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Over the past few years, the National Panhellenic Conference has replaced many terms with more politically correct ones, such as rush with recruitment.
I have listed the officially used terms, but also included what they were formerly called. Although the sororities are required to use the new terms in publications, many people in every day conversation still use the old terms, especially since many of the new terms use 4 words to say the same thing one word did.

Any words in Italics in the descriptions are also defined here.

If you find that I haven't defined any terms accurately enough, please visit the main page for contact info and send me a better definition as I'm always updating.

Ace - In NPHC organizations, the ace is the first member of the line.

Active - See Collegian.

Advisor - An alumna or alumnus who serves as a resource and educator for the chapter and its members in a specific area. A collegiate chapter may have advisors in many positions (Chapter Advisor, Ritual Advisor, Recruitment Advisor etc).

Alum - A short form of alumna or alumnus.

Alums - A short form of alumnae or alumni.

Alumna - The female singular form of alumnae; a member of a sorority who is no longer a collegiate member.

Alumnae - Plural female form; members of a sorority who are no longer active collegiate members.

Alumnae Initiation/Alumni Initiation (AI) - A process where women/men who did not get to join a sorority or fraternity in college for various reasons are given the opportunity to join as alum members. Candidates are usually recommended by current alumni or are approached based on the contributions they've made to the organization. Every organization deals with AI differently.

Alumni - The male plural form; members of a fraternity who are no longer collegiate members. This form is also used for mixed-sex plural form.

Alumnus - The male singular form of alumni; a member of a fraternity who is no longer a collegiate member.

Badge - The pin that is worn by initiated members to chapter meetings and other events. Each organization has their own pin with their own design. Symbols and meaning behind the badge are revealed at initiation. Only an initiated member can wear the badge and upon a member's death or resignation of membership (see Deactivate) it is to be returned to the organization as members don't own the badges, but essentially rent them from their organizations. If you terminate, resign, or deactivate your membership, your badge must be returned or donated to a chapter. Members are not permitted to sell their badges to non-members. (Pictures of badges can be found on the individual group pages here for NIC, NPC and NPHC).

Bairds Manual - A manual with a history of fraternities and sororities. The book costs upwards of 80 dollars and lists the different fraternities and sororities that have been founded, absorbed by others, including their history etc.

Big Sis/Bro - An active collegiate member that is paired with a new member to help them adjust to Greek life. Different organizations may have different terms such as Alpha Gamma Delta's Sister Mother/Sister Daughter and Alpha Delta Pi's Diamond Sisters. The way bigs and littles are paired or chosen is different for every group. Many sororities, before assigning Big sisters, will assign a temporary person to help out the new member. Each group (and sometimes each chapter) will have a different term for this temporary Big.

Bid Matching - A computerized process where PNMs and sororities are matched with one another after Preference Parties during Formal Recruitment. Bid matching used to be done by hand, and if it were still done that way, the basic process is:

Bid - A formal invitation to join a sorority. After Preference and Bid Matching, a PNM will receive a Bid to join a sorority. A Bid usually comes in the form of a card with the sorority's letters, logo or crest on it and a printed invitation to join the sorority.

Bid Card - See Formal Membership Recruitment Acceptance Form.

Bid Day - The last day of Recruitment, where Bids are given out to the PNMs. They will meet with their new sorority sisters, and usually have an event so everyone can get to know each other better.

Brother - A term that fraternity members use in reference to each other. Members of co-ed fraternities also use this term for all members, male and female.

Bump - During sorority recruitment, the sororities organize themselves into small groups. Those "bump groups" will be responsible for each picking up a girl at the door. During the party, that bump group will rotate members so as many people as possible get to meet the PNM. When a sister rotates out and a new sister is brought in to meet you, that is a bump. Some groups may bump more frequently than others, some may bump less, and it doesn't really have any meaning regarding how much they like you.

Call - A "yell" (for lack of a better word) used by NPHC organizations (and sometimes other multicultural organizations). It is used to identify members, and only initiated members can use the call. For example, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's call is SKEE-WEE. Some NPC and NIC sororities have calls, but most do not use them.

Candlepass - Also called a Candlelight. A ceremony held by sororities, usually when a member (collegiate or alum) announces her pinning, engagement or other important news. A lit candle is passed around the circle. Each full pass around the circle means something (depending on the organization). For instance, one pass may mean pinning, two may mean engagement, three may mean pregnancy. When the candle reaches the person with the announcement she blows it out.

Ceiling - See Total.

Chapter - A branch of a sorority or a fraternity. Each international organization will have chapters at various schools. A chapter is designated by Greek letters. For instance, Delta Gamma, Beta Chapter. Some are designated with the state and then Greek letter, as in Michigan Gamma. Most organizations will have special chapters reserved for deceased members (sometimes Chapter Grand, Omega Chapter or Silent Chapter) and for alumnae initiates.

Charter - Permission from the headquarters to have a chapter. If you don't have a charter, your chapter is not recognized as part of that organization.

Chapter Room - Sororities that do not have a separate house are often given a room on campus. They can decorate it and use it for chapter meetings and events.

City-wide - Seen mostly in NPHC organizations, these chapters may encompass a city or area, and more than one school. Usually found in areas where the population of African American students is too small to support a chapter on one campus. City-wide chapters can be undergraduate or graduate chapters.

Collegian - An initiated member of a fraternity or sorority currently in college. The term "active" is also seen, but is a bit of a misnomer, as technically an involved alum is "active" in their sorority as well. Also seen as Collegiate.

Colony - A new chapter of an organization, not yet chartered. It is somewhat similar to being a pledge, as the chapter is a new member and has not yet been initiated (chartered).

Colors - The two or three colors that a Greek organization chooses to represent itself. For example, Alpha Phi's colors are silver and bordeaux, while Delta Gamma's are bronze, pink and blue. These colors may have a public and/or private meaning.

Continuous Open Bidding (COB) - This is a process used by chapters at schools that use formal recruitment structure. COB is an opportunity for those chapters that do not reach Quota during  recruitment to add members until they reach total. It is usually more relaxed than formal recruitment, and only those sororities that have not reached Total can participate. They will usually hold a few open events where interested people can come and meet the members. The members will then decide who they would like to offer bids to. They can offer as many as they want until they hit Total. Some PNMs will drop out of recruitment when their first choices cut them, in hopes of being able to COB into the group later. This is a dangerous practice, as usually the groups they are hoping to join are ones that will be over Total and not eligible to COB. Groups can only COB if they fall below total (ie, due to graduation, people dropping out etc) [This term is used interchangeably with Continuous Open Recruitment, but the NPC Manual of Information still uses COB as the proper term].

Continuous Open Recruitment (COR) - See Continuous Open Bidding. [Formerly it was the same as Continuous Recruitment, see below]

Continuous Recruitment (CR) - A recruitment style where an organization will recruit year round, not using other styles such as Fully Structured Recruitment, Minimally Structured, and Partially Structured. Formerly called Continuous Open Recruitment, that term now refers to COB.

Crest - A coat-of-arms with symbols and colors that are important to the organization. Some Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs) only permit initiated members to sport the crest. There are usually specific items it can appear on. The meaning behind the crest is reserved for initiated members only.

Cross Cut - When a PNM lists ABC first and DEF second on her Pref Card and both sororities hit quota before her name is called. This usually happens when her name is low on both sororities Second Lists. (See Bid Matching for more info) It doesn't happen often, but when it does, the PNM does not receive a bid, but she is open for Snap Bidding from those groups that did not make quota or hit total.

Crossing - A term used in NPHC organization to denote you were initiated. Short for "Crossing the burning sands". You may hear someone say "When I crossed..." which means when they were initiated.

Cut - To not be invited back to a sorority during Formal Recruitment. PNM's often think that when they are ranking sororities at the end of a round of parties, that they are choosing to cut their lowest ranked groups. THIS IS NOT TRUE. You are simply listing your favourites that you most want to return to during the next round of parties, and then the backup groups (lowest ranked) you would return to if any of your favourites chose not to invite you back to the next round. The only time a PNM is truly cutting a group is if they receive invites back to more chapters than there are parties the next round (ie, there are 10 sororities but you can only go back to 7 next round) - the groups the PNM ranked lowest are cut from their list, leaving her with only her favourites. This is usually not explained well by Panhellenic, leading many PNMs to wonder why a group they keep cutting keeps inviting them back.

Deactivate - Where an initiated member chooses to leave their sorority or fraternity permanently and not be a member any longer. There are usually forms that must be signed and filed with your headquarters for this to happen - every group is different, so you have to contact your organization to ask about the proper procedure. When you deactivate you are no longer a member and no longer have the right to wear letters, own the badge (it should be returned to your headquarters) or claim membership in the organization. In the NPC and NPHC you are not ever allowed to initiate with another fraternity or sorority, no matter the circumstances or your deactivation..

In the NIC "no member fraternity shall initiate a member of another fraternity until such a time as the second fraternity shall have been formally notified in writing by the national office of the first fraternity that a candidate for membership in the second fraternity is no longer regarded as a member of the fraternity." Despite this by-law, an NIC group may choose not to initiate someone who has been a member of another organization. A group may also choose not to initiate someone who was terminated from their fraternity by the organization (rather than the person choosing to leave).

If you are a member who has fallen behind on dues or not been active in sorority life for some time, you are likely Inactive. You are still a member of the group (and cannot be initiated into another NPC or NHPC), but you may need to take steps to become a member in good standing or to take alumnae status. If you wish to deactivate and not be a member, have to contact your organization to ask about the requirements to do so.

If you are a new member (pledge) and you choose not to initiate, you are not deactivating, you are de-pledging (as you never "activated" your membership by being initiated). See Depledge or Drop for more info.

If the fraternity or sorority kicks you out (on a national/international level) then you are Terminated.

Deferred Recruitment - Recruitment held in the Spring term. Also called Spring Recruitment (Rush). The theory behind Deferred Recruitment is that the PNM has had time to settle into school life and adjust and isn't going through the turmoil of beginning college when they go through recruitment. It has its good and bad points - you can see what the sororities are like at your school, but you also may have more preferences going into recruitment because of that. Some schools hold a full Formal Recruitment in the Spring, while others hold Minimally or Partially Structured Recruitments, or Continuous Open Recruitment only.

Depledge - When a new member (pledge) leaves a sorority or fraternity prior to initiation. Within the NPC sororities, if you depledge from a sorority, you are ineligible to join another NPC sorority for ONE full year (signing your Pref card or accepting a Bid indicates your acceptance of this rule).

If you have already initiated and you fill out the official paperwork to resign your membership, then you Deactivate your membership, you do not depledge (as you are not a pledge, but a full member). If you leave your sorority, but do not officially deactivate your membership (or have your membership terminated by your headquarters), then you are still a member, albeit it not a member in good standing if you don't pay your dues (See Inactive). If you are unsure of your status, you can contact the headquarters for your organization. They may require you pay any back-owed dues or fees before reinstating you as a member in good standing.

Deuce - An NPHC term for the second person on a line.

Deuteron - Part of the chapter designations for some organizations, indicating the chapter was closed and then re-opened. For example Alpha Epsilon Pi, Gamma Deuteron chapter, tells us that the Gamma chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi was recolonized. Not every organization uses this designation for re-colonized chapters (for example, Alpha Phi recolonizes a chapter with its former chapter designation)..

Dirty Rush - When collegiate members promise a PNM will get to join, or invite them to events before rush. It is against Panhellenic rules to dirty rush someone and doing so can get organizations fined. 

Disaffiliate - 1) When a member chooses to terminate their membership in an organization (see Deactivate). 2) When a member is required to not show or tell which organization they belong to, for example, with Rho Gamma's during Formal Recruitment. The Rho Gammas are to be impartial, and aren't supposed to reveal their affiliations in order to not bias the PNMs. Rho Gammas are allowed to reveal their affiliation on Bid Day. This is the most common meaning of the word.

Discretion - Vital in pursuing NPHC organizations (as well as alumnae initiation), which are run much differently from NPC and NIC groups. NPHC groups do not tell the greater school population who is interested or pledging their group, and the interested person or pledge should also refrain from giving any clues. Most groups will have a revealing event (probate) where the school sees who joined what group.

Divine Nine - Nickname for the 9 traditionally African American sororities and fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). Previous to Iota Phi Theta joining the Divine Nine they were known as the Great Eight.

Drop - 1) To drop out of recruitment because you no longer wish to continue. 2) To depledge a group before being initiated. (See also: Depledge) 3) To deactivate from a group and no longer be a member. (See also: Deactivate) 4) To be lavaliered by a fraternity member. 5) to be cut by a group during recruitment (eg. ABC dropped me).

Dry - A fraternity that permits no alcohol in their house, and in some cases (depending on the organization) is not allowed to host parties involving alcohol. Many fraternities are dry nationally and all sororities have different levels on being dry - for instance, one sorority may allow members to attend official functions hosted by organizations that are not dry, while others may not.

Dry Rush - A fraternity rush event with no alcohol. (Sororities are never allowed to have alcohol at recruitment events).

Early Alum Status - Taking early alumnae/i status means a collegiate member is being asked to or is choosing to become an alum before they have completed their schooling. Collegiate members may take early alumnae/i status due to financial reasons (alumnae/i membership is often cheaper), personal troubles, marriage or children while in school (making it difficult to keep up traditional membership), or if a chapter loses its charter for any reason etc. Granting early alumnae/i status is at the discretion of an individual chapter or organization, and what is allowed in one may not be allowed in another.

Executive - The governing body of the fraternity or sorority on campus. Each group has their own specific positions (President, various Vice Presidents, Chairs etc). They are in charge of running the chapter on campus, with input from their advisors who are alumni.

Expansion - When a university or college decides to invite a new sorority or fraternity on campus. The interested groups will make presentations and when the final group is chosen, they will get to colonize on that campus. It also refers to a sorority or fraternity that wants to expand and add a chapter somewhere.

First List - During formal recruitment bid matching, the first list is the list the sororities make up with the names of the girls that are their top choices in alphabetical order. This list will always equal quota. See Bid Matching and Second List for more info.

Formal - A formal dance or dinner/dance held by the college chapter. Most sororities and fraternities each host one formal in the year. Some are open to alumni/ae to attend, some are not. It is dependant on the organization and the local chapter rules.

Formal Membership Recruitment Acceptance Form - Formerly known as a Bid Card or Preference Card. This overly long and extremely PC term is rarely ever heard, but it is the official term. It is the invitation to join a sorority.

Formal Recruitment or Formal Membership Recruitment - Formerly known as "Rush" for the sororities. The process where a Potential New Member can visit all the sororities on campus, and through a series of events, narrow the groups down until they potentially receive an invitation to join. It is held in either the Fall or Spring (Deferred).

A typical formal recruitment would have the PNM sign up, be placed in a Recruitment Group with other PNMs, tour each group, be invited back and over the course of 2-3 rounds of invites, narrow their choice to 2 or 3 groups for the final Pref event. They then rank the groups and are matched with a sorority and invited to join. [See also Fully Structured Recruitment and Recruitment Styles.]

There may be 4 days of events, less days or more days. Your local Greek Life or Panhellenic Council can fill you in on the details for your specific campus.

Founders - The people who founded each sorority or fraternity. There may be 1 or a few dozen depending on the organization. Some refer to them as Founding Sisters/Brothers, while some (mostly newer) groups use Founding Mother/Father. There are founders for the organization as a whole, and founders for a chapter on a campus (colony members).

Founders' Day - The day chosen to officially celebrate the founding of a fraternity or sorority. Organizations will have an official date of founding, but Founders' Day may or may not be held on that exact day.

Frat - Short for fraternity, most NIC fraternities see this term as offensive, but it is a respectful term among NPHC fraternities.

Fraternity - A men's (or co-ed) organization where the members share ideals, rituals and a bond of brotherhood. Many sororities are officially called women's fraternities (15/26 NPC, the rest are officially sororities).

Fully Structured Recruitment (FSR) - A form of recruitment that occurs on campuses with 4-26 NPC sororities, where quota is traditionally 20 or more, and the number of PNMs is quite high. Panhellenic handles the logistics for this form of recruitment and the events are formatted in the traditional way of rounds of parties. Release figures management must be used and bid matching is used, as well as quota and total. [See Formal Recruitment for an example of how it would run]

GC - Short for GreekChat, a message board where Greeks and those interested in Greek Life gather to chat about sorority and fraternity issues, share rush and recruitment stories, discuss alumni info and chat about random things. Non-greeks are welcome. Asshats are not.

GDI - Short for Gosh Darn Independent or God Damned Independent. It is a person who is not in a Greek organization, and sometimes refers to people who are anti-Greek. Also seen as Independent.

Graduate Chapter - A chapter of (usually) an NPHC organization that is made up of those who already have a 4 year degree. These chapters usually encompass a city or county area. In some organizations they are considered the same as alumni/ae chapters.

Greek - A member of a fraternity or sorority, or being in a GLO.

Greek Letter Organization (GLO) - Any sorority or fraternity is a GLO, even those that don't use Greek letters (such as Acacia and Farmhouse).

Greek Week - A week of events and competitions that unite all of the Greek groups on campus. They often pair up and compete at events, sports and games.

Green Book - A book detailing the fundamentals of formal recruitment as mandated by the NPC. Basically the big huge rule book of recruitment. It is actually called the Manual of Information.

Grip - See Handshake

Handshake - A special (secret) handshake known only by initiated members of a fraternity or sorority. Also called a Grip.

Hazing - Any behavior that is humiliating, violent, disrespectful or causes a person discomfort. Hazing is against the principles of all sororities and fraternities, and is illegal in all states. Some organizations even consider things like scavenger hunts and not allowing new members to wear letters as hazing. It should not be part of any new member period, and anyone experiencing hazing should speak to their campus Panhellenic, IFC etc.

Hold Over - Someone who is a new member who for some reason, can't be initiated with their new member class and is "held over" until the next initiation occurs. Often happens because of finances, personal reasons, grades, etc.

Hotboxing - Where members of an organization will be left alone with a potential new member and pressure them to accept a bid to their organization. This is against rush and recruitment rules and should be reported to the Panhellenic Council (if it's NPC) on your campus.

House - The physical house that a fraternity or sorority is housed in. Also a term synonymous with chapter in some areas where the organizations don't have a house.

House Corporation - A group of alums that oversee business involving the chapter's house or chapter room.

House Director - Also called a House Mother (if it's a woman, that is) or House Manager. A person who lives in the house and looks after day-to-day operations of the sorority/fraternity. The House Director is an employee of the organization.

Inactive - A member who has elected to become inactive in sorority or fraternity life. They have no say or participation in chapter activities. Becoming inactive is not the same as deactivating, where you are no longer a member with no rights to wear the letters etc (See Deactivate). An initiated collegiate member who drops out, but never files official paperwork severing their membership is likely inactive within their organization. They may be listed as an alumna/us, but would not be listed as being in good financial standing. An inactive member may catch up on their financial obligations and become an active member again (although collegiate chapters may choose not to affiliate these members if they are still attending the school, but may allow them to take alumni status). Each group deals with non-financial and inactive members differently, so if you have a question about your status, you need to contact your group headquarters.

Independent - A person who is not a member of a fraternity or sorority. Also seen as GDI - Gosh (or God) Darn (or Damned) Independent.

In House - A collegiate member who lives in the house.

In House Legacy - A legacy who's blood sibling (and in some organizations, step sibling) is currently in that chapter as a collegiate member.

Initiate - A person who is undergoing initiation; a person who is an initiated member of an organization and has learned the ritual.

Initiated member - A full member of the sorority or fraternity, who has been through the initiation ceremony and is financially up-to-date with the organization. This term covers collegiate and alumni members.

Initiation - The private ceremony in which a new member becomes a full initiated member. Initiation ceremonies and rituals are private and secret (for most organizations; some have open rituals), and may only be attended by initiated members or those to be initiated. Once you are initiated into an NPC sorority or NPHC fraternity or sorority, you cannot initiate into another group, even if you resign your membership or are terminated by the organization. You may be able to join another NIC fraternity, but you must have resigned membership in your first, received a letter stating so which goes to the second, and the second has to allow it, which they may not.

Intake - See Membership Intake Process (MIP).

Intentional Single Preference (ISP)- When a PNM lists only one sorority on their Preference Card and they attended more than one Preference event. By not listing all of the events they attended, PNMs are limiting their chances to join any other NPC group during recruitment, as ISPs cannot be added as Quota Additions. Before choosing to ISP, PNMs need to decide if they would rather go bidless or be Greek in a group they don't think they fit with, as if they ISP and do NOT match to the group they chose, they are ineligible to join any sorority on that campus for one year. It IS possible to not match with the only group you list, as you may be far enough down their second list that you never make it to their first list before they reach quota. Formerly called Suicide.

Intentional Double Preference (IDP) - When a PNM lists only two sororities on their Preference Card on campuses where you attend three or more Preference events.

Interest Group - A group of individuals on campus in the first stage of forming a chapter of a Greek organization. An interest group may become a Colony if the campus is open to expansion and the sorority chosen wishes to affiliate with the interest group.

Interfraternity Council (IFC) - The college council consisting of all the fraternities on campus. It is a self-governing council that sets standards for the member fraternities.

Invite - A recruitment term to denote an invitation extended to attend one of the recruitment events.

Junior Quota - Some NPC recruitments allow for juniors (and sometimes sophomores) to not count as part of regular quota and there is a separate quota for juniors. This allows PNMs of junior class standing to not be competing against freshman (who have 4 years of membership ahead and are often more sought after because of that). A junior quota is usually not a high number - most are under 10. Some schools just have an Upperclass quota that includes sophomores as well as juniors (and sometimes seniors).

Lavaliere - A small drop necklace with Greek letters. Many sorority members will have a lavaliere with their organization's letters. Many fraternity men will give their girlfriend a lavaliere of their letters if the relationship is serious. (See Lavaliering).

Lavaliering - When a fraternity member gives his girlfriend a lavaliere with the fraternity letters. On some campuses, you're only allowed to lavaliere one person, ever. Sometimes referred to as being "dropped." Seen as a step before Pinning.

Legacy - A person who's parent, sibling or grandparent (and in some sororities and fraternities, step and half siblings, or aunts/uncles/nieces/nephews) belonged to that organization. If your mother is an Alpha Chi Omega, you are a legacy to AXO. If your grandma was an Alpha Gamma Delta and your mom an Alpha Phi, you are a legacy to both. Each organization has different rules about which relations count as legacies. Before you go through recruitment, those family members should send in a form (either a recommendation or a specific legacy intro form, depending on the group) to the chapter so they will know you are a legacy. Legacies are not guaranteed a bid. Usually they are only required to be invited back to at least the first round of invitationals. At some schools, there are so many legacies going through recruitment it would be impossible to invite them all back, so they can be released from their legacy sorority, even early in the process.

Letters - The Greek letters that represent the names of each sorority and fraternity. A few (FarmHouse, Acacia etc) don't use Greek letters. It is considered extremely bad form to wear the letters of a group you do not belong to (not counting cases of lavaliering etc). Most groups allow new members to wear letters, but some only allow their new members to wear the group name spelled out, saving the Greek letter wearing for after Initiation.

Line - An NPHC term equivalent to a Pledge Class or New Member Class. Many lines will have nicknames. An NPHC group may not have a line each semester or even every year.

Line Brothers/Sisters - The brothers or sisters that were on the line with you; your pledge class.

Little Sis/Bro - A new member that is paired with a collegiate member who will help them adjust to Greek life. Some sororities have specific terms, like Alpha Gamma Delta's Sister-Mother, Sister-Daughters and Alpha Delta Pi's Diamond Sisters.

Live In - A collegian who lives inside the chapter house (if there is one).

Local - A sorority that is not national. They may have just one chapter, or a couple. They aren't governed by the NPC, NIC or NPHC and may or may not be governed by a conference or council on a national level. They may be members of their campus Greek Council, or they may not.

Manual of Information - Official term for the NPC Green Book, which is the book of rules of recruitment.

Mascot - Usually an animal, chosen by the GLO (nationally and sometimes locally) to represent them. For example, Chi Omega's mascot is the owl. The meaning behind it is reserved for initiated members.

Maximize Your Options - This basically means that the PNM returns to every group that she is invited back to and lists every group whose pref she attended on her pref card. Some campuses guarantee sorority placement if a person does this. A group you hate on Day One could become a favorite on Day 3, so it's imperative a PNM always visit and rank all the groups she sees. If you don't want to rank a sorority after attending pref, you may choose to Intentional Single Preference, but this is a risk that could lead to a PNM not receiving a bid at all.

Member In Good Standing - A sorority or fraternity member that has paid their inter/national dues to the organization and chapter for the current year.

Membership Intake Process (MIP) - The process by which NPHC and some multicultural and cultural Greek groups gain new members. It is very different from NPC recruitment and NIC rush and is usually held separately. The process is very discreet, and the interested person usually knows which group they want to pursue before attending any of their events. Prospective members often do a LOT of homework before declaring their intent. There is a great thread on GC about how it works. Also called Intake.

Membership Recruitment Acceptance Agreement (MMRA) - Official term for Bid Card acceptance, it is a one year binding agreement signed by a PNM. When you fill out your pref card, you are agreeing to accept a bid from whichever group you match to, and that agreement lasts for one year. You cannot rush again to join a different group until that year is over. If a PNM has any doubts about the groups, not signing their pref card will NOT bind them.

Minimally Structured Recruitment (MSR) - Used on campuses where there are between 2-5 NPC sororities and quota during formal recruitment is between 10-12. It is suited to campuses where the population interested in joining is small. Chapters hold events and PNMs are not required to attend an event at every sorority. There is no bid matching and chapters can pledge to total. (Most resembles NIC rush)

Mismatch - When a potential new member's name fails to match any of her sorority preferences. This can happen if the PNMs name is far enough down on each sorority's second lists that the sororities reach quota before she is high enough on their list to match. Also called Cross Cut.

Mixer - An event, sometimes with a theme, where a sorority and fraternity will get together for a night of games, fun, music, games or dancing. Also called an Exchange or Social.

Multicultural Greek Letter Organization (MCGLO) - A sorority or fraternity that was founded on the basis of being multicultural.

NALFO - See National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.

'Nalia - Short for paraphernalia, which are all of the "things" you can get with Greek letters on them, from sweatshirts, hats, key chains and necklaces, to flip flops, wallets, track suits and briefcases. Also seen as "para". These terms seem to be more prevalent among NPHC organizations.

National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) - They are an umbrella council for 24 Latino Greek letter organizations.

National Interfraternity Conference (NIC) - The governing body of all the member fraternities in the USA and Canada.

National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC) - The governing board of the member organizations, all of which are multicultural. Has both fraternities and sororities under its governance.

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) - The governing body of all 26 international sororities in the USA and Canada.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - The governing body of all the 9 traditionally African American fraternities and sororities.

Nationals - A slang term for a sorority or fraternity's national headquarters. Somewhat of a misnomer, as many organizations are actually international, as they have chapters in other countries. The official term for a fraternity or sorority's headquarters could be anything from Executive Office (EO) to International Headquarters (IHQ); every group is different.

Neophyte, Neo - An NPHC term for a member who was recently initiated. Usually when another line is brought on and initiated, you then transition to being a prophyte.

New Member - A member of an NPC sorority who has not yet been initiated. Formerly called a Pledge, the NIC and other organizations still use the term pledge. Also seen as Associate Member.

New Member Class - The other new members that will go through initiation with you. Each new member class may be designated with Greek letters or a nickname, depending on the organization. For example XYZ sorority, Kappa New Member Class.

New Member Ceremony - The ceremony in which the New Member receives their New Member Pin and becomes an official New Member. Sometimes seen (informally) as Pledging In, Pledging ceremony, Pinning Ceremony.

New Member Educator - The liaison between the new members and the initiated collegiate members, they are responsible for implementing and monitoring the new member program and preparing the new members for initiation. Formerly called a Pledge Mom, Pledge Dad, Pledgemaster etc.

New Member Period - The period of time between Bid acceptance and initiation, where an NPC New Member is learning about their new organization. New Member Periods can be anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks long. Formerly called Pledge Period.

New Member Pin - A distinctive pin worn by the new members of a fraternity or sorority, between bid acceptance and initiation. Pictures can be found on the NIC, NPC and NPHC pages.

New Member Program - A sorority/fraternity program that teaches the New Member about the sorority, their ideals, founders etc. No secret information is given until after Initiation. Formerly called Pledge Program

NIC - See National Interfraternity Council.

NMGC - See National Multicultural Greek Council.

No Frills - Recruitment that is conducted on a budget with strict rules. This is done so that sororities with more financial backing can't "outdo" those that are on a smaller budget.

NPC - See National Panhellenic Conference.

Open Motto - A motto used by a GLO that is public. It usually gives you an idea of what their goal or purpose is.

Order of Omega - An honorary organization for Greeks with good academic achievements.

Paddle - An ornamental gift usually give from big to little. It is usually a wood plaque (not always shaped like a paddle, some are shaped like the organization's mascot or symbol). They are often decorated and elaborately designed and personalized. They are usually hung in a member's room.

Panhellenic Council - The governing council of the NPC sororities on each campus. Sometimes shortened to Panhel.

Paper Members – Generally refers to NPHC members who join an organization through intake but do not undergo a pledging period that may involve hazing, ie. the members are good on paper, but not in the eyes of the other members, because they didn't experience the same pledging. The term seems to be used by members that were hazed as a derogatory term towards those that were not.

Para - Short for paraphernalia, which are all of the "things" you can get with Greek letters on them, from sweatshirts, hats, key chains and necklaces, to flip flops, wallets, track suits and briefcases. Also seen as "nalia". These terms seem to be more prevalent among NPHC organizations.

Partially Structured Recruitment (PSR) - A form of NPC recruitment used on campuses where there are between 3-9 chapters and quota is usually between 15-20 if formal recruitment is done. PNMs are required to attend at least one event at each sorority and several events over all, but they have the choice to not return to an event they are invited to and still be able to continue with recruitment. Bid matching may or may not be done depending on the size of the chapters and the number of PNMs.

Perp - Someone who pretends to be a member of a fraternity or sorority, by wearing the letters, claiming they're a collegian or alumni.

PFA - See Professional Fraternity Association.

Philanthropy - The charity (or charities) that each Greek organization support, either (inter)nationally, locally or both. For instance, Beta Theta Pi's is Children's Burn Awareness, and Kappa Kappa Gamma's is UNICEF. Each chapter will raise money for their philanthropy throughout the year. They also may assist other causes, and join in fundraisers with other Greek organizations.

Pin - See Badge.

Pin Attire - Badges/pins must be worn with nice clothing, much like what you'd wear to a job interview. Most organizations say you should not wear your pin on t-shirts, with ripped clothing, jeans etc. Some organizations don't have specific rules about the wearing of the badge, but members still wear it with pin attire out of respect. Many groups have rules of attire for wearing with the badge written into their constitution or bylaws.

Pinning - 1) When a fraternity member gives a sorority member his pin. Seen as the step before engagement in most areas. Many fraternities have sweetheart badges, which are smaller versions of their badge and can be given to girlfriends/wives. 2) A slang term for a new member ceremony.

Pledge - A fraternity term for a new member who has not yet been initiated.

Pledge Class - The other new members that will go through initiation with you are your pledge class.

Pledge Period - The time between being invited to join and being initiated. In this time you'll learn all about the organization you're joining. Also called Pledgeship.

Pledge Program - The program where you learn all about the fraternity.

Potential New Alumnae Member (PNAM) - A woman who is seeking membership in an NPC sorority via alumnae initiation. This term originated at Greekchat with AZ-AlphaXi and is in use at that site almost exclusively. It is not an official term among sororities, and those who aren't members of GC probably have no idea what the term means.

Potential New Member (PNM) - A female college student who is seeking membership in an NPC sorority, either through Formal Recruitment or Continuous Open Recruitment. Formerly called Rushee.

PNAM - See Potential New Alumnae Member.

PNM - See Potential New Member.

Preference - The final big night (or day) of Recruitment, where you attend 2, 3, or sometimes 4 (depending on your school and the size of your Greek system) parties. You'll spend more time at the sororities, usually for dinner and/or dessert, you may participate in an open ritual etc. It is the last chance for each sorority to really sell themselves to you, to let you see what it is they love about being a member and your last opportunity to see where you'd most fit in. Also called Pref, Final Dinners. If you are invited to Pref, it means the sorority can see you as a member and is willing to offer a bid. However - where you end up on their first or second lists may mean you don't get a bid. There is no way to tell from attending Pref if you will receive a bid or not. See Bid Matching for more info on how it works.

Preference Card (Pref Card) - Technically called a Formal Membership Recruitment Acceptance Form, it's a card signed by Potential New Members after the Preference events indicating, in order or preference, which sororities of the ones whose parties they attended they liked the most. These cards, along with the sororities lists of members they would like, are used in bid matching to match the PNMs and sororities with one another. If you sign the Pref Card, you are saying you will accept a bid from any sorority you list. If you sign, and decide not to join the organization that offers you a Bid, you cannot attempt to join another sorority for one full year. If you do not sign, that doesn't apply. See also Intentional Single Preference.

Probate - An NPHC term. A show where all the newly initiated members of the organization "come out" to everyone on campus. Not every campus will have one.

Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) - The governing council of the member organizations, all of which have a professional basis.

Prophyte - An initiated member of an NPHC organization (usually one who has had a line come in after theirs).

Quota - The number of women each sorority may pledge during fully structured recruitment. Quota isn't set until the Preference round is completed. Quota Range is used to determine what Quota will be, so it places the most women possible. In very basic terms, if 120 women attended Preference, and there are 6 sororities on campus, 120 divided by 6 is 20, and each sorority may take a maximum of 20 new members. See Quota Range for more information. Sororities are allowed to take Quota, even if they will go over Total/Ceiling. This ensures that almost all women who attend recruitment and maximize their options will get a bid.

Quota Additions - Allows chapter at quota to accept 5% more of quota in order to match more women with their preferences. Only women who have maximized their options (attend every party they were invited to, and listed every party they attended on the pref card) are eligible for Quota Additions. The rules governing Quota Additions are more thoroughly explained at Greekchat. Also seen as Over Quota or Quota Plus.

Quota Range - Used prior to setting quota, to set Quota Range, the weighted average of signed bid cards over the last three years are used as a base number, and the range is then calculated as +/-8%. To calculate the weighted average, you need to know the percentage of signed pref cards (aka bid cards aka Formal Membership Recruitment Acceptance Forms) over the last three years. For example if you had 500 girls attend open house, but only 450 signed cards, that gives you a percentage of 90%. You find out the weighted average over the last three years.

Let's say our weighted average is 84%. We have 8 chapters, and 380 women attended the first open house. They are estimating 84% will sign their card, which works out to 319.

319 divided by 8 chapters, is a quota of 40.

The range is set by going +8% above that and -8% below that. (eg. 40 x 1.08 = 43 and 40 x 0.92 = 37)

So our Quota Range is 37 to 43. The advisors will then run bid matching 7 times - once with quota at 37, then at 38, 39 etc until 43. The number selected for quota will be the number that places the most PNMs in sororities without harming any chapters. This results in having to use less Quota Additions.

Rec - See Recommendation.

Recolonize - The process whereby a fraternity or a sorority that was previously on campus, receives another charter for the same campus. Recolonization can happen because a chapter died out due to low numbers, or had their charter revoked and the (international) headquarters wants to reopen the chapter.

Recommendation - A form or letter written by an alumna in good standing about a potential new member and sent to the sorority at the campus the PNM will be going through recruitment. It serves as a way for the PNM to be introduced to the sorority before recruitment begins. Some schools (in the Southern US or with competitive Greek systems) require that each PNM secure recs from an alumna of each sorority before recruitment begins - sometimes multiple recs for the same organization. Some campuses don't rely on recs at all and it doesn't matter if the PNM has one or not. Check with your Greek Life office or Panhellenic Council to find out if recs are used at your school. Any alum in good standing can offer to write one and local Alumnae Panhellenic Associations will often help PNMs secure recs for recruitment (even if they don't know the PNM personally), especially in areas where recs are required. If you attend a school where recs are required, not having one can get you cut from that sorority after the first day. Many schools will tell you it is the sorority's responsibility to secure recs for the PNMs, but this is rarely done - it really is up to the PNM to find her recs. PNMs should ask friends, parents, extended family, co-workers, parents co-workers, teachers, people they know from church or other activities if they know sorority members who could write recs. Also seen as Reference.

Recruitment - See Formal Recruitment

Recruitment Guide (aka Rho Gamma) - A member of an NPC sorority who disaffiliates from her sorority for the duration of Formal Recruitment. She will assist the PNMs during the process of Recruitment, answering questions and running a Recruitment Group. They cannot reveal their sorority, so they remain neutral and don't influence their PNMs. They are revealed on Bid Day. Formerly called rho chi's, the new official term is Rho Gamma (Recruitment Guide). Also called Gamma Chi (Greek Counselor), Pi Gamma (Panhellenic Guide) Pi Chi (Panhellenic Counselor) and other names depending on the campus - but Rho Gamma is the official term.

Recruitment Events - Formerly called Rush Parties. These are the events that a PNM will attend during Formal Recruitment.

Recruitment Styles - Refers to the four different styles of recruitment endorsed by the NPC. They are: Fully Structured Recruitment, Partially Structured Recruitment, Minimally Structured Recruitment and Continuous Recruitment (which is not the same as Continuous Open Recruitment (Bidding)). Each style of recruitment is defined here.

Release Figures Management (RFM) - A way of managing formal recruitment to put all the chapters on even footing. Numbers from past years of recruitment events showing how many girls elected to return to a sorority's events are used to determine how many girls can be invited back to a sorority recruitment event now. Each group may invite back Quota times the number of events in each event round, divided by its own average percentage of return for the last three years of formal membership recruitment.

Release figures are meant to make sororities that rush more successfully (usually larger groups) cut more girls early on instead of keeping girls until the last minute and cutting hard at the end, while smaller groups can invite back more girls early on and increase their numbers. RFM usually results in more chapters taking quota and more PNMs receiving bids if they maximize their options (ie, return to all parties they are invited to, attend pref and sign a bid card without single intentional preferencing).

Reputation - It's seen as bad form to discuss the reputations of various chapters on message boards, only because most of the time the chat is wrong. A sorority chapter at one school may have a completely different reputation at another school. Often these are completely off base or only describe a small portion of members, or are reputations from years ago that have since changed, but the reputations have stuck. In chapters with over 100 members, there will be people of all types, from partiers to studious and shy to outgoing.

Re-Rush - When a person who previously went through recruitment and did not join an organization (they dropped out of recruitment, were dropped from all chapters, pledged but didn't initiate etc) goes through recruitment a second time in hopes of getting a bid.

It can be difficult to re-rush - your class standing has increased, meaning you have less years of membership ahead, which may not be enticing for a sorority (especially one that needs to fill housing quotas). You may be remembered, members have had time to observe you in daily life around school, if you depledged a group others may not want to take a risk on you etc. Re-rushees need to be very prepared. If you are trying to decide about re-rushing, ask yourself what has changed that would make you stand out - for example, you have stronger grades, you've taken on campus leadership positions, you know more sorority women, you've secured recs (note: if you had recs the first time, they don't carry over and you must get them again), you are more confident in your conversation skills etc. Most importantly, you have to be prepared for cuts and to keep an open mind to ALL groups on campus.

Resign - 1) See Deactivate 2) To resign your position on a sorority or fraternity executive council etc.

Retreat - A short trip (or sleepover at the sorority house) where the sorority members will bond, or in the case of recruitment retreats, practice their recruitment techniques. They are closed events for current members only.

Rho Chi - See Rho Gamma

Rho Gamma - The official term for a Recruitment Counselor. Formerly called Rho Chi's, the name was changed because a Greek organization also had the name Rho Chi. Rho Gamma stands for Recruitment Guide. Some schools use other terms such as Pi Gamma (Panhellenic Guide), Gamma Chi (Greek Counselor), Pi Chi (Panhellenic Counselor) etc, but Rho Gamma is the official term.

Ritual - A ceremony held in secret only for initiated members, which teaches the secret information of the group. Ritual also refers to the document(s) that contains the secret principles and ideals upon which the organization was founded. Only initiated members may be privy to the ritual and all ritualistic information, although some groups have open rituals that can be viewed by the public, such as during Preference.

Rush - An NIC term for the process by which an interested person (rushee) will become a pledge. Fraternities will have an Open House, the person will attend however many they want, then will get invited back to those houses interested in him. It is slowly narrowed down by both the fraternities and rushee until a fraternity will offer a Bid. Sororities used this term previous to 1999 when it was re-termed "recruitment". For info on sorority recruitment, see Formal Recruitment.

Rush Crush - An informal NPC term. A collegiate member may find a PNM who she really likes and clicks with and wants to encourage to join, hoping that she decides to accept the invites etc. This is her rush crush. A PNM could have a rush crush among the collegiates in a sorority she likes as well.

Rush Parties - See Recruitment Events.

Rushee - A person interested in joining a fraternity and going through the rush process. No longer used in NPC sororities officially.

Sands - An NPHC term equivalent to a pledge class. Your sands are the people that cross with you. From the term "cross the burning sands".

Second List - This list is used during bid matching in formal recruitment. This is the list used when a PNM that is on a sorority's first list is matched to another group. The names on this list are organized in order of preference. When a PNM is matched elsewhere, the top name from the second list is moved to the first list, so that the first list always holds quota. See Bid Matching for more information.

Silence - A period after Pref and before Bid Day where members are not allowed to talk to PNMs. This is to avoid any dirty rushing or influence of the PNM. There is also silence during the summer, where collegiate members cannot contact PNMs about sorority things, but they can talk if they share classes etc. The onus for maintaining silence is placed on the collegiate member, as a PNM is not expected to know all the rules governing silence.

Sister - Term that sorority members call each other.

Skate - NPHC term for those who "skated" through pledgeship; ie "paper" members. A derogatory term.

Snap Bidding - When a group who has not reached quota during bid matching is offered the chance to take a PNM who has not matched to any sororities. These sororities can snap bid until they reach quota, and the PNMs who are snap bid can participate in bid day with their new sorority, as it is done before bids are given out. Snap bids may be offered to women who dropped out of recruitment, and they may be offered to women who elected to Intentional Single Preference. If a sorority who snap bids is still not at Total, the group can participate in Continuous Open Bidding, which occurs after bids have been distributed, concluding formal recruitment.

Sophomore Quota - In NPC recruitment, some schools may utilize sophomore quota, which allows a sorority to take quota, and then take an additional (usually very small) quota of sophomore class members. This helps sophomore PNMs in that they aren't competing against freshman (who have 4 years of membership ahead of them rather than only 3). Some schools may also have Junior Quota, while other schools may only use an Upperclass Quota which includes all years outside of freshman..

Soror - Term used in NPHC sororities, they use this instead of Sister. Some Latina sororities and Multicultural sororities will also use the term.

Sorority - A women's Greek letter organization. There are also many women's Greek letter orgs that use the term Fraternity (as in Women's Fraternity) as they were either founded before the word sorority was coined, or preferred to be known as a women's fraternity. 15 of the 26 NPC organizations are known as fraternities, while the remaining 11 are sororities.

Standards - Most sororities and fraternities have a council or board to internally deal with anything, such as a member's bad behavior, breaking rules etc. If you are caught breaking a rule, you may have to go to Standards and could be assigned fines or activities to make up for your behaviour. Also called Judicial Board in some groups.

Stepping - A show put on by NPHC organization that involves synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, and drama.

Suicide - See Intentional Single Preference.

Sweetheart - A sorority woman chosen by a fraternity for all the work they have done for them. It's considered an honor to be chosen. Many groups have different names for the position.

Tail - NPHC term for the last member of a line, regardless of the number of people on the line.

Tent Talk - Gossip heard during recruitment about the chapters. Tent talk often comes from the PNMs themselves, and are almost always based on rumors or things they heard 'from a friend.' These rumors are usually wildly inaccurate and detrimental, as they can often influence PNMs opinions. Every NPC sorority has something great to offer, and a PNM should find the group best suited to them, and ignore the often wrong opinions of other PNMs, who are not part of the Greek system yet, and therefore, don't know the truth.

Termination/Terminate - When, for whatever reason, your organization essentially kicks you out as a member. Members can be terminated for various reasons - non-payment of bills owed to the organization, committing a felony or other behaviour. When you are terminated by the organization, you are no longer a member of that group, do not have the right to wear letters, own the badge or claim membership. If you are in an NPC or NPHC sorority or fraternity, you can never be initiated into another group again. If you are the member of an NIC fraternity, it may depend on the reasons for termination, but it is likely most groups would not want to initiate someone who was terminated by another group. If you voluntarily want to not be a member any longer, you are seeking to Deactivate (resign) your membership.

Total - The total amount of members a sorority is allowed to have. This number is different on every campus. The only time you can exceed total is during Formal Recruitment. For instance, a campus may have a total of 100 members. Sororities can only go over this number during formal recruitment. If they fall below during the year, they may COB up to total again. Also called Ceiling.

Undergraduate Chapters - A term usually used in NPHC organizations, meaning an organization that recruits new members that are attending a college or university in the undergrad program. Anyone who has graduate university/college or is in a higher (MA, PhD) program would join a Graduate or Alumni/ae chapter.

Underground - When a group operates on campus without being officially recognized by their headquarters. It isn't supposed to happen, but it does. A group may go underground if their charter is revoked. They may hold underground initiations, but the people being initiated will not be considered members by the international headquarters, as they are not initiated by a chapter in good standing.

Upperclass Quota - In NPC recruitment where Panhellenic will elect to have a separate quota for sophomores, juniors and occasionally seniors. This ensures that the upperclassmen are not competing against freshman, who have more years of membership ahead of them and are often more sought after because of it (for financial reasons - it benefits a sorority to have a dues paying member for 4 years rather than 3). Some schools may have only a Sophomore Quota or a Junior Quota.

Wet Rush - A fraternity rush event where alcohol is served.

Women's Fraternity - An official term used by some NPC groups. Some groups were founded before the word sorority was coined and are officially known as women's fraternities. Fifteen of the 26 NPC organizations are properly called fraternities.

Yard - An NPHC term used to mean all the NPHC organizations that are on the particular campus. If a fraternity is on the campus, they are "on the yard".

Some Greek organizations pronounce their letters (notably Phi and Xi) more like how they are pronounced in Greek while others choose to pronounce them in the Anglicized way. A few examples:

Alpha Phi - Alpha FEE
Alpha Phi Alpha - Alpha FIE Alpha
Alpha Xi Delta - Alpha ZEE Delta
Theta Xi - Theta ZYE

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