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Wearing Your Fraternity Badge
Dear Brothers,
The Fraternity Badge is also referred to as the “Kappa Pin” and there is written protocol in how the Fraternity Badge should be worn. You can find the written protocol in the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Protocol and Etiquette Manual. Below is an excerpt from the manual with respect to the Fraternity Badge.
The Fraternity Badge – Each member receives a badge as part of his initiation fee and is to be worn only by members of the Fraternity. The official badge is to be made only by the Official Fraternity Jeweler. The badge is to be worn over the heart, only on a shirt (with a tie), a formal shirt with tuxedo, or vest and never on the lapel of the coat. The badge may be draped for a period of 30 days as a sign of mourning for a deceased member. (Draping: The upper half of the badge is wrapped with black thread.)
The common mistake I see brothers doing is wearing the Fraternity Badge on their lapel. That is improper. The Fraternity Badge should be worn over the heart and only a shirt (with a tie) or on the vest. This mistake is normally done by brothers who may simply don’t know the protocol because they are new to the Bond or have not formally been engaged with the Bond over a number of years. Understanding the mistake is the simple part of this discussion. The tougher part of the discussion is how to address a brother when you see him improperly wearing the Fraternity Badge.
The first ground rule is “never embarrass a brother”. You must first understand that no brother in the fraternity wants to embarrass himself or the fraternity by doing something improper with respect to wearing the regalia of the organization. So realize that if the brother is doing so, he is unknowingly making the mistake. You must always approach a brother with a spirit of brotherly love and respect. Pull the brother into a private area where you can approach him without others overhearing your conversation.
The second ground rule is “understand deference is still in play”. Less seasoned brothers should approach correction with more seasoned brothers with even more caution. Even if you are 100% right in your correction and take the most delicate approach, a seasoned brother may still take offense at the correction. A better approach may be to point the issue out to a brother that has a stronger relationship to the brother who is improperly wearing the badge to execute the correction. Even as a Province Polemarch I am very cautious in how I approach brothers who have more years in the fraternity than me. I never want to come across as being pretentious. Therefore, sometimes I may defer the correction to a different brother. In the end, the goal is to ensure the brother understands the protocol. However, “how” you go about it will make the difference in how it is received.
Please feel free to comment to this post or ask additional questions if you have them.
Yours in the Bond,
Kevin D. Kyles
Northern Province Polemarch