Photo by: clgregor
Every fraternity and sorority has its own rules about who can and can’t wear their Greek letters. Some organizations allow spouses, siblings, or parents of the members to wear their letters, and others only allow members who have been initiated and are in good standing. While fraternities and sororities work tirelessly to ingrain these rules in their members’ heads, we often hear of members forgetting the rules and the consequences that ensue. As Greek letters are most prominently displayed on fraternity and sorority clothing, the most common occurrence of rule-breaking happens in regards to Greek clothing. Thus, we’ve put together some do’s and don’ts for your members to ensure your letters don’t end up anywhere you don’t want them to.
DO Explain Your Rules About Letters
As with other Greek responsibilities, the best time to start educating your fraternity and sorority members is when they are young and new. When potential members receive their bids and become new members or pledges, their Greek education should emphasize the rules of the organization. While yes, there are a lot of other important facts to teach the new members, most Greek rules regarding letters are plain and simple. Thus, integrate these rules into your new member education program and reiterate them again and again. Repetition is a known method of memory retention, therefore, the more your new members repeat the rules, the more likely they are to remember them in the future. Additionally, don’t forget about your active members. Dedicate some time during meeting to go over the rules and even quiz your active members (think of this as a nice break from your formal meeting agenda). After all, it would be pretty ridiculous if your new members knew more about your organization than your actives.
DON’T Automatically Put Your Letters On Everything
As every fraternity and sorority has rules, it’s quite naive for any Greek member to assume that their letters can be displayed on every piece of clothing. Too many times have we seen sorority sisters or fraternity brothers jump the gun, order clothing with their letters, and realize that not everyone can wear the new gear. Save yourself the time, money, and embarrassment and don’t automatically put your letters into every chapter clothing design.
DO Consider Who Will Be Wearing The Clothes
When you start to design your t-shirt or sweatpants, remember to think about who will be wearing the clothing. If your chapter only allows active members to wear the letters, and you’re designing a recruitment shirt (only for active members), then it’s probably safe to use your letters. However, if you’re designing a philanthropy shirt to be given out to other Greeks, consider spelling out your fraternity or sorority name unless you want the entire Greek community sporting your letters. In addition to considering people outside of your chapter, think about the people within your chapter as well. For example, if your chapter doesn’t allow new members to wear the letters and you’re designing a sport shirt for your members to wear during games, spell out your letters if new members intend to participate. Finally, if you’re ever in doubt and unsure about who will end up wearing the clothes, play it safe and spell out your letters. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
DON’T Let People Slide
What we mean by this is don’t let your members get lazy. We all know that being Greek takes up a lot of time, and it can be difficult balancing Greek life with classes, studying, and a part-time job. Unfortunately, this is a natural part of joining a fraternity or sorority and your members shouldn’t use it as an excuse to not do their job. Several times we’ve seen members chalk up their mistakes to a busy schedule, late-night cramming, or just that they’re stressed out. While your members are all probably telling the truth, it doesn’t mean they’re off the hook. Remind your members that they have responsibilities to the chapter just as they have responsibilities to their classes and their jobs. Laziness on the part of your members will only lead to more mistakes and blunders, such as your fraternity letters on the shirts you give to sororities. Thus, monitor your members and don’t let them slide or cut the corners. And if you really feel that a member can’t complete their task, find someone else to do it.
DO Highlight Mistakes and Emphasize The Consequences
Mistakes are inevitable and your chapter is bound to wind up, sooner or later, with a clothing blunder. Whether it’s new members or other Greeks wearing your letters, the “die has been cast” and there’s no turning back. Although you can’t undo the past, you can make sure it doesn’t happen again by highlighting the mistake and emphasizing the consequences. This doesn’t mean calling out an individual member at chapter meeting, but it does mean bringing the mistake (anonymously) to the attention of the chapter. You should also go over the consequences of the mistake (and by consequences, we mean for the chapter, not the at-fault individual).
DON’T Downplay The Consequences
Consequences can include a number of things such as other chapters of your fraternity or sorority knowing that you broke the rules, other Greeks at your university knowing that you broke your rules, and non-members of your chapter wearing your letters on campus. While some of these consequences seem trivial, none should be taken lightly. Other chapters or Greeks can take your mistake as a sign of disrespect towards your fraternity or sorority. Additionally, non-members wearing your letters can cause problems because their actions will be associated with your chapter. Such problems can be merely social, like a drunk girl wearing your sorority letters, or they can have legal implications, such as a guy in your fraternity letters harassing a girl at a party. Thus, don’t downplay the consequences to your members. Explain what could happen, examples of what has happened, and how it would affect the chapter and its members.
DO Remind Your Members Why You Have Rules
When all is said and done, the rules put forth by your fraternity or sorority are established for a reason. Mainly, rules about who can wear your Greek letters are meant to protect the organization, your chapter, and its members. They’re also meant to demonstrate who is and is not a part of your fraternity or sorority. When going over the rules about wearing letters, remind your members why these rules were created and why it’s important for them to be respected and followed.