greek lingo

Here are some of the most commonly heard terms related to Greek Life to help you through the recruitment process

Alumna: a full initiated member of a sorority who has graduated.
Bid Day: the time after Preference when potential new members are matched to a sorority and the sororities learn which potential new members have decided to join their house.
Bid: an invitation to join a sorority
Big Sister: each new member is matched to a big sister during the new member education process. A big sister is there to guide and mentor her little sister throughout the new member process and continues through college and beyond.
Chapter Room: the room where house events and chapter meetings are held.
Chapter: the local group of a fraternal organization.
Continuous Open Bidding (COB): the process of extending a bid to a potential new member outside of formal recruitment. This can happen at any time during the year, provided the house has not filled quota or house total.
Formal Recruitment (Rush): the period of time set aside for intensive new member recruitment. This occurs during the second week of September.
Greek: a member of a fraternity or sorority.
House: a term used to describe the physical house occupied by the fraternity or sorority, as well as the organization itself.
House Total: the total number of members allowed in each house. At RPI, each sorority is allowed 70 sisters and new members, unless quota allows them to go higher.
Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC): the governing body of the fraternity system, led by student officers and representatives.
Independent: a person who is not affiliated with a Greek organization
Informal Recruitment: similar to formal recruitment, this recruitment period occurs during the Spring semester. Bids are offered at any time, as opposed to one day we call Bid Day in the Fall.
Initiation: the traditional ritual which brings the new members into full membership of a sorority or fraternity.
Lavalier: a necklace with a Greek letter charm, usually given to a new sister after initiation. Fraternity lavaliers are also given to long term girlfriends of some houses.
Legacy: a rushee of a sorority who is the daughter or sister of a member of the same fraternity, although not necessarily of the same chapter.
New Member (NM): a trial member of a sorority or a fraternity, taking the steps to become a fully initiated member. Formerly known as a pledge, this term is no longer used due to an implication of hazing.
New Sister: a member of the last initiated class.
Order of Omega: a national Greek honor society for juniors and seniors.
Panhellenic Council (Panhel): the governing body of the sorority system, led by student officers and representatives.
Philanthropy: a charitable project sponsored by a Greek organization.
Pin: initiated members of a sorority or fraternity wear a pin to show their affiliation (usually worn only on special occasions). New members wear a different pin throughout the new member education period.
Potential New Member (PNM): a person interested in joining a fraternity or sorority, also known as a 'rushee'.
Preference Card: after preference, potential new members fill out a preference card for which they are asked to rank the one or two houses they visited during preference. This is then used to match potential new members to the houses.
Preference Party: an invitation-only party which exclusively occurs during formal recruitment. It is often ceremonial and is the last chance for a potential new member to interact with a sorority before signing a preference card. At RPI, this occurs a few hours prior to Bid Day on Sunday, September 13th. Potential new members are allowed to attend up to two preference parties.
Quota: the total number of new members a sorority may extend bids to for the academic year.
Recruitment Counselor (Rho Chi): a sister who voluntarily disaffiliates from her house to provide guidance for potential new members during formal recruitment.
Silence: between the setting of quota and bid signing, a period of strict silence is held. During this time, sisters are not to initiate conversation with potential new members. This period allows potential new members to take time to think through the decision of joining a sorority and which one they would prefer.
Sister: a fully initiated member of a sorority.