Fraternity & Sorority Life Terms

Fraternities and Sororities often use specific terminology related to their activities and membership. Here are some frequently used terms:

• Active member: the term used to indicate a sorority or fraternity member who has been formally initiated into the chapter.

• Alumna /alumnus/alumnae/alumni: an initiated member of a fraternity or sorority who is no longer an undergraduate member. Alumna (singular, feminine), alumnus (singular, masculine), alumnae (plural, feminine), alumni (plural, masculine; customary plural term when men and women are addressed).

• Badge: a piece of jewelry given to initiation members worn to identify their membership in the organization. Typically worn to official or ritual events, it is only worn while in business-like attire, and usually worn over the heart and above all other pins.

• Bid: a formal membership invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.

• Bid Day: the last day of recruitment when potential new members receive bids to join chapters.

• Brother: a member of a fraternity

• Chapter: the term used to refer to each local collegiate group of an inter/national or local sorority and fraternity. Hastings College currently has a fraternal community of 9 total chapters.

• College Panhellenic Association (CPH)*: a governing body of all of the NPC member social sororities on campus. A CPH exists where there are two or more NPC member sororities on a campus. The Council’s purpose is to advance sororities on campus and provide leadership to the entire community. All national social sororities must affiliate with CPH. *This council does not currently have any member chapters as of 2021 and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• Colony: a term used to describe the collegiate group of a fraternity or sorority in a new organization on the campus.

• Dues: the monthly or semesterly costs of membership for fraternities and sororities

• Expansion: the process of inviting and facilitating inter/national fraternities and sororities to establish chapters on a college campus.

• Fraternity: generally, a Greek organization for men. Many of the older women’s organizations are officially known as fraternities rather than sororities. Also refers to co-ed Greek organizations.

• Good Standing: a fraternity or sorority member who has fulfilled all membership obligations, such as paying their dues, maintaining the required GPA, etc.

• Hazing: any action taken or situation created, intentionally or unintentionally, whether on or off premises owned or leased by the organization, which has the effect of producing psychological or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Hazing is not unique to fraternity and sorority life, and Hastings College does not tolerate any form of hazing. Click here for more information.

• Informal Recruitment: the style of recruitment all of our social and professional/service fraternities use year-round. This recruitment style is unstructured and can consist of events or informal meet-and-greets, coffee chats, hangouts, etc. This style is more relaxed than the structured Recruitment Week that social sororities and fraternities participate in during the first few weeks of the fall semester. 

• Initiation: a ritual ceremony that brings new members into full membership of a sorority including its lifelong benefits.

• Interfraternity Council (IFC)*: a governing body of all of the NIC member and non-member social fraternities on campus. An IFC exists where there are two or more NIC member (or non-member) fraternities on a campus. The Council’s purpose is to advance fraternity on campus and provide interfraternal leadership to the entire community. *This council does not currently have any member chapters as of 2021 and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• Inter-Greek Council (IGC): a collaborative group consisting of a programming and voting body for all registered fraternities and sororities at Hastings College. The Inter-Greek Council is the governing board with a mission to build an inclusive Greek community and enhance the collegiate experience by providing opportunities for leadership growth, academic success, and civic engagement through various Greek-oriented activities and competitions. The IGC oversees the year-long Greek Cup competition and plans the end of the year All-Greek formal known as the Greek Dinner Dance. 

• Legacy: a person whose parent, grandparent, or sibling was/is an active member of a fraternity or sorority. Each member organization has its own definition of and invitation policies regarding legacies. No fraternity or sorority is obligated to offer a bid to a legacy. Further, potential new members are completely free to choose the fraternity or sorority of their own preference regardless of legacy status.

• Local Fraternity or Sorority: a fraternity or sorority chapter that does not meet the definition of an inter/national fraternity or sorority. 

• Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)*: MGC is a legislative and programming body for multicultural fraternities and sororities recognized by the National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC), National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NAFLO), and National APAI Panhellenic Council (NAPA). It consists of an executive board and chapter delegates. The Multicultural Greek Council coordinates joint activities, programming and provides support to member chapters. All multicultural fraternities and sororities must affiliate with the MGC. *This council does not currently have any member chapters as of 2021 and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• Nationals: fraternity and sorority members often refer to their nation/international headquarters or offices as “Nationals.” These offices are responsible for making policies for the individual chapters at different colleges and universities.

• National Panhellenic Conference (NPC)*: an umbrella organization for 26 national women’s sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae. *This council does not currently have any member chapters as of 2021 and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)*: NPHC is a collaborative umbrella organization composed of historically African American collegiate Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities. NPHC promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other mediums for the exchange of information and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions of intercollegiate Greek letter fraternities and sororities. All nationally recognized NPHC fraternities and sororities must affiliate with the local council. *This council does not currently have any member chapters as of 2021 and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• New Member: a person who has accepted a bid or invitation to join a Greek-lettered organization but has not been initiated yet.

• New Member Education Process: the educational period in which new members learn about their chapter’s history, values, codes of conduct, and transition into active membership through a series of ceremonies and rituals.

• Order of Omega (OoO): Greek Honor Society; consists of sophomore, juniors, and seniors who are initiated members of a fraternity or sorority and have maintained a high standard of leadership and scholarship in the fraternal community. 

• Parity: being equal or equivalent

• Philanthropy: a national and/or local charity or organization that a sorority and/or fraternity sponsors, donating time and money through service to promote human welfare.

• Pledge: a promise made by a new member. This term is a verb and should not, under any circumstance, be used as a noun to describe a new member.

• Potential New Member (PNM): any student who is eligible to participate in recruitment.

• Preferential Bidding: A mutual selection process for chapters and potential new members. This is performed through bid matching with the FSL staff and chapter/recruitment advisors during Recruitment Week following preference events and sorority bid lists being submitted.

• Professional Fraternity Association (PFA): an umbrella association of national, collegiate, discipline-specific professional and service fraternities and sororities. 

• Professional Greek Council (PGC)*: nationally referred to as Professional Fraternity Council (PFC); a collaborative body with the purpose of promoting and enhancing professional fraternities on campus by serving as a cooperative forum for sharing ideas, information, experiences, and concerns, increasing the awareness of professional fraternities on campus; and creating a spirit of fellowship among students. This council exists to stimulate interaction among its member groups, its respective administration, and on-campus opportunities. *This council only has one member chapter as of 2021 (Sigma Alpha Iota) and needs at least two member chapters to become active at Hastings College.

• Recolonization:  the process in which a fraternity or a sorority that was previously on campus receives another charter to recruit members on the same campus. Recolonization can happen because a chapter died out due to low numbers or had their charter revoked.

• Recruitment: the process where interested students can learn more about our Greek-affiliated organizations and be asked to join. Recruitment events take place in both the fall and spring semesters. No recruitment events or the extending of bids occur during summer terms; however, our chapters participate in year-round recruitment and are encouraged to continue promoting their fraternal experiences to promote fraternity and sorority life to potential new members.

• Ritual: private ceremonies that are part of each fraternity or sorority’s practices and history. Formal documents are provided that contain the secret principles and ideals upon which the organization was founded. Only initiated members are privy to the ritual; learning the ritual is usually a part of the initiation ceremony. Ritual is sacred and unique to each organization and is the common bond between all members of a sorority or fraternity, regardless of when or where they were initiated.

• Sibling: a gender neutral and inclusive term used to describe members of a fraternity or sorority

• Sister: a member of a sorority

• Sorority: a Greek-letter social organization for women

• Values-based Recruitment (VBR): recruitment that focuses on conversations between chapter members and potential new members about organizational values and member organizations.