Some Important Greek Terms:
Active: A fully initiated member of a Greek chapter.
Alum: A member who has graduated.
Bid: A formal invitation to a rushee to join a chapter.
Chapter: The local group which represents a segment of the national
organization.
Chapter house: Where the chapter lives, under certain guidelines.
Formal Rush: The period set aside for the structured recruitment period.
Fraternity: A Greek organization for men.
Greek: A member of a fraternity or sorority.
IU Pan-Hellenic Council: Campus Coordinating body of historically black
Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities.
Initiation: The time when a pledge or associate is made a full member.
Interfraternity Council: IFC is the student governing board of all social
fraternities.
(Inter)National: A term referring to the central organization of a given
fraternity or sorority.
Membership Intake Process: The process by which IU-PHC and MCGC gain new
members.
New Member: A member of a greek organization who has not been initiated.
Panhellenic Association: PHA is the central coordinating body of all
sororities.
Parents' Weekend: The weekend selected during the fall or spring for students to
invite their parents to come and take part in the festivities.
Philanthropy: A Charitable project sponsored by an organization. Each
sorority has both local and national philanthropy.
Pledgeship: The time during which new members learn about the fraternity
or sorority they are joining.
Ritual: Traditional beliefs of a sorority or fraternity.
Recruitment/Rush: The process by which a fraternity or sorority recruits
new members.
Potential Member: A person interested in becoming a member of a fraternity
or sorority.
Sorority: A Greek organization for women.