| Active |
A fully initiated member who is currently enrolled in college.
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| Alumni/Alumnae |
An initiated member who is a college graduate.
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| Bid |
A formal invitation to join a chapter.
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| Badge |
The pin of an initiated member.
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| Big Brother/Sister |
An active member of a fraternity/sorority who serves as a sponsor, advisor, and special friend to a new member, guiding them through their new member program and initiation.
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| Brother |
A term used by fraternity members when referring to each other.
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| Chapter |
The local group of a national fraternity/sorority.
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| Formal Recruitment |
The period set aside for structured/formal recruitment.
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| Fraternity/Sorority |
A Greek letter organization characterized by a ritual, pin, and strong tie to friendship and moral principles.
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| Greek |
Any member of a fraternity/sorority.
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| Hazing |
Can be mental or physical; is strictly forbidden by Florida law and University policies.
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| Initiation |
The traditional ritual that brings men/women into full membership.
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| Intake |
The process NPHC chapters perform to recruit, interview, and choose new members.
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| IFC |
Interfraternity Council; The governing body of all fraternities.
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| Lavaliere |
A pendant with a fraternity's/sorority's Greek letters on it.
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| Line |
The new member class of a historically African-American fraternity/sorority.
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| Legacy |
A potential new member whose grandparent, parent, and/or sibling is an alumnus or active member of a fraternity/sorority.
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| National Headquarters |
The central organization of a particular fraternity/sorority.
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| NIC |
North-American Interfraternity Council; Governing body for 66 national men's fraternities.
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| NPC |
National Panhellenic Conference; A national organization composed of 26 member sororities, each of which is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of women, undergraduate and alumnae.
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| NPHC |
National Pan-Hellenic Council; A
National organization composed of 4 sororities and 5 fraternities whose membership is historically African-American and the local governing board for member chapters.
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| New Member/Pledge |
A person who has accepted an invitation to join a chapter and has not yet been initiated.
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| Panhelenic Council |
The governing body of all NPC sororities.
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| Philanthropy |
A charitable fundraiser or service project sponsored by many Greek organizations. |
| Potential New Member |
A student interested in joining a fraternity/sorority.
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| Preference |
During the last part of fraternity/sorority recruitment, a potential new member determines which fraternity/sorority he or she is interested in joining. For Panhellenic, the potential new member is able to list three sororities in her preference order.
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| Recruitment (Rush) |
The process used by fraternities/sororities to select new members.
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| Rho Chi |
Recruitment Counselor; A sorority member who has disaffiliated from her chapter during formal recruitment. She is especially trained to help potential new members and answer any questions they may have about sorority membership.
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| Ritual |
The traditional secret ceremony of a fraternity/sorority.
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| Rush Marshal |
A fraternity man present to assist potential new members during rush.
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| Sister |
A term used by sorority members to refer to one another.
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| Soror |
The term used by members of historically African-American sororities to refer to one another.
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