Active - a person who has been initiated into a lifelong membership of a sorority and is in good standing with this sorority

Alumna - a sorority member who is no longer a student

Alumnae - more than one sorority member who are no longer students

B

Badge - the symbol worn by initiated members of a Greek-letter organization

Bid - a formal invitation to join a Greek-letter organization

C

Candlelighting/Candlepass - a ceremony where a member reveals receiving a lavalier, fraternity pin, or engagement ring

Chapter - the campus group of a national Greek-letter organization

Chapter Consultant - an alumna who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and serves as a teacher, counselor, and friend

Colony - a student organization in the final stage before to being installed as a chartered chapter of a Greek-letter organization

Colors - the official pair or triad of colors that represent a specific Greek organization

Continuous Open Bidding (COB) - a process that allows chapters below their quota to continuously rush and bid new members outside of the official rush period

D

Deactivate - the formal process by which an initiated member disaffiliates herself from the sorority

Dry - term used to describe events where alcohol is forbidden

E

Exchange - an activity where the members of one Greek-letter group visits the chapter of another Greek-letter group for a social event

Extension - the process of establishing new chapters

F

Formal Recruitment - the official recruitment period of the school year

Founders' Day - the date celebrating the founding of a sorority

G

Good Standing - a status reached upon the fulfillment of all financial and scholastic obligations to a chapter

Greeks - students affiliated with Greek-letter organizations

Greek Week - an annual five day period in spring quarter that celebrates the positive aspects of belonging to a Greek letter organization

H

Hazing - any willful act or practice by a member directed against a new member or associate member, which is likely to: cause bodily harm or danger, offensive punishment, or disturbing pain; compromise her dignity; cause embarrassment or public shame; cause her to be the object of malicious amusement or ridicule; cause psychological harm or substantial emotional strain; impair academic efforts

House - a chapter's physical facility

House Director - a woman residing in a chapter house who is a friend, advisor, hostess, and chaperone; also known as "house mother"

I

Inactive - a member attending the same institution in which her undergraduate chapter is located who has no material participation in undergraduate chapter activities

Informal Recruitment - a continuous, open recruitment period with no specific activities of recruiting and pledging

Initiate - a member who is undergoing or has undergone the initiation ceremony

Initiation/Initiation Ceremony - a formal ceremony by which new members become active members

Installation - the establishment of a new chapter

L

Lavalier - a piece of jewelry with the letters of one's sorority

Legacy - a member whose mother, sister, or grandmother was a member of the same sorority

Letters - a specific group of Greek letters chosen to represent a certain Greek organization

M

Mascot - an animal chosen to represent a Greek letter organization

Mixer - a party between a sorority and a fraternity (or multiple sororities and fraternities)

N

New Member - a woman who has accepted a bid to join a sorority, but has not yet been inititated

New Member Period - the time between the acceptance of a bid and initiation

P

Philanthropy - a designated non-profit organization for whom

Pin - the symbol worn a new member before he/she is initiated

Pinning - the practice of a fraternity member giving his badge to a woman

Q

Quota - the maximum number of people allowed to belong to a chapter of a Greek letter organization

R

Recommendation - also known as a "Rec," is a letter or written statement from a sorority alumna recommending a potential new member to her sorority for pledging. Recs do not guarantee that the potential new member will receive an invitation to future recruitment parties nor a bid to join that sorority. Recs serve primarily as an introduction--they help the sorority get to know the potential new member ahead of time

Recruitment - a series of events offering members and potential members the opportunity to get to know each other; previously known as "rush"

Rho Chi - an initiated member of a sorority who guides potential sorority members through formal recruitment

Ritual - the sacred ceremonies practiced by every chapter of a Greek letter organization

S

Sister - an initiated member of a sorority

Sorority - an individual women's Greek-letter organization