You are on page 1of 2

Greek Glossary

Active - A fully initiated member of a fraternity or sorority


Alumna/Alumnus - An initiated member who is no longer in college
Bid - A formal invitation to pledge a sorority
Call - Audible sounds used by members to acknowledge or gain the attention of other
members. Calls may vary regionally within organizations, and some organizations may
use more than one call.
Chapter - The local group of a national fraternity or sorority
Club - Persons sharing the same number, regardless of organization. Sometimes referred
to simply as Number.
Formal Recruitment - A time when the Greeks engage in the mutual selection process
with potential new member
Go Over - To be initiated into the organization. Also referred to as Crossing or Crossing
the Sands.
Greek - A person affiliated with a Greek letter fraternity or sorority
Hand Sign - Symbol or gesture made with the hand(s) that signify membership in a
particular organization. Referred to as a Hailing Signal by older members (initiated prior
to 1970)
Informational - A meeting to provide membership information to prospective members.
Also referred to as an Interest Meeting, or a Rush. Replaced Smokers that fraternities
held and Teas that sororities held for potential members prior to pledging (up until 1990).
Initiation - The ceremony when a pledge becomes an active member
Interfraternity Council (IFC) - The governing body for the five male fraternities
Legacy - A potential new member whose grandparent, parent, or sibling is a fraternity or
sorority member
Line - The persons who were pledging or had pledged together (1990 and before). The
phrase is still used by undergraduates initiated together through membership intake.
Made - When and/or where a person was initiated.
Membership Intake - Process by which interested person become members of most
Black Greek-lettered organizations. Generally characterized by an Informational
Meeting, an application process, an interview or series of interviews, and an intensive or
series of interviews, and an intensive educational process. Membership intake formal
replaced pledging for NPHC groups in February of 1990. The educational phase may be
referred to as Intake.
Neophyte-
1. In some regions of the country, a new member during his/her first year of membership.
2. In some regions of the country, a member that has not initiated a group since his/her
initiation. Also known as Neos.
Neophyte Show - Steps show to introduce new members to the campus. Replaced in
some instances Probate Shows (also referred to as Pro Shows) that were performed by
pledges before initiation. The term Probate Show is still widely used as it notes the end of
a pledge process.
Panhellenic - The governing body of the sorority system, representing all four
international sororities
Pan-Hellenic - The governing body of the 7 predominantly African-American sororities
and fraternities
Philanthropy - Each organization supports a different charity, which may be a local or
national foundation
Potential New Member - A member of fraternity or sorority who has not been initiated.
Preference Card - A potential new member fills out this card after the last night of
parties, called Preference Parties. She lists the sororities she would like to pledge in the
order of her choice. These cards are matched against the sororities' preference lists for the
final pledge list.
Recruitment Counselor - Guides for Panhellenic Recruitment. She is available and
willing to answer any questions you might have about formal recruitment. As a
Panhellenic representative, this woman has completely disaffiliated herself from her
sorority during the period of recruitment.
Sands-
1. Perons that were initiated together at the same time and chapter. Also referred to as
Line Brother(s) or LB(s), Line Sister(s) or LS(s), and Ship(s) or Sheppee(s).
2. Persons who were initiated during the same term at different chapters. Sometimes used
for persons in different organizations.
Scholarship - The attainment of high academic achievement
Silence - Time period when contract or conversation with potential new members by
sorority members of alumnae is not allowed.
Soror(s) - Member(s) of the same sorority. Sometimes used in NPHC functions to refer
to any sorority woman (and man are referred to as Frater or Fraterse).
Step Show - A Black Greek function characterized by synchronized hand and foot
movements, along with singing, dancing, chanting, and acting. Also referred to as
Blocking or Stepping.
Week - Period of time when a Black Greek-lettered organization sponsors a variety of
events for the campus. May include educational programs, discussions or debates, variety
shows, parties, and step shows. Sometimes are referred to as Founders' Week.

You might also like