Useful Greek Terms

Active Sister/Brother
Any member of a Greek organization. An active member has gone through the pledge process and has been initiated.

Bid
A Greek organization's official invitation to join their organization.

Chapter
The local branch of a Greek organization.

Depledge
An individual who has formally accepted a bid to an organization and has begun pledging, but has to decided to stop pledging.

Final Recruitment
The final recruitment event before final preference. Any Potential New Member invited back to a sorority's formal recruitment party may attend their Final Recruitment party; Potential New Members interested in a national sorority may attend the combined event held by all three NPC organizations. Potential New Members tend to attend the Final Recruitment event of the organization from which they wish to receive a bid.

Final Bids
The Saturday after the Final Recruitment. A celebration of your new membership; the day pledging begins.

Final Preference (ISC)
The Friday before final bids. Female Potential New Members fill out their final preference. This final preference tells the sorority you would like to join their organization. Ladies are only allowed to final preference one local sorority of ISC and they can only receive a bid from that local sorority.

Final Preference (NPC)
The Thursday before final bids, female Potential New Members fill out their final preference. This final preference tells the sorority you would like to join their organization. At this time a Potential New Member can rank up to three national sororities they would like to join. Only one bid can be received from a national sorority.

*it is possible for a Potential New Member to final preference both one local organization and one national organization, however, a Potential New Member can only commit to pledge one organization.

First Preference (ISC)
After all sorority informals are complete, female Potential New Members may fill out a first preference sheet including up to three sororities they may be interested in. This first preference tells the sororities you listed you would like to be invited to their Formal Recruitment event. A female Potential New Member can only attend the Formal Recruitment of a sorority that she first indicated a preference for, and then received an invitation from.

First Preference (NPC)
After all three national sorority informals are complete, a Potential New Member may fill out a first preference sheet naming up to three sororities she is interested in. The Potential New Member may then be invited to Formal Recruitment events of those organizations. A Potential New Member may not fill out a First Preference sheet unless she has attended all three NPC informals.

Formal Recruitment
The third recruitment event, organized by Inter Fraternity, Inter Sorority, and Panhellenic Councils. Female Potential New Members may attend Formal Recruitment of up to three ISC organizations they have "first preference" only if they receive an invitation; female Potential New Members may also attend up to three NPC recruitment events from which they have received an invitation to. Male Potential New Members may attend any Formal Recruitment event they receive an invitation for. These events are non-alcoholic.

Hazing
Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off private premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Hazing is illegal in New York.

Informal IFC/ISC Recruitment
The second recruitment event after Open Recruitment. A Potential New Member may attend as many informal recruitment events as they like. These events are time limited and non alcoholic.

Informal NPC Recruitment
These are individual events held by all three national sororities. To be able to continue the recruitment process, an NPC sorority a Potential New Member must attend all three NPC informals.

*it is possible for a Potential New Member to attend informals of organizations in both NPC and ISC

Inter Fraternity/Sorority Council (IFC or ISC)
Council who makes and reinforces rules for the Greek system. Each council has a president.

Legacy
A Potential New Member who has an immediate family member that is a sister or brother in the Greek Organization they are attending Recruitment Events for.

National Panhellenic Council (NPC)
Council that oversees the three national sororities at Geneseo. This is a national organization with 26 members nation-wide. NPC sororities are still a part of Inter-Greek Council, however, they are not a part of Inter Sorority Council.

New Member
An individual who has formally accepted a bid from a Greek organization, is in the education process and has not yet been initiated as an active member.

New Member Class
A group of people who have accepted a bid to the same fraternity or sorority and are pledging together.

Recruitment Coordinator
Someone designated to look after the needs of their recruitment group. Your recruitment counselor is there to see that recruitment runs well, and that rules are obeyed. Female Potential New Members will be assigned a Recruitment Coordinator they can contact any time with questions and concerns.

Silent Days
Times designated by ISC and NPC when no members of any sorority shall be permitted to speak with or associate with any Potential New Member. Silent days shall include Preference days and Final bids day until 4 pm. No member of any sorority may speak to Potential New Members after 6 am the day of First Preference or after 3 am the night before Final Preference. These days are free days for Potential New Members to think about their final decisions before preference and bids.