Resources

Glossary

Fraternities and sororities have a unique language to refer to the things they have in common and the things that make them unique.

Glossary of Common Terms

  • Active: An initiated undergraduate member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Alumna: A post-collegiate life-long member of a sorority. Generally, women move to alumnae status after eight semesters of undergraduate study. Plural is alumnae (pronounced alumnee).
  • Alumni: Used to refer to multiple male or female post-collegiate members of Greek organizations. An alternative plural is the combination alumni/ae.
  • Alumnus: A post-collegiate life-long member of a fraternity. Generally, men move to alumni status after eight semesters of undergraduate study, but they may continue to pay active member dues up until graduation, if their undergraduate work continues beyond eight semesters. Plural is alumni (pronounced alumnye).
  • Anchor/Tail: The last person in the intake class for a culturally based fraternity or sorority (usually organized from shortest to tallest).
  • Badge: The badge of an initiated member is received during the initiation ceremony and worn in a designated location.
  • Bid: A formal invitation to join a fraternity or sorority.
  • Black and Latino Greek Council (BLGC): governing body for culturally based fraternities and sororities, currently representing Black Greek Letter Organizations and Latino Greek Letter Organizations.
  • Brother: a term used when referring to other members of a fraternity.
  • Call/Chant: A vocal sound (sometimes high-pitched) used by members of cultural based fraternities and sororities to acknowledge one another.
  • Captain/Ace: The first person in an intake class for a culturally based fraternity or sorority (usually organized from shortest to tallest).
  • Chapter: A local branch of a national fraternity or sorority. Each fraternity and sorority at WCU has a unique chapter designation; for example, we are home to the Lambda Gamma chapter of Phi Mu.
  • Chapter: A term used to describe the collegiate group of a fraternity or sorority.
  • COB: Continuous Open Bidding; the opportunity for a chapter to invite women to membership if the chapter did not fill its quota in FMR or has not reached total.
  • Colony: A term used to describe a new organization on the campus, not yet fully installed as a full chapter by the national organization.
  • Crossing: A term used by NPHC and MGC chapters groups to indicate that a new member has been fully initiated into the group.
  • Event: The name used during Panhellenic formal membership recruitment to refer to when PNMs are in a chapter house. Party is no longer used.
  • Formal membership recruitment: The NPC sorority membership selection period held before school starts in the fall.
  • Fraternal Programming Board (FPB): the programming board that is responsible for coordinating programs for the entire fraternity and sorority community.
  • Greek Week: An annual celebration held in the spring in which chapters participate in athletic events, community service, brotherhood and sisterhood activities.
  • House: Independent living unit owned or rented by a chapter's alumni Housing Corporation Board. WCU does not formally recognize any fraternity or sorority houses.
  • Informational: A forum for individuals interested in seeking more information about a particular NPHC or MGC fraternity or sorority.
  • Initiation: The ceremony in which a new member becomes an initiation member.
  • Intake: The term groups used to bring new members into an NPHC or MGC organization. Each chapter determines when they will conduct intake and is assisted in this process by their Graduate Chapter and Chapter Advisor (a group of local alumni).
  • Interfraternity Council (IFC): the local governing body for the member chapters that are also affiliated with the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
  • Legacy: A potential member whose grandparent, parent, brother or sister is a member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Multicultural Greek Council (MGC): The national governing body for multicultural fraternities and sororities.
  • MRABA: Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement; a one-year binding agreement between the PNM and an NPC chapter on campus.
  • NALFO: National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
  • National Headquarters: The governing association for each individual sorority. Link every chapter together. No longer referred to as "Nationals".
  • National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC): The national governing body for the nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.
  • New Member Show: A term used by NPHC and MGC groups to designate the time when new members of such groups come out/present themselves to the campus. Those joining such organization are generally not known and thus it is a time when the new members are revealed.
  • Non-affiliated: Those WCU students not involved with an inter/national fraternity or sorority.
  • New Member: For an IFC or PHC chapter, this is a potential member who has accepted a bid from a fraternity or sorority but is not yet initiated. May also be referred to as an "associate member."
  • NIC: North-American Interfraternity Conference, the national leadership organization for its member fraternities.
  • NPC: National Panhellenic Conference, the national leadership organization for its member sororities.
  • Panhellenic: Greek word meaning all Greek. It is inappropriate to shorten it to "Panhell"
  • Panhellenic Council (PHC): Panhellenic Council, the local governing body for the NPC member sororities.
  • Philanthropy: Fundraising activities or service projects for charitable institutions, or charitable aid/donations to these institutions. (Please note the difference between philanthropy and community service).
  • Potential New Member (PNM): An individual interested in becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Quota: The number each NPC sorority may pledge on a campus during formal recruitment
  • Recruitment Counselor: A neutral representative of the College Panhellenic who guides and supports the participant through recruitment.
  • Recruitment: Refers to the process by which PHC and IFC chapters select new members.
  • Ritual: The traditional, secret ceremonies of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Sands: The term used to refer to men and women who were initiated in the same term and year (ex. Spring 2013).
  • Sister: A term used within a women's fraternity when referring to other members or new members.
  • Soror: A term used within NPHC and MGC member sororities when referring to other members.
  • Step Show: An event in which members of an organization or several organizations perform synchronized, rhythmic steps while chanting lyrics to show pride and spirit for their organization.
  • Total: The allowable chapter size, as determined by the Panhellenic Council, including both new and initiated members.
  • Women: The term used to refer to members of the sorority community. It is inappropriate to use any other words including girls or ladies.
  • Yard: A term used by NPHC and MGC groups to indicate the campus with which they are affiliated.