SORORITY VOCABULARY

 

Active: A collegiate, initiated undergraduate member of a sorority.

 

Alumna: A woman, typically a graduate, who has completed a period of Active membership in a sorority chapter in college.

 

Alumnae: Plural of Alumna.

 

Alumnae Panhellenic: The city or area organization comprised of alumnae women of National Panhellenic Conference sororities.

 

Badge:  An insignia of fraternity or sorority membership worn by initiates.  Each sorority has its own badge.

 

Bid: A formal invitation of membership extended to a Potential New Member asking them to join their chapter.

 

Bid Day: The last day of recruitment, when Potential New Members receive Bids to join chapters and become new members.  Each chapter will usually host a Bid Day activity to help the new members get to know each other and the rest of the members.

 

Chapter: The local collegiate membership of a national fraternal organization.

 

College Panhellenic Council:  A council  for all NPC sorority chapters on a college campus.  This council serves as the governing body for all NPC chapters on campus and organizes the recruitment process.  Each chapter chooses a delegate to serve on the College Panhellenic Council.

 

Continuous Open Bidding (COB):  An opportunity for chapters that do not reach Quota during primary recruitment to bid to Total and/or Quota.  The COB process is less formal, and not all chapters will participate.

 

Deferred Recruitment: When formal recruitment takes place after the academic year begins.  Recruitment can take place several weeks after classes begin or after the fall semester of college concludes.

 

Greek: A name/title applied to women who are members of a national sorority/fraternal organization.

 

Initiation:  A traditional ceremony, unique to each individual chapter, that brings a new member into full membership or a sorority.  Once initiated into an NPC sorority, you are ineligible for membership in any other.

 

Intentional Single Preference (ISP): When a Potential New Member lists only one chapter on her Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA) following Preference Round.  It is recommended that every PNM going through recruitment indicate a first and a second choice at preferential signing.

 

Legacy: A daughter, sister or granddaughter of an initiated member of a sorority.  Typically, different groups have different definitions of legacies. Being a legacy does not guarantee a Bid to a sorority.  Each organization has its own policy for invitations to legacies during recruitment.

 

MRABA: The Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement.  This is a one-year binding agreement signed by a Potential New Member when ranking chapters after Preference round.  A PNM agrees to accept a Bid from any chapter she lists on her MRABA.  If a PNM receives a Bid to a chapter she lists and declines it, she is bound to it for one year or until the next primary recruitment period, meaning she cannot accept a Bid to any other organization.  If a PNM signs a MRABA and does not receive a Bid, she is eligible for COB.

 

National Panhellenic Council (NPC):  The umbrella body for 26 international women’s fraternities and sororities.

 

New Member: A woman who has accepted a Bid from a sorority but is not yet an Active member of the chapter.  Chapters will coordinate a new member process during which they will learn more about the sorority and prepare for initiation.

 

Philanthropy: A charitable service project/event sponsored by a sorority.

 

Potential New Member (PNM):  A woman who is eligible to participate in recruitment.

 

Preferential Bidding:  The process used during Formal Recruitment to match Chapters and PNM’s.

 

Quota: The maximum number of new members that can be pledged on a campus by each sorority during formal recruitment.  

 

Recruitment: The process of introducing women to the sorority community. Formal recruitment typically consists of several events (sometimes calls Rounds or Parties) hosted by each of the sorority chapters in which PNM’s are invited to attend.

 

Recruitment Counselor (also called Rho Chi): A sorority member who is disassociated from her sorority during recruitment to serve as a guide.  Each PNM is assigned a Recruitment Counselor during formal recruitment.

 

Recommendation (Rec): A form completed by an alumna member of a sorority recommending a PNM for membership.  Recommendations forms vary by each sorority and slightly different informational needs. Alumna use these forms to call a PNM to their group’s attention but it is up to the chapter to determine who shall receive invitations.

 

Silence / Strict Silence: The period of time when there is absolutely NO contact between PNM’s and sorority members.  This typically happens at the conclusion of recruitment, to avoid any outside influence.

 

Snap Bid: Chapters that do not reach Quota during Formal Recruitment may offer Bids to PNM’s who were not placed in a sorority during Bid Matching.