Vocabulary

ACTIVE: An initiated member of a sorority who is currently participating in chapter activities.

ALUMNA: A sorority woman who has graduated from college and remains connected to her organization as a lifelong member.

ASSOCIATE CHAPTER: A newer or developing chapter on campus that is not yet fully established or initiated into full Panhellenic membership.

BID: a formal invitation from a sorority asking you to join their sisterhood.

CONTINUOUS OPEN BIDDING (COB): A more informal recruitment process that takes place outside of formal recruitment to fill remaining spots in chapters.

DISASSOCIATED: A member who temporarily steps away from their chapter during recruitment (like a GRC) to remain unbiased and support PNMs.

GAMMA RHO CHI (GRC): A recruitment counselor who guides PNMs through the recruitment process and provides support, remaining unbiased and disaffiliated from their chapter during recruitment.

INITIATION: A formal ceremony where a new member becomes a fully initiated (active) member of their sorority.

INTENTIONAL SINGLE PREFERENCE: When a PNM chooses to list only one chapter on their preference card, even if they are eligible to list more.

INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL (IFC): The governing council for many men's fraternities on campus, responsible for supporting chapters, recruitment, and the fraternity community.

LEGACY: A PNM who has a family connection to a sorority, typically through a mother, sister, or sometimes another close relative who is a member.

MUTUAL SELECTION: The process where both the PNM and the sorority rank one another after each round, determining invitations to the next round.

NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE (NPC): The umbrella organization for 26 national and international women's sororities that establishes policies and best practices for Panhellenic recruitment and membership.

NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL (NPHC): The governing council for the historically Black Greek-letter organizations, often referred to as the "Divine Nine."

PRIMARY RECRUITMENT: The structured, multi-round recruitment process held at the beginning of the academic year where PNMs visit Panhellenic chapters and may receive a bid to membership.

POTENTIAL NEW MEMBER (PNM): A student who is participating in recruitment and exploring membership in a sorority.

SILENT PERIOD: The time during recruitment (usually after preference round) when there is no communication allowed between PNMs and chapter members until bids are distributed.

SNAP BIDDING: A process that happens immediately after formal recruitment but before bid distribution, where chapters that did not meet quota can extend bids to select PNMs.

UNITED GREEK COUNCIL (UGC): The governing council that supports culturally based, multicultural, and special-interest Greek-letter organizations on campus.

VALUES-BASED RECRUITMENT: A recruitment approach that encourages PNMs and chapters to focus on shared values, personal connections, and organizational fit rather than appearances, popularity, or reputation.