The collegiate Greek system is made up of social, service, or professional member organizations named after letters in the Greek alphabet.  Sororities are made up of women and fraternities are generally comprised of men, although service and professional fraternities are often co-ed.  Most fraternities and sororities are social organizations, often devoted to one or two philanthropic causes which organize fundraisers, service activities, and social events.  Often the Greek system socializes amongst itself with fraternities and sororities having mixers with one another, as well as large events such as Greek Week, involving all the Greek organizations.

To join a typical sorority or fraternity, potential members (also known as unaffiliates) go through a formal recruitment period called Rush.  The point of Rush is to visit the different Greek houses and get a feel for the members in the chapter.  At the conclusion of the Rush period, the fraternities and sororities offer formal invitations, or bids, to the students they want to join their chapter.  If a student’s parent or sibling was a member of a fraternity or sorority, that student is known as a legacy and can receive “pref,” a preferential bid to that group over another.  Upon accepting a bid, the student becomes a new member, or pledge.  All the new pledges are known as the pledge class.  The pledge period varies in time and requirements among schools and by fraternity or sorority, but it ends with the new member being initiated in a formal ceremony and becoming an active brother or sister.

Most social sororities and fraternities are national or international organizations with local chapters at various schools.  Each school usually has a governing body for all fraternities and sororities, often Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council, respectively.

Now that you’ve got the lingo, stay tuned for my next post where I explore what it’s really like to go Greek.