GREEK GLOSSARY

 Active – An initiated sorority member attending college.

Alumna (plural is alumnae) – An initiated sorority member who is no longer an active. 

Alumnae Panhellenic – An area organization of alumnae of National Panhellenic Conference sororities.

Bid – A formal invitation to join a sorority.

Chapter – An organized group of women representing a national sorority. Collegiate chapters are found on college campuses. Alumnae chapters are usually organized by geographic areas and support of their collegiate chapters.

College Panhellenic – The cooperative college organization of women’s N.P.C. fraternities.

Deferred Recruitment or Deferred Rush- Formal recruitment that takes place at the beginning of the spring semester.

Dropping out of Recruitment - If it becomes necessary for a rushee to discontinue attendance at recruitment events, she should check with her College Panhellenic as to procedure and registration for Recruitment at a later date.

Formal Recruitment – The process of mutual selection between a prospective member and active chapter. Each potential new member is given the opportunity to attend events hosted by all participating sororities. As recruitment progresses, the sorority members and potential new members go through a mutual selection process until the last day, then participants are offered an invitation 9bid) to join a sorority chapter. 

Fraternity – The name that applies to all Greek- letter organizations, characterized by a ritual, pin and strong ties of friendship.  Informally, women’s fraternities are commonly called sororities.

Greek – Any member of a Greek letter social or community service organization (fraternity or sorority).

Guest - High school graduate or unaffiliated college student or transfer who plans to attend (or who is attending) a college which has sororities and who is interested in sorority membership.  (This means YOU!) (See also: potential new member).

Information File – Card file used by all sorority groups compiled by Alumnae Panhellenic giving information furnished by girls going to college who are interested in Recruitment.

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. 

Intentional Single Preference - Also known as “soloing” and “suicide.” Intentional indication of only one choice at preferential signing.  National Panhellenic conference strongly recommends every potential new member list at least a second preferential choice.

Legacy – Generally defined as a daughter, sister, or granddaughter of a sorority member. A potential new member could be a legacy to more than one sorority. Being a legacy does NOT mean automatic membership into that chapter. Nonetheless, being a legacy does not hurt your chances of membership in any way.

Letters of Support – An informal letter to a sorority from someone you know personally. 

Local – A campus organization, often with a Greek-letter name, which does not have chapters on other campuses and which is not a member of the National Panhellenic Conference.

New Member – A member of a sorority who has not been initiated. 

Open Recruitment – A period usually following Formal Recruitment with informal recruitment where there may be an opportunity to fill a chapter’s designated number of new members. Open recruitment is limited to those chapters who do not fill their allowable quota in Formal Recruitment. 

Panhellenic – Meaning “all-Greek”, is the organization nationally, locally, and on college campuses to further the aims of all member groups.

Pledge – A young woman who has accepted a fraternity bid, but is not yet initiated.

Potential New Member “PNM” – A college woman who has chosen to participate in the recruitment process.  (This means YOU!) 

Preferential Bidding (Preferencing or Pref) – During the last part of recruitment, a potential new member determines which particular sorority she wis willing to join by listing three sororities in her order of preference.

Quota – The Specified number of recruitment guests to which each sorority may extend a bid.

Recruitment Counselor (Rho Chi or Rho Gamma) – A sorority member who has disaffiliated herself from her chapter during Formal Recruitment. She is specially trained to assist Potential New Members throughout the recruitment process and to answer any questions they may have about sorority membership. 

Recommendation (Rec) – A personal letter of reference provided by a sorority alumna to the chapter of her sorority on campus. This does NOT guarantee a bid from any sorority.  

Recruitment Information Form and Recruitment Introduction Form“RIF”– Specific information form which sponsors a prospective member.

Recruitment – A period of time formally designated by the College Panhellenic for entertaining potential new members.

Reference Chair- A local alumnae who writes reference letters for potential new members

Rushee – Any high school graduate, college transfer, unaffiliated student or woman unaffiliated with a sorority while a student. 

Sister – A term used by sorority members to refer to one another. 

Silence – The period-of-time designated by each College’s Panhellenic when there is no communication between potential new members and members or agents. 

Single Internal Preference (formerly Suicide) – The term for only listing the name of one sorority a potential new member is willing to join.