Greek Glossary
| Active | A fully initiated member of a sorority or fraternity with full chapter privileges and responsibilities. |
|---|---|
| Alumna | A sorority member who has graduated. |
| Alumnus | A fraternity member who has graduated. |
| Bid | An invitation to join a sorority or fraternity. |
| Big Sister or Brother |
An active member assigned to assist and advise a new member/associate member/pledge. |
| Chapter | A membership unit of a national or international sorority or fraternity. |
| Continuous Open Bidding (COB) | COB bids may be extended and accepted at any time during the school year other than formal recruitment (COB is also called open bidding and informal membership recruitment.) |
| Formal Membership Recruitment | A designated membership recruitment period during which a series of organized events are held by each NPC sorority; membership recruitment is organized and implemented by the Panhellenic Association. |
| Fraternity | Greek letter sisterhood or brotherhood. |
| Greeks | Sorority and fraternity members. |
| Initiation | The time when a pledge or associate is made a full member. |
| Intentional Single Preference | When an individual only lists one sorority/fraternity on her or his Membership Recruitment Acceptance Card. |
| Legacy |
A woman whose mother, sister, or in come cases grandmother is an alumna or active member of a sorority. A man whose father, brother, or in some cases grandfather is an alumnus or active member of a fraternity. |
| National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) | NPC is a conference body, comprised of 26 national women's fraternities, each which is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women, undergraduates, and alumnae. |
| New Member | An individual who has accepted a sorority/fraternity bid but is not yet an initiated member. |
| Panhellenic Association | The College Panhellenic Association is a cooperative campus organization of collegiate members of NPC sororities. |
| Potential Member | And individual interested in becoming a sorority or fraternity member who is matriculated and eligible to join. |
| Philanthropy | Community service or fundraising effort to promote human welfare. |
| Preferential Bidding | A system used at the conclusion of formal membership recruitment to match sorority/fraternity and potential member preferences. |
| Quota | The number of women that may join an NPC sorority during Formal Recruitment. |
| Recommendation/Reference | A letter or a form written by an alumni member recommending a potential member to a sorority or fraternity. |
| Recruitment Guide (RHO GAMMA) | A Panhellenic representative who has no contact with her own chapter during formal membership recruitment and is available to guide women through the recruitment process and answer questions. |
| Recruitment | An organized activity to meet potential members. |
| Sister | A term used within a women's fraternity when referring to other members. |
| Sorority | A Greek letter sisterhood. |
