RECRUITMENT TERMINOLOGY 

Thinking of going through recruitment but confused about some of the popular terms used in sorority and fraternity life? Here are some common terms you may encounter broken down for you!

• Active: An initiated member who is affiliated with a sorority or fraternity chapter.

• Badge/Pin: An insignia of a fraternity or sorority membership worn by initiated members

• Bid: A formal invitation to a prospective new member to join a chapter

• Bid Day: The last day of recruitment when new members are welcomed into the organization.

• Big: A term referring to an older mentor member of a Greek Organization.

• Chapter: A local organization of undergraduate students at a college or university recognized by a national or international organization 

• Chapter Advisor: An alumna/alumnus who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and serves as an educator, mentor, and support for members

• Charter: Office documentation that an individual chapter is recognized and operates according to the national organization. 

• Class or "New Member Class": A term used to name new members of a Panhellenic Council or Interfraternity Council organization who all joined during the same semester.

• College Panhellenic Association: The local extension of the National Panhellenic Conference and has judicial authority over the chapters it represents. 

• Continuous Open Bidding: Informal membership selection process when bids may be extended by eligible chapters and accepted at any time during the school year other than primary recruitment. 

• Disassociation: Temporarily removing oneself from one chapter to assist potential new members with recruitment, which is done by recruitment counselors 

• District and district names of chapters: A denominator used to refer to your branch of your national chapter at a specific university or college (The Zeta Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is the UCSD KKG chapter) 

• Dues: The monetary costs of membership in a fraternity or sorority. The fees are used to cover the costs of operation, formal events, social activities, and other events, depending on the organization. 

• Founders' Day : An event celebrated by fraternities and sororities to highlight their organization's founding and history. It is not necessarily held on the day the organization was founded.

• Fraternity: A Greek-letter organization for men or a co-ed organization

• Hazing: Any activity, whether voluntary or involuntary, that causes mental, physical, or emotional harm strictly forbidden within UCSD and is illegal

• Initiation: The formal ceremony where new members received lifelong membership privileges in their chosen chapters 

• Interfraternity Council (IFC) – Stands for Interfraternity Council and is the governing body of the NIC fraternities

• Legacy: A sibling, child, or grandchild of an initiated member of a sorority or fraternity 

• Letters: The first Greek letter of each Greek word that makes up the name of the fraternity or sorority is often displayed on clothing.

• Little: A term referring to a mentee member of a Greek organization

• Membership Selection: The right of each sorority and fraternity to select their own members.

• Motto:  A short phrase that describes the purpose or outlook of a fraternity or sorority

• MRABA (Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement): The document signed to make final selection on the last night of recruitment (preference), and it is a one-year calendar year binding agreement

• Multicultural Greek Council: The campus governing body for all culturally based fraternities and sororities

• National Panhellenic Conference (NPC): Umbrella organization of 26 women only inter/national member organizations charged with advancing the sorority experience.

• National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC):  Campus governing body for the nine historically African-American (Black) sororities and fraternities

• Nationals: A fraternity or sorority's national headquarters

• New Member: An uninitiated potential member of a fraternity or sorority (formerly referred to as "pledge")

• New Member Period: A 6–10-week period before initiation is when new members are educated on values and expectations to understand their organization better. 

• Newly Initiated Member: A member who has just been initiated into their sorority and fraternity. 

• Philanthropy: Charitable project sponsored by a sorority or fraternity 

• Pinning: A ritual ceremony that designates the start of a new member process.

• Potential New Member (PNM): An individual seeking membership in a sorority or fraternity

• Primary Recruitment: A formal week of scheduled events for College Panhellenic sororities held during the fall quarter

• Quota: A set number of new members a sorority can extend bids to

• Recruitment: A new member selection process

• Recruitment Counselor: A member of a Panhellenic sorority who temporarily disaffiliates from their chapter during primary recruitment to assist potential new members through the recruitment process.

• Ritual: Secret ceremonies conducted by every chapter of an organization

• SFL: Stands for Sorority and Fraternity Life 

• Single Preference Vote: A single preference vote (colloquially called a "suicide bid") is when a PNM chooses to put down only one sorority after the preference night of recruitment. If a member doesn't receive a bid from their preferred chapter, they are eliminated from the entire process. 

• Sister: The term used by members of sororities when referring to each other.

• Sisterhood: The common term for the bond between members of the same sorority. 

• Sorority: A Greek-letter organization for women

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