Paddles Considered Hazing??

[PinkStar17]

Hey everyone, someone told me recently that they aren't allowed to make paddles for their big's because its considered hazing. Does anyone else know about this, or follow this?
We usually make them for our big sis's when we get innitiated and they give you your first stiched on's.. kinda like a trade off.. ok thats all I was just curious...

[BrianMUDU]

I believe here at Miami it is considered hazing if the pledges (oops, I mean New Members) have paddles. We would get paddles and have all the actives sign them after we interviewed them. It's not like we beat each other with them, give me a break. I see no problem with having paddles, but I guess Greek Affairs does.

[ladybug1116]

It is tradition for in my chapter for the little sisters to make thier big sis their paddle and give it to them during Big Sis Appreciation week (after initiation). But it can't be something the big sis requires her little to make....because that would be considered hazing. Just a loophole in the rules, I guess.

[kristiAZD]

Yeah, it supposed to be considered hazing, but the manner in which my chapter does it is not. I actually enjoyed making a paddle for my big. It was more like a plaque. I put a pic of us together on it and painted it. It was really fun to do, and it was great to see the look on my bigs face when I gave it to her. She was thrilled. It's a sense of pride if your little makes one for you. As bigs, we in turn like to make them for our littles. It sort of means you have a really tight family if you have them hanging on your wall. They aren't required, but we enjoy doing something nice for our bigs since they bought us so much stuff. In NO WAY are they EVER used for beating or anything. If used in that manner, yes, they are hazing, and no, I do not agree with that.

[AGDLynn]

My collegiate chapter can't make "paddles". Even during Recruitment, aka Rush, they had to put bows on them to make them look less "paddle-ish". They could make placques.

I know that many people make paddles for the sole purpose of hanging it on their wall, but we are forbidden from even making them! Their reasoning is that paddles carry negative images of hazing--so instead of trying to convince everyone that paddles are purely decoration, they decided to do away with them completely. I don't see a problem with that--it only means you start new traditions.

From what I heard from our LA, she said the tradition of making paddles ended in the early 1990s. In fact, it ended with her pledge class in 1992. After that, no one could make paddles without raising hell with IHQ.

During Intiation week we have Fireside, and that's where we have pass up/down gifts and we have Sister Mom/Daughter poem exchange. It's a great tradition we have and it's special for all of us. So, even if we don't have paddles to give and receive, the occasion's still memorable.

[shadokat]

We make paddles for our big sisters and give them to them on the night we get initiated. It is a tradition that we have had since our founding. Also, each new member class makes a paddle to hang in the chapter room. None of these were ever used to harm someone. And we've never been told about it being hazing, unless it's used to hit someone.

[33girl]

honest to God, this country lost thousands of its citizens in a senseless attack and we are worrying about making a frigging wooden paddle to hang on the wall or a beer mug? Sorry to go off, I just get sick of these things that mean nothing being blown out of proportion. The more you say "oooh, paddles are hazing" the more people will think of using them for that. Just like the anti-huffing campaigns - I bet there's tons of 8th graders out there who never thought about it until everyone told them not to do it.

I mean hell, you're not allowed to MAKE anyone do anything because that's hazing. Soon rush and required GPA's will be on the list, and we can all just pay our money and get our letters.

But anyhoo...in answer to paddles, we gave them to our bigs at initiation and our bigs gave us our 1st crest sweatshirt. And no we don't hit each other with them, not after we spent all that time making the things.

[lyrelyre]

We still make paddles, it depends on your "family" in the house. Some of the girls who don't like the connotation of paddles have started a new tradition. They get a wooden cut out of our letters or mascot and they modge podge pictures and magazine clippings. They are more personal and nobody would even look at them and think of hazing. Most of them get a wooden coat of arms at the greek store and put it right in the middle. They are actually really cute and have sentimental value, not that paddles don't.

[aephi alum]

In my local sorority, we did gifts for our big/little sisters. I decorated a paddle for my big; she decorated a wooden cut-out figure for me, with our names and letters. (I still have it - with an AEPhi ribbon on it ) My pledge sisters and I also made up a paddle for our pledge mom.

AEPhi nationally doesn't allow "paddles" per se, but does encourage gifts. I think I bought letters and a couple of small gifts for my little. I also made up a cross stitch of the AEPhi letters and a lily of the valley for my big, and another for myself. I meant to make one for my little, too, but never got around to it...

In my book, a paddle is just something you can decorate and give as a gift - provided it's not actually used for paddling. It's the act that's hazing - not the object.

[ErikaXO]

I think the paddle thing is so stupid!!!! Another example of the idiocy of a few ruining something for the whole group. It was always a tradition for the big sisses to make paddles for their littles when they were initiated. I was so excited to get my paddle.....and when I was initiated I got my gifts from my big, including my beautiful, hand-decorated.....SLED! This was back in 1991 when they were just coming out with the idea that paddles were hazing....unfortunately I had one of those bigs who went by the rules. Most of the other girls went ahead and made paddles for their littles, but mine had gone to a craft store and found what she thought was the closest safe thing....a little wooden sled that she pained pink and put all the typical paddle things on. You couldn't even hang it because it was so big and because of its shape would not lie flush to the wall. She tried, but boy was I disappointed. Rest assured that both of my littles got their paddles!!!!!!

As the AGD's have said, its against our Internationals to have paddle, and I can see where they are coming from, but I do think its a little ridiculous somewhat. Our chapter still has them in the house, but along with the Beer Mugs/Trophies, they are all down. Its kind cool to look at them though. However, I dont think it would be a problem if we got them as gifts from say like a parent, just as long as they probably arent displayed in the house.

[TEKEISSTRONG]

I AM A TKE ALUM. IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT THESE HAZING RULES, MOST OF THEM ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

WHAT TO DO: GET IN TOUCH WITH THE ALUMNI. THEY TRIED MAKING SOME "REFORMS" AT MY SCHOOL. I ORGANIZED THE ALUMS WHO PUT IT IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT IF THEY WENT THROUGH WITH THESE "REFORMS" THAT THEY WOULD KISS THE DONATIONS GOOD-BYE. I DONATE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT MONEY TO MY SCHOOL. I HAD A FACE TO FACE MEETING WITH THE VP OF ALUMNI GIVING AND I HAVE ASSURANCES THAT THESE RULES WILL NOT BE ENFORCED.

BUT WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON'T HAVE A ENLIGHTENED SCHOOL. I RECOMMEND THAT EVERY CHAPTER HAVE A GOOD LAWYER ON RETAINER. OUR CHAPTER PAYS FOR IT AND IT IS WORTH IT. ALSO, REMEMBER YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE SCHOOL OR POLICE ASK.

SO, I SAY...MAKE YOUR PADDLES. IF THE SCHOOL OBJECTS, POLITELY TELL THEM THAT THEY ARE INFRINGING ON YOUR 1ST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. IF THEY INSIST, PUT YOUR LAWYER TO WORK.

TEKE IS STRONG.

[mmcat]

but you don't have to yell...
mmcat

[Optimist Prime]

I made a paddle for my big brother. He made one for me too. Plus he gave me his first set of letters. Wow. That reads funny. The first set of letters he got, the orginal colony letters that were the first ones ever, he passed down to me. I'm wearing our history. Pretty cool huh?