Resources for Potential New Members

Active - A fraternity member currently in college who has been formally initiated by his chapter and who is currently participating as a member.

Alumnus - An initiated fraternity member who is no longer active in a collegiate chapter who has either graduated or changed academic status.

Bid - A formal invitation to join a fraternity

Badge - A pin given to initiated members to identify their membership in an organization (typically worn to official events while in business attire).

Brother - An active member of a fraternity.

Big Brother - An active member assigned or volunteered to be the personal mentor for a new member.

Chapter - A local group of a national organization, designated by its own Greek letter name.

Colony - A new fraternity being formed by its respective national organization.

Formal Recruitment - The process in which potential new members visit all chapters, and through a mutual selection process, find a chapter that best suits them.

Initiation - Ceremony during which new members become active, lifelong members of their organizations.

Intake - Also called Membership Intake, a process through which NPCH fraternities select new members.

Interfraternity Council (IFC) - An umbrella organization that presides over men’s fraternities, each of which is autonomous as a social, Greek letter society of college men, undergraduate and alumni.

Legacy - A person whose parent, grandparent, or sibling was an active member of a fraternity.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - A council composed of nine historically black Greek-letter organizations, which includes four sororities and five fraternities.

New Member - An undergraduate student who accepted a fraternity bid, but is not yet an initiated member.

Panhellenic Council - The governing body of women’s Greek organizations at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Philanthropy - A national and/or local charity that a fraternity or council sponsors, donating time and money through service in order to promote human welfare.

Potential New Member (PNM) - A student who is not yet affiliated with a chapter and is interested in becoming a part of the fraternity community.

Rho Alpha - A neutral representative from the Infraternity Council who guides, counsels, and supports Potential New Members during Recruitment.

Ritual - The ceremonies that bring together the beliefs and standards of a fraternal organization, which are sacred and unique to each fraternity and serve as a common bond between all members.