Greek Life: Definitions

Active - A fully initiated member of a fraternity or sorority.

Alumni - Members who have graduated from a college or university.

Bid - An official invitation to join a Greek organization.

Big Brother / Big Sister - An active member assigned to advise, watch over, and guide a new member/pledge.

Brother - A term used by initiated members of a fraternity to refer to one another.

Chapter - The local group that is part of a national fraternity/ sorority.

Cross-Over - A term referring to becoming a member after pledging.

Defunct – an organization which has been inactive and/or has not met the minimum two member requirement for two semesters or more.

Formal Recruitment -Occurs during spring semester.  This is a formal rush period governed by NPC guidelines where NPC member sororities may recruit to quota (even if over total).

Fraternity - A group of males bound together by common rituals, brotherhood, and goals.

Greek - A term applied to a member who is affiliated with a Greek letter organization.

Greek Week -A week-long celebration held during the spring semester that provides the opportunity to showcase Greek life through banners, sporting events, talent shows and barbecues.

Hazing – organizing, engaging in, facilitating, or promoting any conduct that places or may place another person in danger of bodily injury; punishable under the provisions of Title 2C of the Statutes of the State of New Jersey.

Informal Recruitment – Occurs during fall semester, is a less formal rush period where NPC member sororities may recruit to total.

Initiation - A formal ceremony in which pledges/new members become members of a chapter.

Interest Group - organization in the process of becoming registered.

Inter-Greek Senate (I.G.S.) - A senate style governing body comprised of all registered Ramapo Greek organizations.

Line - The name for a pledge class of a Latino/a, multicultural, or Historically Black fraternity or sorority.

National Panhellenic Conference (N.P.C.) - A representative body of 26 national and international sororities comprised of a delegate from each sorority and elected officers.

National Panhellenic Council (N.P.H.C) - A governing body composed of the nine national Historically Black sororities and fraternities.

New Member (Pledge) -One who has accepted a bid from a Greek organization and must participate in a period of education about the organization's history and ideals before he or she may become a member.

Neophyte -The name of a brother/sister the first semester after they are initiated.

National Inter-Fraternity Conference (N.I.C.) - An organization comprised of 66 national fraternities.     

On-Line - The time period that a member of Latino/a, multicultural, or Historically Black fraternity or sorority pledges.

Order of Omega - A national Greek honorary society; membership is based on leadership and scholarship.

Philanthropy - Active effort to promote human welfare.

Pin - The brother or sister pin is a badge of the fraternity/sorority to be worn on the chest. The pledge pin is a less elaborate pin used to designate non-initiated member.

New Member Education/Membership Intake Process - The time period between being accepted and initiated into a fraternity or sorority; a time to learn about the organization and its members.

Potential New Member (PNM) - Woman going through NPC Recruitment who is interested in joining an NPC organization.

Preference Night – an invitational event during formal and informal recruitment whereby potential new members are introduced to the ritual aspect of NPC sorority life.

Pre-Interest – Organization in the process of becoming an interest group.

Quota - The number of women a sorority may pledge during formal recruitment (derived by dividing the number of potential members accepting invitations to the 1st round of preference nights by the total # of NPC member sororities..

Ritual - The secret philosophy, names (often Greek), passwords, etc., shared by initiated members of the             same fraternity or sorority.

Rush/Recruitment - The period of time during which fraternities and sororities choose new members for their chapters.

Sister - A term used within a women's fraternity when referring to other initiated members.

Sorority - A Greek letter sisterhood; also called a women’s fraternity.

Total - Cap set by the Ramapo College Board of Trustees delineating the maximum # of members permitted in a chapter.

United Cultural Greek Council - A subcommittee of IGS that is comprised of the Ramapo historically multicultural, Latin and African American sororities and fraternities.

 

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