Columnist Erin Franczak defines terms that members of Greek organizations commonly use.
Greek organizations are connected primarily with each other because they are very closely related and follow a lot of the same obligations, such as leadership, service, academics and sisterhood/brotherhood. It's at the point where sometimes it feels like we have our own language. We obviously don’t, but there are some words that have greater meaning and make more sense in the context of Greek life. They are significant for every chapter. If you're ever in a situation where we are talking about some of these key words, here’s what they mean and why they are important. Some service, academic-related and honors organizations may also use these words, too.
Recruitment/Rushing: The first step to joining a sorority and fraternity, usually meeting the active members and deciding where each individual fits best.
Lavaliere: A pendant given to the girlfriend of a fraternity brother to show how much he cares for her, usually the step before an engagement.
Bid: A piece of paper stating what sorority and fraternity have invited an individual to be part of.
The Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, Omega — very important to know because these are how to distinguish every chapter.
Brother/Sister: A term for a member of a chapter.
Active member: A member who is initiated into the sorority or fraternity.
Pin: A symbol for the sorority or fraternity.
Initiation: When a new member becomes an active member.
Initiated member: Another term for a member of the chapter.
Legacy: The daughter, son, sister or brother of a member of a chapter.
NHPC: National Pan-Hellenic Council.
WPA: Women’s Pan-Hellenic Association.
MGC: Multi-Cultural Greek Council.
IFC: Interfraternity Council.
Philanthropy: The charity that a specific fraternity or sorority sponsors.
PNM: A potential new member.
Rho Gamma: The women who guides each individual to the different sororities and guides them when deciding where they fit in.
Socials: A time to spend meeting with other Greek organizations.
Chapter: A word to describe the different Greek organizations; the name of the weekly meetings.
Alumni status: A term for a member when graduating from the fraternity or sorority.
Erin Franczak is a freshman studying journalism. Is there a Greek term you don't know? Email her at ef441614@ohio.edu.
