SORORITY & FRATERNITY LIFE VOCABULARY
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Active: an initiated member of a sorority or fraternity, who is currently paying dues to their chapter. Alumna: a graduated sorority member Alumnae: two or more graduated sorority women Alumni: two or more graduated fraternity men, or a group of men and women Alumnus: a graduated fraternity member Badge: the fraternity or sorority’s pin of membership Bid: a formal invitation to join a fraternity or sorority Big Brother/Sister: an active member chosen to mentor a new member Chapter: the name applied to the local organization of a national fraternity or sorority Continuous Open Recruitment or COB: the membership selection process that occurs throughout the academic year for chapters with openings Exchange: a social function between a fraternity and a sorority Formal Recruitment: a series of recruitment events hosted by chapters every fall and coordinated by the Interfraternity Council or Panhellenic Council Initiation: a ritual-based ceremony that marks the acceptance of a lifetime commitment to the fraternity or sorority Intake: the process by which new members are identified and asked to join sororities and fraternities that are part of Diversified Greek Association (DGC) and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Interfraternity Council (IFC): the governing body of six (6) EWUs fraternities |
Legacy: the daughter, sister, son or brother (and occasionally grandson or granddaughter) of an initiated chapter member
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC): the governing body of the nine historically African American fraternities and sororities New Member Educator: a sister or brother responsible for overseeing the development of new members and their preparation for initiation New Member: a new member of a fraternity or sorority, aspiring to become an initiated member Panhellenic Council: the governing body of four EWU sororities Philanthropy: service project/charity sponsored by sororities/fraternities on a campus, in a community or on a national level Potential New Member: a non-member who is eligible to participate in the recruitment process and visits fraternal organizations with an interest in possibly affiliating with a group Quota: the number of new members a sorority may pledge during formal recruitment Recommendation: a written letter/reference written by an alumna to a chapter of her sorority recommending a man or woman for membership in a chapter Rho Gamma: an IFC fraternity man or Panhellenic sorority woman who acts as a guide during the men’s/women's recruitment process Diversified Greek Council (DGC): the governing body of the six culturally-based fraternities and sororities |
The Greek Alphabet
These letters are representative of secret values, specific to that of each chapter, and for initiated members, hold special meaning described in their ritual ceremonies. While each sorority and fraternity is unique, they all share the common bond of being values-based organizations.
| Α | Alpha(al-fah) | Ν | Nu (new) |
| Β | Beta(bay-tah) | Ξ | Xi (zzEYE) |
| Γ | Gamma (gam-ah) | Ο | Omicron (ohm-eye-cron) |
| Δ | Delta(del-ta) | Π | Pi (pie) |
| Ε | Epsilon(ep-si-lawn) | Ρ | Rho (row) |
| Ζ | Zeta (zay-tah) | Σ | Sigma(sig-ma) |
| Η | Eta(ay-tah) | Τ | Tau(taw) |
| Θ | Theta(thay-tah) | Υ | Upsilon (oop-si-lawn) |
| Ι | Iota(ee-o-tah) | Φ | Phi(fye) |
| Κ | Kappa (cap-ah) | Χ | Chi (kEYE) |
| Λ | Lambda(lamb-dah) | Ψ | Psi (sigh) |
| Μ | Mu (mew) | Ω | Omega(oh-may-gah) |