Greek Terminology
Active: A member who has been initiated into lifelong
sorority membership and is active at the collegiate level.
Alumni/Alumnae: Initiated fraternity or sorority
members who have graduated from college.
Badge: The pin of an initiated member.
Bid: A formal invitation to join a particular fraternity
or sorority.
Big Brother or Sister: An active member of a fraternity
or sorority who serves as a sponsor, advisor, and special friend to a new
member, guiding them through their new member program and initiation.
Brother: A term used by fraternity members to refer
to one another.
Chapter: A local group of the larger national organization,
designated by a special Greek name.
Depledge: Terminating one’s sorority or fraternity
membership before initiation; those who depledge a fraternity or sorority
may not pledge another sorority until the next formal recruitment period.
Function: A social activity with another Greek organization.
Fraternity: The name that applies to all Greek letter
organizations characterized by a ritual, pin, and strong tie to friendship
and moral principles. Informally, women’s fraternities are called sororities.
Greek: Any member of a Greek-letter social or community
service organization (sorority or fraternity).
House Director (house mom or house parents): A person
hired by the housing corporation board to live in the chapter house and supervise
the day-to-day activities of the live-in members.
Initiation: The formal ceremony that marks the beginning
of the active membership. Each chapter has a different set of requirements
in order to be initiated.
Interfraternity Council (IFC): The governing body
of fraternities at The University of Texas at Arlington. IFC operates under
the affiliation requirements of the North-American Interfraternity Council
(NIC).
Initiated Member: Any member who has completed the
new member process, has gone through the initiation ceremony, and is currently
enrolled in college.
Intake: The process NPHC chapters perform to recruit,
interview, and choose new members.
Intramural: Athletic programs initiated by the University,
IFC, Panhellenic, or NPHC in which members from different chapters form teams
and participate in sporting matches.
Lavaliere: A pendant with a fraternity’s or
sorority’s Greek letters on it. Sorority members usually receive their
chapter’s lavaliere at the time of initiation.
Legacy: The brother or sister, son or daughter, or
grandson or granddaughter of a fraternity or sorority member. Each local
chapter has its own policy regarding legacies. Being a legacy does NOT mean
automatic membership into that chapter. Nonetheless, being a legacy does
not hurt your chances at membership in any way.
Local fraternity or sorority: An organization which
is not part of a national organization, although its alumni/alumnae may live
across the country and remain involved with the collegiate chapter.
Membership Recruitment/Formal Rush: The
process of mutual selection between a perspective member and active chapter.
Multi-Cultural Greek Council (MGC): A local
governing body for nine multi-cultural fraternities and sororities.
(Inter)National Headquarters: The central organization
of a particular fraternity or sorority.
NIC (North-American Interfraternity Conference): Governing
body for 66 national member men’s fraternities and alumni associations.
NPC (National Panhellenic Council): A national organization
composed of 26 member sororities, each of which is autonomous as a social,
Greek-letter society of women, undergraduate and alumnae.
NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council): A national
organization composed of four sororities and five fraternities whose membership
is historically African-American, and locally the governing Council for 6
of these groups.
New Member: A member of a fraternity or sorority
who has not been initiated.
New Member Program: A period of learning about fraternity
and sorority life prior to initiation. This period varies for all groups.
Panhellenic: Means "All Greek." It is an
association for all Greek affiliated women. The Panhellenic Association operates
under the direction of the National Panhellenic Council (NPC).
Philanthropy: A charitable fund raiser or service
project sponsored by a fraternity or sorority.
Pledge: see "New Member."
Pledgeship: see "New Member Program."
Preferencing: During the last part of fraternity
or sorority rush, a rush guest determines which particular fraternity or
sorority he or she is willing to join. For sorority membership recruitment,
the rush guest lists three sororities in her order of preference.
Quota: The specified number of rush guests to which
each sorority may extend a bid.
Recommendation (Rec): A personal letter of reference
provided by an alumnae of a sorority to the chapter of her sorority on campus.
Letters of recommendation do NOT guarantee a bid from any sorority.
Panhellenic Counselor (PC, Rho Chi): A
sorority member who has disaffiliated herself from her chapter during Formal
Membership Recruitment. She is specially trained to help Rush Guests and
answer any questions they may have about sorority membership.
Rush Guest: A college man or woman who is participating
in Formal Rush/Membership Recruitment.
Sister: A term used by sorority members to refer
to one another.
Social: A get-together with another group for a party,
dinner, or another fun occasion.
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