Unfamiliar with some of the OMAHA GREEKS terminology? Definitions for our most commonly used terms can be found below.
A
Active: A college undergraduate who has been initiated into fraternity or sorority membership and is active at the collegiate level.
Alumni/Alumnae: Initiated fraternity or sorority members who have graduated from college.
B
Bid (card): A formal invitation to join a Greek organization.
Bid Day: The day immediately following Panhellenic primary recruitment where chapters extend their invitation for membership to potential new members.
Big Brother/Big Sister: An initiated member of an organization paired with an uninitiated member to help them through the member education period. Often referred to as a ‘Big.’
Brother: A term used by fraternity members to refer to one another.
C
Chapter: A local group of the larger inter/national organization.
Collegiate Panhellenic Council: The governing and programming board for sororities at UNO that are associated with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC).
Continuous Open Bidding (COB): A continuous process that Collegiate Panhellenic Council chapters use to recruit new members outside the designated primary recruitment period to reach quota and/or Panhellenic total. Not all chapters are eligible to participate in the continuous open bidding process.
Crossing: A term used by MGC and NPHC groups to indicate that a new member has initiated and become a member of the group.
D
Dry: Alcohol-free and substance-free events. Recruitment and new member periods are dry by inter/national standards.
F
Formal Recruitment: A period of time during which chapters select their new members through a formal, structured process.
Fraternity: The name that applies to all Greek letter organizations characterized by a ritual, pin, and strong ties to friendship and moral principles. Informally, women’s fraternities are called sororities.
H
Hazing: In accordance with UNO’s Student Code of Conduct, hazing is defined as any activity by which a person intentionally or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health or safety of an individual for the purpose of initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, or continued membership with any student organization. UNO has a zero-tolerance hazing policy, and any individuals or organizations found in violation of this policy will face University disciplinary proceedings accordingly.
I
Informal Recruitment: A continuous, open recruitment period for organizations with less structure.
Initiation: The formal ceremony that marks the beginning of active membership.
Intake: Process by which Multicultural Greek Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council members are selected to become new members of an organization. Generally includes an application and an interview process, followed by an educational program.
Interfraternity Council (IFC): The governing and programming board for men’s fraternities at UNO that are associated with the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
Intramurals: Athletic activities in which members from different chapters compete and participate in sporting events. Intramurals are organized through Campus Recreation.
L
Legacy: The brother or sister, son or daughter, or grandson or granddaughter of a fraternity or sorority member. Some chapters have different definitions of what qualifies someone as a legacy.
Line: The members of an Multicultural Greek Council or National Pan-Hellenic Council new member class.
M
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC): The governing and programming board for Asian, Latina/Latino, and Multicultural Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities.
N
National/International: Greek organization with many chapters, which have a single governing body. Chapters belonging to national organizations generally have chapter letters, as well as national letters.
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC): The governing and programming board for the historically African-American Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities.
New Member: Someone who has accepted a bid to join a Greek organization but has not yet been initiated.
New Member Education: A period of learning about fraternity and sorority life prior to initiation. The length of this period varies for all chapters.
New Member Period: The time between the acceptance of a bid and initiation. Chapters generally take this time to educate their new members in the organization’s history and traditions. Pledging is an older term still in use by some organizations.
New Member Presentation: The announcement ceremony for those involved in the new member program with an MGC or NPHC organization.
P
Philanthropy: A charitable fundraiser or service project sponsored by a fraternity or sorority.
Pledge: A term some organizations use to mean new member.
Potential New Member (PNM): A college woman who participates in CPC recruitment.
Probate: Official public reveal/display of new initiates in the form of a step/dance, typically held by MGC and NPHC organizations.
R
Recruitment: A series of events offering members and potential members the opportunity to get to know each other.
Ritual: The traditional beliefs and oaths of a sorority or fraternity usually used in reference to the ceremonies of initiation as well as weekly chapter meetings.
Rush: An older term for recruitment that is no longer used. Replaced with recruitment.
S
Sister: A term used by sorority members to refer to one another.
Social: When two or more organizations get together to do a planned activity such as a dance, dinner, or another fun occasion.
Sorority: A Greek letter organization, which admits only women. The term did not come into common use until later in the 20th century.