Miss America 2015 - Page 16

AnchorAlumna · #**226** 10-25-2014, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

Seriously, all this new wording makes me crazy at times. Nobody pledges - they take their New Member (vows? oath?). Yikes!

Women still pledge.
It's just that now, "pledge" is a verb, not a noun.

Really wish NPC would go back to the old terms.

honeychile · #**227** 10-25-2014, 12:34 PM

1964Alum, according to today's definition of hazing, you were also hazed. Seriously - check into your national standards. I thought being a pledge was special, and am not saying that I didn't enjoy being a pledge - even as I longed to be a full-fledged sister. As I said before, I'm not calling out Chi Omega - this is the NPC standard now.

AnchorAlumna, I wish we could go back to the new terms, too. I'd like to see statistics as to whether hazing is more prominent now as opposed to pre-1980.

DubaiSis · #**228** 10-25-2014, 01:24 PM

I think it has gone overboard too, but in this litigious society it's pretty hard to allow for shades of grey. I think allowing/requiring tests as part of the process to complete initiation is just fine. And I really really hate the new terminology. You will notice I never ever use those terms. And it has been enough years now that if they were going to catch on, they would have. And yet 18 year old girls know exactly what I'm talking about when I use words like rushee, rusher and pledge.

OPhiAGinger · #**229** 10-25-2014, 06:50 PM

IMHO most of the anti-hazing reforms are just window dressing. Changing the words we use to describe rush and pledging doesn't change what it is. I can adopt the term "recruitment" since that is actually a better description of the act of growing your membership, but I just can't wrap my head around the term "new member". The reality is that they aren't members until they are initiated. I'm glad OPA hasn't made that switch in terminology because it bugs me. (To be clear, we don't prohibit our collegiate chapters from using the NPC terminology on a local level if they want to. We leave it up to each chapter to use the terminology that makes sense in that environment.)

And I am equally relieved that OPA still has a standardized education period -- complete with a test -- that ensures our members understand all of OPA's history, structure, and policies before they are initiated. Making pledges recite the Greek alphabet three times while holding a burning match = hazing. Asking them to learn the chapters in their district, or what our national policies are on alcohol, discrimination, social media, and privacy not= hazing.

But curious… have any NPC orgs seen real harm from moving to the new hazing definitions and membership nomenclature? For instance, are you finding that your new members don't understand and appreciate your history as well as they did back in the pre-policitical-correctness era?

1964Alum · #**230** 10-25-2014, 08:55 PM

APhiAGinger posted:

And I am equally relieved that OPA still has a standardized education period -- complete with a test -- that ensures our members understand all of OPA's history, structure, and policies before they are initiated. Making pledges recite the Greek alphabet three times while holding a burning match = hazing. Asking them to learn the chapters in their district, or what our national policies are on alcohol, discrimination, social media, and privacy not= hazing."

I couldn't agree more! And in my humble opinion, the NPC needs to refine the broad term of what constitutes "hazing". Membership is a privilege, not a right.

pinksequins · #**231** 10-25-2014, 09:07 PM

"Pledge" has been a verb for a while ("I pledge allegiance to the flag ..."). : )

I do like the term "pledge" (used as a noun) better than the term "new members". I also loved my pledge ribbons! I am not personally persuaded that wearing them is hazing, particularly if wearing the pledge pin is not.

1964Alum · #**232** 10-25-2014, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinksequins

"Pledge" has been a verb for a while ("I pledge allegiance to the flag ..."). : )

I do like the term "pledge" (used as a noun) better than the term "new members". I also loved my pledge ribbons! I am not personally persuaded that wearing them is hazing, particularly if wearing the pledge pin is not.

We wore our pledge ribbons until our formal pledge ceremony, when we were given our pledge pins. I can't remember a single woman who found that humiliating in any manner.

I don't care for the term "New Member". A pledge is perhaps a "Prospective Member", but is not a "New Member" until immediately after initiation.