Family Guide to Aggie Greek Life

As your student prepares for their time at Texas A&M University, there are many options for getting involved. Becoming a member of our fraternity and sorority community is one of them! The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and the Department of Student Activities wants you to know the benefits of joining a fraternity or sorority in the Aggie Greek Community.

Fraternities and sororities have a long history on college campuses. Many early organizations began as literary societies but have grown and evolved over time. Each organization has a unique mission but the essential components of all these valuesbased organizations are leadership, scholarship, service, and brotherhood or sisterhood. Fraternity is a term to identify organizations typically designed for men, while sorority is used for women’s organizations.

Going to college is one of the major life changes your student will go through. Joining a fraternity or sorority will help make that transition easier.

Developing life-long friendships with the members in their chapter makes our campus feel smaller. For many members, their fraternity or sorority becomes their home away from home and provides a great support system. In addition to the social aspect, these organizations are dedicated to enhancing leadership, scholarship, and overall citizenship through a commitment to philanthropy and community service.

The lifelong friendships your student will make through their chapter will last into their time as a former student of Texas A&M University. The Aggie Network is unlike any other and members of the Aggie Greek Community have a strong connection to the university after graduating. In addition to the support of the Aggie Network, fraternity and sorority members have inter/national networks for members to use for career placement and job relocation. Membership in an organization is a lifelong commitment with opportunities to remain involved at the local and national levels. The relationships don’t end at graduation and neither do the benefits of membership. Wherever a member ends up after college, chances are they will be able to find an alumni/alumnae chapter or other members of their fraternity/sorority in the area.

Academics are a top priority in the Aggie Greek Community. All chapters have academic requirements to join and maintain membership. When students join a fraternity or sorority, they become part of a larger group of students who value their academic and career goals at Texas A&M. In fact, the all Greek Grade Point Ratio (GPR) is consistently above the all-campus average. Current members understand what the new member is facing and can provide support in many areas. Chapters will connect members to resources on campus such as the Academic Support Center, Career Center, and may provide workshops to support student success.

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

Bid: A formal invitation to become a member, used most often in CPC and IFC

Big Brother/Sister: An initiated member of a fraternity or sorority who serves as a sponsor, mentor, or special friend to a new member, guiding them through their new member program. Not all organizations have a big/little or it may be called something different

Chapter: A term used to describe the local group of a fraternity or sorority

Class: The group of new members that will be going through the new member program and initiation together. May be called a Member Class (MC) or Pledge Class (PC)

Initiation: A traditional, private ceremony that brings a new member into full membership into their organization

Intake or Membership Intake Process: The educational process that one goes through in order to become a member of an NPHC organization This term may also be used by some MGC organizations

Interest: A student who is interested, or has expressed interest, in joining an MGC or NPHC organization. For NPHC, interests will practice discretion and not disclose that they are interested to anyone outside of the members in the organization and NPHC Advisor

Legacy: A potential member whose family member is a member of a fraternity or sorority. Each organization has their own definition of which family members are included but typically organizations will recognize membership of a grandparent, parent, or sibling

Line: The group of new members joining a culturallybased fraternity or sorority in a given semester. Members may refer to each other as line sister (LS) or line brother (LB) In some MGC organizations, they may also refer to each other as p-sis or p-bro

New Member: A potential member who has accepted a bid from a fraternity or sorority. May also be referred to as an “associate” member.