REMEMBER
The Evolution of the New Member Experience By Historian and Archivist FRAN DESIMONE BECQUE, New York Alpha
Since the founding of our sisterhood, every member of Pi Beta Phi has pledged themselves to uphold our values and ideals. In addition to our core values — Integrity, Lifelong Commitment, Honor and Respect, Philanthropic Service to Others, Personal and Intellectual Growth, and Sincere Friendship — New Members are educated on the standards, mission, vision and overall goals of the Fraternity through the New Member Education Program. Over the span of 154 years, this and other educational programs have evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of a complex Fraternity and societal standards. When our 12 founders committed to the revolutionary idea of a women’s organization modeled after men’s fraternities, they pledged to themselves and to one another to forge a sisterhood for both personal and societal good. Today, New Members make similar promises — through the Pledging and Initiation Ceremonies — to be contributing members of the organization, to live by its values and to be governed by its documents. Though these sentiments have withstood the test of time, much has changed over the course of our sisterhood. In the late 1890s, a standardized structure for obtaining New Members was becoming more commonplace amongst Pi Phi chapters. Illinois Beta at Lombard College was one of the first Pi Phi chapters to begin using a pledging ceremony while other chapters expressed interest in an official pledge pin. Wisconsin Alpha at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Samples of Pi Beta Phi Pledge manuals and New Member materials over the past century.
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began using an I.C. monogram as a pledge pin, which was later adopted for wider use at the 1901 Convention but was replaced again in 1906 with the Greek letter Beta upon a dart, the same pin in use today. During this time, a uniform Pledging Ceremony was adopted. The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) was founded in 1902 and provided a more unified framework for obtaining New Members for all member organizations. Pi Beta Phi's first Handbook of Pledge Study was compiled in 1919, followed seven years later by the Ritual used at New Member — then called pledge — meetings. The Pledge Supervisor became a chapter officer in 1931, and
