due to the fact that I use the same questions from the worksheets on the test.

On each test, there is one extra credit question worth anywhere from 12 to 24 points.
Those questions ask pledges to write out the Scout Oath, Scout Law, one verse of the Toast Song, name all the chapters in Section 55, write a short biography of The Chief, etc. The points correspond to the difficulty of what the question asks.

Since those are extra credit, they aren't all or nothing type questions; whatever you write correctly is the number of points you get.

The sheets will also be available to the actives; and don't worry; I don't test on difficult or esoteric things that even actives can't be expected to know.

Knowing that, do you feel that is comparable to a regular course, lighter, or heavier?

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Royal_Blue_True

Wow, I had no idea about all of that, and I was pledge class historian when I pledged.

Our pledge education course is 10 weeks, and each week, Pledges are asked to read about 10 pages of the pledge manual. I hand out 1-2 worksheets that highlight the main points in the pledge manual, and on those worksheets are 10 questions that can be answered in 1-2 sentences IF THEY READ( as college students usually don't do). We go over the worksheets in the next class. If a pledge completes the worksheets, they will have no problem with the tests, due to the fact that I use the same questions from the worksheets on the test.

On each test, there is one extra credit question worth anywhere from 12 to 24 points.
Those questions ask pledges to write out the Scout Oath, Scout Law, one verse of the Toast Song, name all the chapters in Section 55, write a short biography of The Chief, etc. The points correspond to the difficulty of what the question asks.

Since those are extra credit, they aren't all or nothing type questions; whatever you write correctly is the number of points you get.

The sheets will also be available to the actives; and don't worry; I don't test on difficult or esoteric things that even actives can't be expected to know.

Knowing that, do you feel that is comparable to a regular course, lighter, or heavier?

Don't feel bad. Not only don't they let me participate in APO Trivia contests, they've gotten wary of me running them as well.

Sounds *quite* reasonable. Though if you actually test the pledges on any of the three pages in the Graphical Standards Guide (37-39), I will track you down and...

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by naraht

Don't feel bad. Not only don't they let me participate in APO Trivia contests, they've gotten wary of me running them as well.

Sounds *quite* reasonable. Though if you actually test the pledges on any of the three pages in the Graphical Standards Guide (37-39), I will track you down and...

LOL!

Glad you think that is reasonable, and NO WAY will I test on the graphics standards!

I could, however, make that a punishment...... *cue evil laugh*

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Royal_Blue_True

LOL!

Glad you think that is reasonable, and NO WAY will I test on the graphics standards!

I could, however, make that a punishment...... *cue evil laugh*

Hmm. I don't know what Hank Nuwer would say about that....

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by naraht

Hmm. I don't know what Hank Nuwer would say about that....

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Royal_Blue_True

Keep us up to date as the semester goes along. BTW, any luck contacting UDMercy?

[Royal_Blue_True]

Originally Posted by naraht

Keep us up to date as the semester goes along. BTW, any luck contacting UDMercy?

Sent an email, left a voicemail, no luck.
I will make a quick trip to UDM as soon as the semester is underway to see what we can get worked out.
I will most definitely keep everyone up to date, you all have been so much help!

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Royal_Blue_True

Sent an email, left a voicemail, no luck.
I will make a quick trip to UDM as soon as the semester is underway to see what we can get worked out.
I will most definitely keep everyone up to date, you all have been so much help!

See if your section chair has information on when meetings are held. Also try contacting the Chair of the Advisory Committee.

[Senusret I]

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