Active
The exact meaning of this term varies from group to group, but generally it means an undergraduate who currently pays dues and participates in chapter events.

Alumnus/alumna
A member who has graduated. Alumnus is the masculine, alumna the feminine.

Alumni/alumnae/alumna
The plurals of alumnus and alumna, respectively. When both men and women are meant, alumni is the term most often used, although alumna is also appropriate (it's the Latin neuter plural).

Badge
The symbol worn by an initiated member of a Greek organization. see also pin

Basileus
Synonym for the chapter president used by some NPHC groups.

Bid
A formal invitation to join a Greek organization.

Big Brother/Big Sister
An initiated member of an organization paired with an uninitiated member to help them through the member education period. Often referred to as a 'Big'.

Call
A sound used by NPHC members to acknowledge one another.

Cane
A popular NPHC fraternity icon

Crossed
The date of initiation into an NPHC organization.

Chapter
The smallest self-supporting unit of a Greek organization. Chapters may be part of a national organization, or may exist on their own. see also national, local.

Colony
A group petitioning to form a new chapter.

Colony
A group petitioning to form a new chapter.

Continuous Open Bidding (COB)
A process in which an idividual can be offered a bid after formal rush.

Divine Nine
Used to refer to the nine NPHC organizations.

Dry
Alcohol-free

Formal recruitment
A period of time during which chapters select their new members through a formal process.

Fraternity
A Greek letter organization, which may admit men, women, or both. Although many people use 'fraternity' to refer exclusively to men's groups, many women's groups officially call themselves fraternities, and the most proper term for them is Women's Fraternities.
(The word comes from the French 'fraternité', which means 'comradery', rather than 'brotherhood'. Until this century, it maintained its original meaning in English as well.)

Greek Week
A week in the spring quarter when all campus Greek organizations celebrate the positive aspects of Greek life, through fundraiser, games, and other activities.  Proceeds go toward various philantropies such as
the Christina Burmeister Foundation and the Children Center.

Hazing
Mental or physical harm done to a new member of an organization. Hazing is a felony in California.

Inactive
An undergraduate member of a chapter not currently participating. see also active.

Informal recruitment
A continuous, open recruitment period with no specific activities of rushing and pledging.

Interfraternity Council
The governing council for men's fraternities. All fraternity chapters whose national organizations belong to the North-American Interfraternity Conference are members, as well as all local men's groups.

Initiate
Someone who has gone through a Greek organization's initiation ceremony.

Legacy
Someone whose mother, father, brother, sister, etc., belonged to a particular Greek organization.

Local
a Greek organization whose chapters are not throughout the nation.

Line
The members of a NPHC new member class.

Diversified Greek Council (DGC)
The governing council for Asian, Latina/Latino, and Multi-Cultural organizations, for both men and women.

National/international
A Greek organization with many chapters, which have a single governing body. Chapters belonging to national organizations generally have chapter letters, as well as national letters.

National Pan-Hellenic Council
The governing council for traditionally African-American organizations, for both men and women.

New member
Someone who has accepted a bid to join a Greek organization, but has not yet been initiated.

New member period
The time between the acceptance of a bid and initiation. Chapters generally take this time to educate their new members in the organization's history and traditions.

Panhellenic Council
The governing council for NPC sororities.

Pin
The use of this term varies from group to group. It can mean the same thing as a badge. It can also mean a symbol worn by a new member until their initiation.

Pledge
An older term for new member.

Potential New Member

A college student who participates in recruitment.

Recruitment counselor
An initiated member of a fraternity/sorority who guides potential new members through formal recruitment.

Ritual
The sacred ceremonies practiced by every chapter of a Greek letter organization. Generally secret.

Recruitment
A series of events offering members and potential members the opportunity to get to know each other.

Rush
An older term for recruitment that is no longer used. Replaced with Recruitment.

Soror
A fellow member of an NPHC sorority.

Sorority
A Greek letter organization, which admits only women. The term did not come into common use until later in the 20th century. See also Fraternity.

Stroll
A line dance done by members of NPHC and DGC organizations.