Once you go Greek you never go back. Literally. And if you were at Meet the Greeks and are thinking of going Greek there may be some terms you might want to become familiar with. All organizations don't have the same terminology for everything, but in general there are terms all Greeks use. So, before you get excited attending events and want to join make sure you know everything from alpha to omega. Active- a sister or brother of an organization who participates in events of the organization

Bid - an invitation to join a Greek organization and begin the new member education process

Big Sister/Big Brother - a member of an organization who guides/directs a new member through and/or after the new member process

Brother- term members of a fraternity use to one another

Call/Chant- a distinctive vocal sound used by Pan-Hell, Latin and Multicultural organizations to identify one another

Chapter- members of an organization who attend the same university belong to a chapter

Class- another way to define the group of members going through new member education together

Cross- to become an official member of the organization after the process

Greeks- members of sororities and fraternities

Greek Alphabet- refers to the letters Greeks organizations use to identify themselves

Greek rock garden- at Kean it is the area in front of the basketball courts home to rocks decorated by each organization

Grip- handshake only known to the members of an organization.

Induction- ceremony which results in new members' becoming a part of the organization

Interest/prospective- an individual who shows interest in becoming a member of an organization by attending open events and getting to know members

Legacy - a prospective member or member of a Greek organization who has parents or relatives belonging to the same fraternity or sorority

Letters- refers to the Greek "letters" organizations wear to show their affiliation

Local- an organization only at Kean University

Line-used typically by Pan-Hell, Latin, and Multicultural organizations for the group of people who go through the process/are inducted together

Multicultural Greek Council (MCGC) - governing council for Latino and multicultural Greek letter organizations

National- term refers to organizations who have chapters of their organization across the country.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (Pan-Hell/NPHC)- the governing body of the 9 historically African American sororities(4) and fraternities(5), also referred to as the Divine Nine

Neophyte (Neo)- term used by mostly cultural based organizations, a new member of an organization, typically the last class/line to cross into the sorority or fraternity

New Member Education - this is the term applied for the period of time where a student learns the history, traditions, and values of an organization to become a member

Probate- an event where new members of Pan-Hell, Latin, and Multicultural organizations perform a show to introduce their line.

Rush/recruitment- the formal period where prospective members are invited to come to open events of different organizations

Sister- term members of a sorority use to one another


By now you should have a better grasp on what terms are common in the Greek community. It is up to you to now seek an organization whose values, characteristics, and personality match your own. Remember first semester freshmen are not permitted to join a Greek letter organization at Kean, but can attempt their second semester. With that said, hopefully prospective students added a word or two to their vocabulary with this article