The Greek Life Glossary
If you’re new to Greek life—or currently in a room full of sorority girls and frat guys wondering what on earth they’re talking about—this short and sweet Greek life glossary is for you. The terminology used in Greek life can be confusing, so we’ve broken down the most well-known terms alphabetically to help you decode it all.
Here we go:
Greek Life Recruitment Terms
Bid - An invitation to join a sorority or fraternity
Bid day - A day in which a sorority celebrates the end of recruitment with a new member class
Legacy - Typically an immediate family member of an initiated member
New member/pledge - A person who has accepted a bid but hasn’t been initiated into their Greek life chapter yet
MC/PC - Short for member class, or pledge class. The group of new members that were recruited at the same time
PNM - Short for “potential new member,” or someone interested in joining a Greek life chapter
Recruitment/rush - The process in which chapters choose new members for their organization by inviting them to events
Membership Roles
Big - An older “brother” or “sister” that acts as a new member’s mentor
Brother - An active or alumni member of a fraternity
Little - A little “brother” or “sister” who is being mentored by an older member of the Greek life chapter
Sister - An active or alumni member of a sorority
Events & Structure
Chapter - An established membership unit of a sorority or fraternity
Executive Board - This is a group of elected members of the chapter who enforce the rules and standards
Initiation - A ceremony in which members of Greek life chapters officially join a sorority or fraternity
Panhellenic Council - The governing body for all sororities on a college campus
Philanthropy - A community service project or event that is hosted by a Greek life organization
There you have it - this glossary has the most commonly used terms in Greek life. Feel free to throw around any of these terms if you can't seem to organically bring up that you know the stuff they're into. Thank us later.