It's All Greek to Me!

Active - A person who has been initiated into lifelong membership in a Greek organization. Also called a Member.

Alumna - A graduated member of a Women's Sorority/fraternity: Plural Alumnae. Alumnae often support chapter activities through donations, assistance with advising, employment of undergraduates, etc.

Badge - The pin of an initiated member.

Bid - An invitation to become a member of a fraternity or sorority.

Big Sister - An older member assigned to assist a new member.

Chapter - The local campus group of an International fraternity or sorority.

Chapter Advisor - An alumna/alumnus who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and serves as a teacher, counselor and friend.

Depledge - The process of terminating one's fraternity membership (pledging) before initiation.

Greeks - Members of a fraternity or sorority. The term Greek is used because a majority of fraternities and sororities use Greek letters to distinguish themselves.

Hazing - Any conduct which subjects another person, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or psychologically, to anything that may endanger, abuse, degrade, or intimidate the person as a condition of association with a group or organization, regardless of the person's consent or lack of consent.

House - (1) The residence of a Greek organization. (2) An informal reference to an individual's Greek organization.

House Corporation - A legal entity holding title to, or leasing, any real property (land and buildings) for a chapter's living/meeting purposes. This alumni body has basic responsibilities relative to property ownership and maintenance.

Inactive Member - A member who has no material participation in undergraduate chapter activities, such as social activities, living in the chapter house or voting at undergraduate chapter meetings.

Continuous Open Recruitment - A continuous, open recruitment period with no specific, scheduled, system with a wide activities of rushing and pledging. Bids may be extended and accepted at any time

Initiation - A formal ceremony in which an individual becomes a full member of a Greek organization.

Legacy - A daughter, sister, granddaughter of a sorority member.

Member - See Active. 

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) - The governing body for 26 national and international women's fraternities/sororities. (See also www.npcwomen.org)

New Member - A person who has accepted a bid to join a sorority chapter but has not yet been initiated.

Philanthropy - Community service events done by fraternities and sororities to raise money for local and national charities. Each organization has their own philanthropy to which they donate time, money, and energy.

Pledging - The term used by Greek organizations for individuals who are becoming members.

New Member Program - A time before initiation during which new members learn about their fraternity, its new members, activities, and responsibilities.

Potential New Member - A person who is going through recruitment to join a Greek organization

Ritual - The traditional beliefs and oaths of a sorority. These traditions ensure that all members share a common experience across multiple campuses and generations and DO NOT include any form of hazing.

Recruitment - A program of membership recruitment by Greek organizations. Recruitment is primarily a process for exchanging information. It is an active process on both sides to ensure that new members are properly matched with a Greek Letter Organization.

Sister - An initiated member of a sorority/women's fraternity. It is used as a form of address when one initiated member is refers to another member.