NPC MEMBER SORORITIES

Active - Commonly used term to denote a fraternity or sorority member in college.

Agent - A person (male or female) who recruits for a sorority in any way.

Alumna - A sorority/fraternity member (feminine) no longer in college.

Alumnae Panhellenic - An area organization of alumnae (post college members) of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) member sororities.

Bid - Invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.

Chapter - Membership unit of a fraternity or sorority.

College Panhellenic - The cooperative college organization of women's NPC member sororities.

Deferred Rush/Membership Recruiting - Membership recruitment week scheduled sometime after school opening or in the second semester or at the beginning of sophomore year.

Fraternity - Name that applies to all Greek-letter organizations, characterized by a ritual, pin and strong ties of friendship. Informally, women's fraternities are called sororities.

Initiation - Inspirational ceremony by which new members/pledges become active members.

Legacy - Generally defined as a daughter, sister or granddaughter of an initiated member, although each sorority has its own definition of a legacy.

Local - A campus organization, often with a Greek-letter name, which does not have chapters on other campuses and which is not a member of National Panhellenic Conference.

New Member - A young woman who has accepted a fraternity bid but has not yet been initiated. New member or a similar designation is the more common term being used.

Open Rush - A period following Formal Rush/Membership Recruitment with informal rushing without scheduled events. This is designated by the College Panhellenic.

Panhellenic - Meaning "all Greek", it is the organization nationally, locally and on college campuses to further the aims of all member groups.

Potential New Member - High school graduate or an unaffiliated college or transfer student who plans to attend (or who is attending) a college which has sororities and who is interested in sorority membership.

Preferential Bidding - A system used at the conclusion of Formal Rush/Membership Recruitment when rushees and sororities indicate choices.

Profiles - File used by all sorority groups compiled by Alumnae Panhellenic from information furnished by college-bound women interested in Rush.

Quota - System used to equalize, in general, the number of members in each campus group. It means the number of women who may be pledged by each group in Rush/Membership Recruitment. The quota is set by the College Panhellenic and depends on the number of rushees and sororities on a particular campus.

Recommendation or Reference or Letter of Information - Specific information form which sponsors a prospective member. Each sorority has its own form..

Rush Week/Membership Recruitment Week - Period of time formally designated by the College Panhellenic for meeting potential new members.