Sunday, April 21, 2013

Greek Terminology

Feeling a little lost in the abundance of new words? Don't worry, it happens to everyone. Here's a list to help you figure it all out!


Active/ Collegiate Member: Someone who has completed their new member/pledge period and has been initiated into the sorority or fraternity. Many members refer to them as “actives,” but collegiate member is preferable because new members and alumni are also active within the organization.

Advisor: An alumna/alumni member of a sorority or fraternity that serves as a mentor to a collegiate chapter officer.

Alumna: A female graduate.

Alumnae: The plural of alumna.

Badge: The pin of an initiated member.

Bid: An official invitation from a chapter to become a new member.

Bid Day: The final day of recruitment when bids are given out.

Big: Each new member is given a “big” sister that has been a mentor to her throughout her new member period. The new member is called a little. This bond remains even after the new member has initiated.

Chapter: Each national sorority and fraternity has individual chapters of their organization at different colleges and universities. Also, some groups refer to their weekly meeting as “chapter.”

Colony: A newly formed sorority/fraternity organization on campus that has yet to receive their charter recognizing them as a chapter. Colonies have to fulfill requirements set by the college and their national organization before becoming a chapter.

Date Party: Like formal, but typically more casual. Most sororities do date party one semester and formal the other.

Dues: Fees paid to the organization you are affiliated with. Dues must be paid to remain in “good standing” with your chapter.

E-Board: Executive Board, also referred to in some sororities as Executive Council, which includes the elected executive officers of the chapter (i.e. President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, etc).

Formal: Like prom, only better. Typically every sorority/fraternity hosts a formal once a year where each member is allowed one date, they are often themed, awards are given and fraternity formals are often out of town.

Founders: The founding sisters or brothers of the national sorority or fraternity.

Fraternity Sweetheart/Dream Girl: A female who is elected by the members of a fraternity for her dedication and contributions to the success of the chapter over the previous year. She is usually permitted to wear the fraternity letters.

GDI: God Damn Independent; refers to a college student not in a fraternity or sorority. This term is used in a derogatory way in some colleges, but used proudly by the non-greeks themselves in other colleges.

Good Standing: A sorority or fraternity member who has fulfilled all membership obligations, such as paying their dues, maintaining the required GPA, etc.

Greek Alphabet:
This image is from dznewmember.org

Greek Week: A week where all of the Greek organizations on campus come together for activities and friendly competitions.

House: Many schools have houses dedicated to each Greek organization. In the literal term, this would be where they live. Some schools also refer to the entire organization as a house, for example “what house are you from” meaning “what sorority/fraternity are you in?”

House Mom: Officially titled House Director, which refers to a person hired to manage the sorority house and supervise the home operations.

Infraction: When a sorority or a sorority member breaks a recruitment rule set forth by the Panhellenic council at her school.

Initiation: Formal admittance into the sorority/fraternity. The new members participate in a ceremony that marks formal admittance into the sorority/fraternity. The initiation ceremony is secret and rooted in history.

Legacy: A student whose family member (typically brother/sister, mom/dad, grandmother/grandfather but can also include aunt/uncle) is a member of a particular sorority or fraternity. The student is given special membership consideration but not guaranteed a bid.

Letters: The Greek letters of your sorority or fraternity name.

Little: Each new member is given a “big” sister that has been a mentor to her throughout her new member period. The new member is called a little. This bond remains even after the new member has initiated.

Nationals: Every chapter is a member of a national organization which sets policies for the entire sorority or fraternity.

New Member: This is used for sororities in place of “pledge.” This term refers to the women that have accepted a bid to a particular sorority chapter but are not yet initiated.

New Member Educator: This is an initiated member of the sorority/ fraternity who will serve as the new member class’ “teacher” of the chapter. She or he will be their guide throughout their new member period.

New Member Period: The time between pledging and initiation where the new member learns about the sorority before becoming a collegiate member. It is typically 8-10 weeks long.

Paddle: This is seen as a gift in the Greek world. It is often given from chapter to chapter as a thank you or an honor. It is also given from littles to bigs.

Philanthropy: Put simply, community service. Typically each sorority has a nationally and/or locally recognized non-profit agency that they donate time and money to; they refer to this as “their philanthropy.”
PNM: Potential New Member. It refers to all incoming women going through the recruitment process before they accept a sorority bid.

Preference Party (Pref): The last party of formal sorority recruitment. This is typically more serious than the previous nights, and it is a glimpse into the ritual of the sorority. This is the last party before PNM’s and chapters make their final decisions about membership.

Probation: A member of a sorority or fraternity is put on probation if they have not fulfilled part of their membership, such as GPA requirement, financial obligations, or social standards. Typically members on probation cannot vote in chapter elections while on probation among other restrictions.

Quota: the maximum number each sorority can pledge during formal recruitment. This number is determined by the Panhellenic council at each school and is based on many different factors.

Recruitment (formal recruitment): The official process for new members to join a sorority. It is a mutual selection process where the PNM’s and chapter chose based on their perfect fit. Some schools’ recruitment period lasts a week, while others only a weekend.

Recruitment Counselor (Rho Chi/ Gamma Chi): A collegiate sorority member who disaffiliates from their individual chapter to help PNMs with an unbiased perspective through recruitment.

Recruitment Parties: The different rounds of formal recruitment.  Each sorority chapter throws their own “party” for PNM’s to attend.

Ritual: Symbolic gestures or ceremonies, often kept secret, preformed by only the members of the given sorority or fraternity.

Sister: Sorority sisters are female members in the same sorority.

Social/Mixer: When two organizations, usually a sorority and fraternity, but can also be two sororities or two fraternities, get together to do a planned activity.

Stitched Letter: Greek letters that are actually sewn on a shirt or bag. Some chapters have rules about which point in their membership period you are allowed to wear stitched letters. For example, in some chapters you have to be an initiated member to wear the stitched letters.

Strict Silence: This is a period when sorority members are not allowed to talk to PNM’s. It usually starts when recruitment begins and lasts until bid day.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Academics

Contrary to stereotypes, academics are a primary purpose of Greek life.


Greek life helps students meet the challenge of balancing academics while gaining the most from their college experience. Within each sorority or fraternity at a University, there are members involved in a wide range of colleges and majors providing you with multiple academic advantages. Greek members have the ability to seek help from others who may be currently or have already taken the same classes as them, receive advisement from upperclassmen about which classes and instructors are the best within each field of study, and take advantage of chapter study hours.

While using your resources within the Greek community is always beneficial, a recent blog post from, actualsororitymove.org, may also offer guidance to many college students involved in Greek life. The blog post is titled Top 10 Tips to a 4.0. Even if some of the advice offered in this post is not new to you, it is always a great idea to have a friendly reminder of the responsibilities you have as a college student.

Monday, April 15, 2013

GREEK WEEK!

In lieu of Greek Week either beginning or quickly approaching for many Greek communities, it's time to let you in on why this week is so great!

Greek Week is a week-long celebration for all of the social sororities and fraternities on campus. While to an outsider it may look as if it is only about a series of themed parties and social activities, it is so much more than that.


It means making Greek Week the best seven days of your life. It's showing up an hour early for every recreational event so that you can perfect your volleyball or dodge-ball skills. It's 150+ girls on the sidelines cheering so loudly that they can hardly speak the next day, but doing it all again anyway. It's getting up at 7 a.m. to practice for Airband and loving it!

Greek Week is planned and organized by both the IFC and Panhel executive boards at each University. Some of the activities during this week include Greek Idol, Greek God and Goddess, and a Can Castle Competition. Greek Week provides sororities and fraternities with the ability to express their Greek pride and strengthen friendships at the same time.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Sisterhood ♥

It's the ties that bind us.



 
 






 



It's not wearing shirts with the same letters that make us sisters. It's living in a house with 50 girls that know and love you. It's knowing what makes each other laugh. It's doing nothing at all and having the best time ever. It's being there for all the big stuff and then everything in between. Like every Monday and Wednesday when we pile in the living room to all watch our favorite reality TV shows. It's having someone who will quiz you before a test and always offer to walk with you home. It's knowing you'll never be alone again because your best friend lives in the next room.
  





Philanthropy

Philanthropy is of high importance to Greeks because it gives them the opportunity to help others and promotes increased unity within Greek life. 

Contrary to the typical Greek life stereotype, there is more to being in a sorority than sisterhoods, socials and matching t-shirts. Each sorority has one or many philanthropies that they hold fundraisers for and work to support throughout the year. Sororities raise a lot of money, awareness, support, and volunteer their time for the benefit of others. Philanthropy is a word that is cherished, valued, and put into action by members of Greek life.

In 1946, Alpha Phi chose Cardiac Care to be our national philanthropy. The Alpha Phi Foundation was established and adopted by the fraternity in 1956. The philanthropic priority of the Alpha Phi Foundation is to create awareness that cardiac disease is the #1 killer of women and to support research and programs dealing with the disease.

The Foundation also:
  • Funds educational and leadership programs
  • Offers scholarships
  • Assists women in crisis
  • Recognizes outstanding cardiac care and research programs
  • Supports community organizations
  • Awards outstanding college professors
Each year our chapter hosts a Red Dress Gala. This year alone we were able to raise over $19,000 for the Alpha Phi Foundation!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Do The Harlem Shake

In response to the recent Harlem Shake epidemic, my sorority created our own video. Check it out below, we hope you enjoy it!




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Initiation

This past weekend my sorority held its initiation ceremony. Almost every sorority considers the initiation ceremony as something holy and sacred. At the conclusion of our initiation ceremony, I was so happy to see all of our new members smiling with joy and posting statuses on social media sites about their excitement of officially being a member of Alpha Phi!

What is Initiation? The purpose of initiation is to teach a sorority's new members about the significance behind all of the sorority’s symbols, Greek letters, motto, rituals, etc., followed by a pledging of commitment to the sorority. Depending on the sorority, new member vows may be recited through a motto or creed, signed in a book, sung through ritual songs, or proven by an activity. A new member is not considered an active member until they profess their vows.

A sorority's initiation ceremony is typically kept a secret, therefore the ceremony is different for all sororities. However, every initiation is the same nationally within a particular sorority. For example, initiation for Alpha Phi at the University of Delaware is the same as initiation for Alpha Phi at the University of Maryland. An initiation ceremony that is the same nationally creates a strong connection amongst sorority sisters. For instance complete strangers who find out that they’re in the same sorority, are able to become instant friends due to their shared bond!