Greek Terms
Active: A person who has been formally initiated by a chapter.
Alumna: An initiated sorority member who has graduated from college.
Alumnus: An initiated fraterntity member who has graduated from college.
Badge: The pin of an initiated member.
Bid: A formal invitation to join a chapter.
Chapter: The local collegiate group of a national fraternity or sorority.
Chapter House: A physical structure where members live. Chapter houses are typically owned and operated by private corporations or organizations.
Continuous Open Bidding (COB): Process of extending bids on an individual basis that begins immediately following the formal recruitment program, if chapters have not yet reached total.
Formal Sorority Recruitment: A membership recruitment period during which a series of organized rounds are held, organized and implemented by the Panhellenic Council.
Fraternity: A group of men or women who are bound together by rituals, beliefs, common goals.
Initiation: A formal ceremony in which a new member begins full membership.
Interfraternity Council (IFC): Interfraternity Council, the coordinating governing body of fraternities. IFC operates under the affiliation requirements of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
Legacy: Someone whose family member was an affiliate of a particular Greek-letter organization; each organization determines legacies differently, but may include mother/father, sister/brother, aunt/uncle, or grandmother/grandfather.
Inter/national: The central organization of a fraternity or sorority.
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC): Conference composed of 26 national women’s fraternities; each is autonomous as a general, Greek-letter society of college women, undergraduates, and alumnae.
New Member: One who has been accepted as a probationary member of a sorority/fraternity.
North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC): an umbrella organization for member fraternities that promotes and represents its member organizations
Panhellenic Council (PHC): The coordinating and governing organization for sororities.
Philanthropy: Fundraisers, projects, events, or donations to raise money for national and local charitable organizations.
Potential New Member (PNM): A student who is not yet affiliated with a chapter and is interested in becoming a part of the fraternity and sorority community.
Quota: A specified number of potential new members each sorority chapter may pledge during formal recruitment.
Recruitment: A social experience in which mutual choice and selection occurs to determine sorority/fraternity membership.
Recruitment Counselor: A Panhellenic sorority member who has disaffiliated herself from her chapter during formal membership recruitment. She is specially trained to help potential new members and answer any questions they may have about sorority membership.
Sorority: A Greek-letter organization for women (may also be called a fraternity).
Total: The allowable chapter size, including both new and initiated members, as determined by the Panhellenic Council.