Vocabulary

ACTIVE: A sorority member who has been formally initiated by her chapter into a lifelong membership.

ALUMNA: A sorority woman who has completed her undergraduate sorority membership. Usually, it is someone who has graduated.

BID: A formal invitation to pledge a sorority.

CONTINUOUS OPEN BIDDING: The period in which any group with invitations to extend may pledge a woman without scheduled parties or bidding.

INITIATION: The formal ceremony that brings new members into full membership of the sorority.

INTENTIONAL SINGLE PREFERENCE: When a potential member attends the preference parties of more sororities than she lists on her preference card.

LEGACY: A woman whose mother, sister, or grandmother is an alumna or collegiate member of a national sorority. It is important to do your own research on legacy information for each chapter. A lot of legacy information has changed.

NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE (NPC): Made up of 26 women’s-only inter/national member organizations, the National Panhellenic Conference is the world’s largest umbrella organization specifically charged with advancing the sorority experience.

PANHELLENIC COUNCIL: The unifying, coordinating, and overseeing body of all eighteen National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities on Auburn’s campus.

POTENTIAL NEW MEMBER (PNM): A collegian who is participating in formal or informal recruitment.

RECOMMENDATION: A letter or statement recommending a woman for membership. It can be sent to the Auburn undergraduate chapter the author is affiliated with. It is the sorority’s responsibility to obtain recommendations.