Fraternity and Sorority 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, 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 new member education..
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 recruitment period governed by NPC guidelines where NPC member sororities may recruit to quota.
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 Fraternity/Sorority life through banners, sporting events, talent shows and barbecues.
Hazing – Organizing, engaging, 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 – An 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 prospective member class of a Latino/a, multicultural, 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 Pan-Hellenic Council (N.P.H.C.) - A governing body composed of the nine national historically black fraternities and sororities.
New Member (Pledge) -One who has accepted a bid from a Greek organization and will participate in a new member period where they will be educated on the organization's history and ideals before he or she may become an initiated 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 educational time period for a prospective member of Latino/a, multicultural, fraternity or sorority to learn about the organization and its members.
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 new member 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) – A person who is interested in joining a NPC/IFC fraternity or sorority.
Preference Night – An invitational event during formal and informal recruitment whereby potential new members are introduced to the ritual aspect of their organization..
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 sub-council of IGS that is comprised of the Ramapo historically multicultural, Latin sororities and fraternities.
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