Active A member who has been initiated into lifelong fraternity or sorority membership and is active at the collegiate level. Alumni/Alumnae Initiated fraternity (alumni) and sorority (alumnae) members who have graduated from college. Badge The pin of an initiated member indicating membership in the fraternity or sorority. Bid A formal invitation to join a particular fraternity or sorority. Big Brother or Big Sister An active member of a fraternity or sorority who serves as a mentor to a new member, guiding them through their new member program and initiation. Brother A term used by fraternity members to refer to one another. Chapter A local group of a larger national or international organization, designated by a specific Greek name. Chapter Advisor An alumnus/alumnae of a fraternity or sorority who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and assists members and officers in all areas of chapter operations. Charter The document issued from a headquarters to a chapter that indicates the group is a full-fledged member of the national or international organization. Colony A group of students seeking a charter from a national or international fraternity or sorority. Depledge To terminate one's fraternity or sorority membership before initiation. Disaffiliate When a member temporarily removes his or her association from his or her chapter, usually during formal recruitment time. Formal Membership Recruitment (NPC) The process of mutual selection between potential new members and the NPC chapters. Fraternity The name that applies to all Greek letter organizations characterized by a ritual, pin/badge, and strong ties to friendship and moral principles. Informally, women's fraternities are called sororities. Greek Any member of a Greek-letter social or community service organization (fraternity or sorority). Hazing Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule (taken from the Fraternity Executives Association statements of position). For more informtion, click here. Headquarters The central international or national organization of a particular fraternity or sorority. Initiation The formal ceremony endorsed by the fraternity or sorority headquarters that marks the beginning of active membership. Each chapter has a different set of requirements in order to be initiated. Inter-Fraternity Council The governing body of eleven fraternities recognized at Johns Hopkins. Known as the IFC, it sets policy for its member organizations, facilitates and promotes the recruitment process, co-sponsors service and social events, and holds member organizations accountable to established bylaws and the Undergraduate Student Handbook and Student Code. Initiated Member/Initiate Any member, alumnus or undergraduate, who has completed the new member/pledge process and has participated through the initiation ceremony. Intake The process of NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) chapters engage in to recruit, interview, and choose new members. Legacy The brother or sister, son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter of a fraternity or sorority member. Each local chapter has its own policy regarding offering membership to legacies; being a legacy does not mean automatic membership into a particular chapter. NALFO National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations; the national unbrella organization for Latino/Latina Greek organizations. http://www.nalfo.org NIC North American Interfraternity Conference; a governing body for 66 men's fraternities. http://www.nicindy.org NPC National Panhellenic Conference; the unbrella organization of 26 inter/national women's fraternities and sororities. http://www.npcwomen.org NPHC National Pan-Hellenic Council, "The Divine Nine"; an national association of African-American Greek-letter organizations composed of four sororities and five fraternities. NPHC councils are organized at the campus, city, and regional levels. http://www.nphchq.org New Member A member of a fraternity or sorority who has not been initiated. Some organizations refer to new members as pledges. New Member Program The process, endorsed or prescribed by the fraternity or sorority headquarters, to teach the history, ideals, and values of fraternity and sorority life. The length of time of each chapter's new member program may vary. Panhellenic Meaning "all Greek," it is the governing council for the four NPC sororities at Johns Hopkins; it is the collegiate counterpart of NPC. Philanthropy A charitable fundraising event sponsored by a fraternity or sorority. It also refers to the charitable organization of choice of a chapter; sometimes officially named by the inter/national organization. Potential New Member A college woman who is participating in, or is eligible to participate in, Panhellenic Formal Membership Recruitment. Recommendation A personal letter of reference provided by an alumnus of a fraternity or sorority to the local chapter. Letters of recommendation do not guarantee an invitation to join from any fraternity or sorority. Rho Gamma (Recruitment Guide) A NPC woman who agrees to disaffiliate herself from her sorority to assist Potential New Members navigate the Formal Membership Recruitment process. These women are charged with providing impartial assistance to PNMs in making choices about selecting membership in NPC organizations. Ritual Secret ceremonies performed by fraternity and sorority chapters, and prescribed and endorsed by their headquarters, that are an outward depiction of the fraternity's or sorority's stated values, aims, and principles. Signing A hand gesture used by NPHC and most multicultural fraternity and sorority members to signify their membership in the organization. Sister A term used by sorority members to refer to one another. Unaffliated A term used to describe student that are not members of a campus fraternity or sorority. | 
