Recruitment | Terms
Active
A person who has been initiated into a lifelong membership of a Greek organization. Generally, the term is used to reference a member who is currently an undergraduate.
Alumna
A sorority member who is no longer a student. The plural is Alumnae.
Alumnus (Alum)
A fraternity member who is no longer a student. The plural is Alumni.
Alumni Association
An organization of alumni from an individual fraternity or sorority. The association may be based on geographical location or chapter.
Badge
The symbol worn by the initiated member of a Greekletter organization.
Bid
An invitation to join a fraternity or sorority.
Blackball
During the process of determining which rushees shall receive bids, one brother or sister may veto the bid. This veto action is called a "blackball."
Brother
An initiated member of a fraternity.
Chapter
The campus group of a national organization. Within each organization, chapters are usually referenced state by state and/or via a Greekletter order. For example, our chapter's name is the 'South Dakota Sigma Chapter'.
Chapter Advisor
An alumnus who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and serves as a teacher, counselor and friend.
Colony
A student organization in the final stage prior to being installed as a chartered chapter of a Greekletter organization.
Depledged
The termination of a pledge's relationship with a Greekletter organization.
Formal Recruitment
The 'official' recruitment period of the year with specific scheduled events. On many campuses, the most concentrated period with Formal Rush for entertaining and selecting pledges is known as 'Rush' or 'Recruitment' week.
Fraternity
The name informally applied to a Greekletter brotherhood. Formally, both men's and women's groups are called fraternities, though many of the women's groups refer to themselves as a 'Fraternity for Women' or a 'Sorority'.
Greeks
Students affiliated with Greekletter fraternities and sororities.
House
A chapter's physical facility which serves as its home.
House Corporation
A legal entity holding title to any real property (land and buildings) for a chapter's living/meeting purposes. This alumni body has basic responsibilities relative to property ownership and maintenance.
Housemother
A woman residing in a chapter house, who is a friend, advisor, hostess and chaperone...in every way a house mother.
Independent (GDI)
A student who is unaffiliated with all Greekletter organizations.
Informal Recruitment
A continuous, open recruitment period with no specific, scheduled, systemwide activities of recruiting and pledging. Bids may be extended and accepted at any time.
Initiation
A formal ceremony by which new members become initiated members.
Interfraternity Council (IFC)
The governing body of most all social fraternities.
Lavalier
A piece of jewelry depicting the letters of one's organization. The lavalier is often worn casually and indicates one's affiliation with the group.
Lavaliering
The practice of a fraternity member giving his lavalier to a woman signifying a committed relationship between the two. As the relationship becomes more serious, the next step would be a 'Pinning'.
Legacy
A student whose parent, grandparent, or brother/sister is a member of a particular fraternity or sorority. Typically, legacies are extended full consideration during the recruitment process.
Little Sisters
A woman's auxiliary of some chapters which are prohibited by the National Interfraternity Council and most national fraternities.
Local Fraternities
A Greekletter group which exists on a campus but which has no affiliation with a national Greek organization.
New Member
A student in his or her first phase of membership in a sorority or fraternity (before being initiated). Also known as Pledges or Associate Members.
Panhellenic
The governing body of most all social sororities.
Philanthropy
Community service, often related to fund raising for a charitable cause.
Pinning
The practice of a fraternity member giving his member's Badge to a woman. (When a woman is 'pinned', if she is a member of a sorority, the sisters will be brought together in a private, candle lit ceremony where the secret pinning will be announced to the sisterhood and then celebrated.) This step is often preceded by a 'lavaliering' and is a precursor to engagement.
Recruitment
Membership recruitment drive. A series of events offering members and potential members the opportunity to get to know each other.
Rush
Deprecated term... now formally called 'Recruitment'.
Rushee
A nonmember who is eligible to participate in the rush program, visiting Greek organizations with an interest in possibly affiliating with one organization.
Sister
An initiated member of a sorority.
Sorority
An individual women's Greekletter organization. This is the term commonly used to distinguish between men's (fraternities) and women's (sororities) organizations. As noted previously, some sororities are identified as a fraternity (or fraternity for women) in their official name.