top of page

GREEK VOCABULARY

Greek-alphabet.png
  • ACTIVE: A sorority member currently in college who has been formally initiated by her chapter and actively participates in events.

​

  • ALUMNA: An initiated sorority member who is no longer active in a collegiate chapter.

​

  • BADGE: Also referred to as "pin," an insignia of fraternity or sorority membership worn by initiated members. Each CPC sorority has its own unique badge. New members may have a special badge for this time period.

​

  • BID: A formal invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.

​

  • BID DAY: The last day of Formal Recruitment, when PNMs receive bids to join chapters and become new members.

​

  • BIG SISTER: An active member of the chapter who is paired with a new member as a mentor.

​

  • CAMPUS TOTAL: The allowable chapter size as determined by Kennesaw State University Panhellenic.

​

  • CHAPTER: A local member group of a national organization.

​

  • CIRCLE OF SISTERHOOD: CPC's chosen philanthropy.

​

  • CPC - COLLEGE PANHELLENIC COUNCIL: The governing body of Panhellenic chapters.

​

  • CONTINUOUS OPEN BIDDING (COB): The period in which a sorority not at Campus Total is able to recruit members. The COB process is less formal, and not all chapters will participate in COB.

​

  • FUNCTION: A social date event hosted by a single sorority.

​

  • INITIATION: The formal ceremony that brings new members into full membership of a sorority or fraternity. Once you are initiated into an NPC sorority, you are not eligible for membership into any other NPC sorority.

​

  • INTAKE: Also referred to as Membership Intake. It is a process through which NPHC and MGC fraternities and sororities select new members.

​

  • IFC - INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL: The governing body for the 13, historically white, men's fraternities at KSU. IFC fraternities are open to all men interested in joining.

​

  • KENNESAW STATE PANHELLENIC EXECUTIVE BOARD: The seven members of the CPC Executive Board lead the Kennesaw State University Panhellenic Council. These women are undergraduate sorority women. One of their roles is to oversee the Formal Recruitment process for which they disassociate from their chapters.

​

  • LEGACY: A PNM whose mother, sister, or grandmother is an alumna or active member of a particular sorority. A sorority is not obligated to extend a bid to its legacies.

​

  • MGC - MULTICULTURAL GREEK COUNCIL: The primary purpose of the MGC is to unite its member organizations in order to share ideas and resources, promote mutual respect and equality, and provide a support network for involved students. The KSU MGC is composed of 4 fraternities and 3 sororities. MGC fraternities and sororities are open to all men and women interested in joining.

​

  • MIXER: A social event hosted by a sorority and fraternity or two sororities.

​

  • MRABA - MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT ACCEPTANCE BINDING AGREEMENT: A document that each PNM completes immediately following the preference round of parties stating her membership preferences. The PNM ranks the sororities she would accept a bid from in preferential order. This is a binding agreement, stating that the PNM is willing to accept a bid from any sorority she lists.

  • ​

  • NPC - NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE: Founded in 1902, NPC provides support and guidance for its 26-member inter/national sororities/women's fraternities and serves as the national voice on contemporary issues of sorority life. NPC serves as the umbrella organization for CPC. KSU has 7 NPC-affiliated sororities.

​

  • NPHC - NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL: A national council composed of 9 historically black, Greek organizations at both the college and alumni level. KSU has 4 sororities and 3 fraternities of the 9 represented on campus. These 9 organizations are typically referred to as "The Divine Nine." NPHC fraternities and sororities are open to all men and women interested in joining.

​

  • NEW MEMBER: A student who has accepted a bid for membership. After a period of education regarding the fraternity or sorority, the student is initiated to become a full member.

​

  • NEW MEMBER EDUCATOR: A chapter member who has been elected to lead the New Member Education process and prepare new members for initiation.

​

  • PHILANTHROPY: A national and/or local charity that a sorority or fraternity sponsor, donating time and money through service.

​

  • PI CHI - RECRUITMENT COUNSELOR: Also known as a recruitment counselor, a sorority member who is disassociated from her chapter during Formal Recruitment to assist PNMs through the process. Each PNM is assigned a Pi Chi.

​

  • PNM - POTENTIAL NEW MEMBER: Any woman who is eligible to participate in the formal recruitment process.

​

  • QUOTA: The number of women a sorority may pledge during formal recruitment

​

  • RECOMMENDATION: A written letter or statement from an alumna on the sorority;s official recommendation form introducing and recommending a Potential New Member for pledging. Also called a "rec" or "reference."

​

  • RECRUITMENT: A designated membership recruitment period during which a series of organized events are held for the purpose of selecting new members.

​

  • ROUND: A particular day of recruitment. There are 4 rounds; Orientation, Sisterhood, Philanthropy, and Preference. Within each round, the events that make up the rounds are called Parties.

​

  • SISTER: A fellow sorority member.

​

  • SNAP BID: An option available to chapters that did not fill quota. A procedure used at the close of bid matching to help chapters reach quota prior to bid distribution.

​

  • SINGLE INTENTIONAL PREFERENCE: When a PNM attends more than one preference party, but limits her membership selections by only listing one option on her MRABA.

​

  • TOTAL: The allowable chapter size on campus for CPC sororities, as determined by KSU Panhellenic Council. Chapters that fall under total may be allowed to participate in COB until they reach total.

​

bottom of page