Greek Terminology

Active	An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity; also known as an initiate.
Alumnae(i)	Initiated sorority women (fraternity men) who have completed their work at college. [Alumnus – singular male, Alumni – plural males, Alumna – singular female, Alumnae – plural females]
Bid	An official invitation to join a fraternity or sorority.
Chapter	A branch of a national fraternity or sorority.
Dry recruitment	The rule which forbids the use of alcohol during any Recruitment event for both fraternities and sororities.
Hazing	The illegal practice of a person inflicting any type of abuse (mental or physical) to another person. University of Lynchburg and the Commonwealth of Virginia have strict policies against hazing.
IFC	Governing council for all NIC fraternities. Known as the Interfraternity Council.
Initiation	A formal ceremony whereby a new member assumes full membership with lifetime benefits and responsibilities.
Legacy	A potential new member’s family member who is an alumnus of a fraternity/sorority to which he or she is interested in joining.
MIP	Membership Intake Process. Specific to NPHC organizations.
New member	A student who has accepted a bid and matriculates through the new member process prior to the initiation.
PC	Governing council for all NPC Sororities. Known as Panhellenic Council.
PHC	Governing council for all NPHC organizations. Known as Pan-Hellenic Council.
Prospective member	Student who participates in the recruitment process.
Ritual	Traditional ceremonies, shared by initiated members of the same fraternity or sorority.
Recruitment	The formal or informal period during which fraternities and sororities invite prospective members learn more about their chapters.
Silence	The period of time designated by Panhellenic Council during Recruitment week that no communication is allowed between sorority members and prospective members (for women only).

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