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| Sororities, What Are They Really All About? | Recruitment Roundtable - Learn About Greek Life |
| Frequently Asked
Questions About Recruitment | Letter From the Vice President | Information for Parents|
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Greek Glossary | "TO
DO" List |
Active – Commonly
used term to denote a fraternity or sorority member in college. Also called a "collegiate member" or "collegiate sister".
Advisors – alumnae who bring experience and guidance to collegiate chapters. They are officially appointed to oversee certain elements of chapter business and guide the corresponding collegiate officer or chairman.
Alumna – A sorority member who is no longer a member of a collegiate
chapter; the plural is alumnae.
Alumnae Panhellenic Association – The cooperative community
organization of alumnae (members no longer in school) of National Panhellenic
Conference (NPC) sororities.
Bid– Invitation to join a sorority or fraternity
Chapter – a campus-based group of members that is affiliated with
a national or international organization.
College Panhellenic Association – The cooperative organization composed
of the chapters of NPC sororities on campus.
Deferred Membership Recruiting – Membership recruitment week scheduled
sometime after school opening or in the second semester or at the beginning
of sophomore year.
Dropping Out of Recruitment – To discontinue attendance at Recruitment
events, the potential member should check with her College Panhellenic as to
appropriate procedures.
Fraternity – Name that applies to all Greek-letter organizations,
characterized by a ritual, pin/badge and strong ties of friendship. Informally,
women’s fraternities are called sororities.
Greeks – sorority and fraternity members.
House Director – The resident post-college adult employed by the fraternity or
sorority to manage the house on a daily basis. House directors are usually women and in the past were called "House Mothers". They sometimes live at the chapter house.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) – The male counterpart of the College
Panhellenic Association and the National Panhellenic Conference.
Initiation – Inspirational ceremony by which new members become
full members. During the ceremony the most private aspects and symbols of the sorority are revealed.
Intentional Single Preference – (Formerly called "suicide bidding") Intentional indication of only one
choice at preferential signing. National Panhellenic Conference strongly recommends
every potential member list second and even third preferential choice if possible, to increase the chances of receiving a bid from a chapter the potential member will feel at home in.
Legacy – Generally defined as a daughter, sister or granddaughter
of an initiated member, although each sorority has its own definition of legacy.
Local – A campus organization, often with a Greek-letter name, which
has only one chapter at one college or university. All NPC sororities are nationally based and at at least 80 years old; the NPC does not count any local sororities among its members.
Membership Recruitment – Period of time formally designated by the
College Panhellenic for meeting potential members.
New Member – A young woman who has accepted a fraternity bid but
has not yet been initiated.
Open Recruitment – (Also called "Continuous Open Bidding" or "Continuous Open Recruitment") A period following Formal Membership Recruitment
with informal recruiting without scheduled events. This is designated by the
College Panhellenic or Greek Life Office. Contact the Greek Life Office at your school for those chapters recruiting new members in this way.
Panhellenic – Meaning "all Greek", it is the organization
nationally and locally to further the aims of all member groups.
Potential Member – High school graduate or an unaffiliated transfer
student who plans to attend (or is attending) a college which has sororities
and who is interested in sorority membership.
Preferential Bidding – A system used at the conclusion of Formal
Membership Recruitment when potential members and sororities indicate choices.
Quota – System used to equalize, in general, the number of members
in each campus group. It means the number of women who may be offered bids
in the recruitment process by each group. The quota is set by the College Panhellenic
and depends on the number of potential members and sororities on a particular
campus.
Recommendation, Reference or Letter of Information – Specific information
form regarding a potential member. Each sorority has its own form.
Rho Chi (also known as Pi Chi, or Rho Gamma) — stands for Recruitment Counselor (or, respectively, Panhellenic Counselor or Recruitment Guide). Sorority members who temporarily separate from their sororities so they may assist potential members through the formal recruitment process.
Silence – The period of time designated by each College Panhellenic
when there is no communication between potential members and college sorority
members.
Sorority – A Greek-letter sisterhood.
Sorority Housing – Housing varies from campus to campus. It may
be a chapter room or suite that is the social center and meeting
place for members. A lodge is another option. These are small houses
that are used as meeting place and may or may not have limited living accommodations.
A sorority house is the option most familiar to everyone. This is a
residence with living accommodations for members and house director.
Greek Alphabet
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A a
Alpha |
B b
Beta |
G g
Gamma |
D d
Delta |
E e
Epsilon |
Z z
Zeta |
|
H h
Eta |
Q
q
Theta |
I i
Iota |
K k
Kappa |
L l
Lambda |
M m
Mu |
|
N n
Nu |
X x
Xi |
O o
Omicron |
P p
Pi |
R r
Rho |
S s
Sigma |
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T t
Tau |
U u
Upsilon |
F f
Phi |
C c
Chi |
Y y
Psi |
W w
Omega |
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