Glossary of Sorority Terms
Advisors
Alumnae members who offer guidance and counsel to collegiate chapter members.
Alumna
A member who is no longer in college; the plural is alumnae.
Badge
The badge (pin) is a symbol of an initiated member and her lifetime commitment to the Sorority. It may only be worn after Initiation.
Bid
A formal invitation to join a sorority.
Bid Day
The last day of recruitment when new members accept their bids and officially join a sorority.
Big/Little Sisters
A big sister is a special friend in the chapter who helps her little sister become acquainted with college, sorority life and Gamma Phi Beta. As a role model and mentor, she always sets a fine example of the highest type of womanhood and is especially concerned about the welfare of her little sister.
Chapter
A campus-based group of members who are affiliated with a National Panhellenic Conference inter/national organization.
Chapter House/Suite
Depending on the campus, the location where the sorority members live and/or hold their meetings.
College Panhellenic
The cooperative organization composed of National Panhellenic Conference sororities on the campus.
Greeks
The informal name given to members of sororities and fraternities. The name is used because most sororities and fraternities choose to identify themselves with combinations of Greek letters.
Hazing
Hazing is any action or situation with or without consent which recklessly, intentionally or unintentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or creates risk of injury, or causes discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule or which willfully destroys or removes public or private property for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a group.
Initiation
The formal ceremony that brings a new member into full Greek membership. Each chapter has a different set of requirements that must be met in order to be initiated.
Legacy
A sister, daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a member of Gamma Phi Beta, including the "step" version of each of these relations.
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC)
National Panhellenic Conference, founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 inter/national women's fraternities and sororities. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae. Gamma Phi Beta is one of seven founding members of NPC.
New Member
A new member (formerly known as a pledge) who has accepted the bid of a fraternity or sorority, but has not been initiated.
Philanthropy
A service project sponsored by a chapter from which donations of goods, money and/or time are given to charitable organizations supported by the Sorority.
Pin
See Badge.
Pledge
The term that formerly defined New Members.
Potential New Member (PNM)
A woman participating in recruitment.
Recruitment
Recruitment (formerly known as rush), is a time set aside once or twice a year for non-Greek women to meet sorority members, learn about the sisterhood and decide which sorority would be the best fit. Membership in a sorority is voluntary and is the result of a mutual selection process.
Recruitment Counselor
Formerly known as rush counselors, recruitment counselors are sorority women who disaffiliate with their own chapter during recruitment to help the potential new members with the selection process. They offer impartial support and answer questions during recruitment.
References
Every woman participating in Gamma Phi Beta recruitment is required to have a member-supplied reference expressing the qualities that make her a good candidate for membership.
Rush
See Recruitment.
