Greek Terms

Active: A fully initiated member of a fraternity or sorority.

Alumnus: (plural alumni) An initiated member of a fraternity/sorority no longer enrolled as an undergraduate student.

Bid: An invitation to membership from a Greek letter organization to a potential member.

Brother: A term used by active members of a fraternity when referring to one another.

Chapter: The local group of the national organization.

Dropped: The term used when a member of a fraternity gives a Greek letter charm to his girlfriend to wear. On some campuses, this is referred to as a lavaliere rather than as a drop.

Fraternity: A group of men bound together by a ritual ties and common goals.

Greek: A member of a fraternity or sorority.

Hazing: Mental or physical degradation of any person. Unfortunately, we believe a number of fraternities still have hazing at Penn. The Delts have no hazing of any type, and we hope to influence other fraternities to eliminate this dangerous tradition.

Independent: A person who is not a member of a fraternity or sorority.

Initiation: The traditional ritual, which brings the new member into full membership of the Greek organization.

IFC: The Interfraternity Council, the governing body for some of the fraternities at Penn. Delta Tau Delta is a member of IFC.

Legacy: A potential member whose parents, siblings, or occasionally other members of the immediate family are a member of a particular fraternity or sorority.

NIC: National Interfraternity Conference.

NPC: National Panhellenic Conference.

Panhellenic: The governing body for sororities at Penn.

Pin: (2 types) the active pin or badge, a distinctive insignia worn on the chest designating active member or a particular fraternity/sorority; the new member pin, an insignia used to designate a new member of a particular fraternity/sorority.

Pinned: The term used when a fraternity member gives his steady girlfriend a pin to wear.

Potential Member: (Sometimes called a Rushee) a person interested in becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority.

Pledge: An individual who has accepted a bid and is engaging in preparing for initiation, but who has not yet been fully initiated and instructed in the rights and rituals of full membership.

Recruitment: The process through which members of Delta Tau Delta and potential members become acquainted.

Ritual: An activity which bonds the organization together and is traditionally secret.

Rush: The historical term used for the period in which fraternities/sororities and potential members become acquainted. Delta Tau Delta calls this Recruitment, as potential members should not be "rushed."

Rushee: (See "Potential member" above.)