Explanation of Terms
Active - A man or woman who has been initiated into lifelong membership of a fraternity or sorority and is currently in college.
Alumnus - An initiated member of a fraternity or sorority who is no longer in college.
Badge – Pin of an initiated member.
Bid - An formal invitation to join a fraternity or soroity, issued in writing directly from the organization to a potential new member and confirmed by the appropriate governing council.
Bid Matching – A system of computer matching a potential new member’s preference with a sorority preference.
Call – The verbal greeting members of NPHC organizations use to greet one another.
Chapter - The local chartered unit of a national fraternity.
Continuous Opening Bidding (C.O.B.) - Year-round period where fraternities invite men to their house for social, intramural, and other activities.
Formal Membership Recruitment – The period set aside for events, informationals, and membership selection during the first few weeks of fall semester.
Fraternity – The name applied to Greek organizations, including most sororities; informally it is applied to men’s groups.
Graduate Chapter – A chapter of a fraternity or sorority formed by and for persons beyond their undergraduate years.
Greek - A member of a fraternity or sorority. These organization and members are named such because they were founded at a time when Greek Society was the epitome of civilized life.
Informal Recruitment – The period set aside for events, informationals, and membership selection during the first few weeks of spring semester, not all chapters are eligible to participate based on current membership numbers.
Intake – The process through which new members are admitted into a NPHC fraternity or sorority.
Initiation – a ceremony by which new members become active members.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) – The local central governing body of NIC affiliated or eligible fraternities.
Junior Panhellenic – An organization of new sorority members which unites and coordinates activities to promote unity and becoming involved in the system.
Legacy - A direct relative (brother, son, etc.) of a fraternity member.
National - The governing body and staff of each National Fraternity who oversees the local chapter.
National Inter-Fraternity Conference (NIC) – The national organization composed of fraternities, each of which is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter-society of college men, undergraduate and alumni.
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) - The national organization composed of 26 women’s fraternities/sororities, each of which is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter-society of college women, undergraduate and alumnae
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) – A national organization composed of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities.
New Member/Pledge - A man or woman who has gone through formal pin in ceremonies and is learning the history and purposes of his/her fraternity but has not yet been initiated into life-long membership.
Panhellenic (NPC) – The local coordinating and governing organization for NPC member sororities.
Pi Chi/Personal Recruitment Counselor – An active sorority member serving as a counselor to potential newmembers during recruitment who has no contact with her chapter during the recruitment period.
Philanthropy – An event or events, such as a sports tournament, that a chapter sponsors with the goal ofraising money to donate to chapter’s charity.
Potential New Member – Any man or woman who is not and has never been a member of a recognized social, Greek-letter-society/fraternity or sorority.
Quota – A specified number of new members that each Panhellenic sorority may pledge.
Ritual - The traditional initiation ceremony of a chapter. This is usually the only secret part of a fraternity.
Sorority – The name informally applied to women’s fraternities.