Greek Terms And Definitions

Active - A fully initiated member of the fraternity. An active has completed the pledge process and initiation.

Alumnus/Alumni - A member of a fraternity who is no longer an undergraduate at that institution.

Bid - An official invitation to a rushee from a Greek letter organization to join their organization.

Brother - An initiated member of a fraternity.

Bylaws - A set of rules, prepared by each chapter that the members of that chapter must follow in order to have organization within the chapter.

Chapter - A chartered group of undergraduate members of a fraternity.

Chapter Meeting - A formal meeting, usually held weekly, where of all a fraternity's brothers meet to discuss and vote on the business and affairs of the fraternity.

Colony - A group of collegiate members preparing to qualify for official chartering by a national fraternity.

Deactivate/Going Inactive - When an active brother terminates his membership with a fraternity. This relieves one of all duties, rights, privileges, and association with his fraternity.

Depledge - To quit a fraternity during the pledging.

Dry rush - A ban on the presence of all alcoholic beverages at any rush functions. The Zeta Tau Chapter of Beta Theta Pi at Saint Louis University performs dry rush.

Formal Rush - The official process of recruitment of new members set up by the Interfraternity Council.

Frat - Unacceptable term for any fraternity in the Greek community.

General Fraternity - Term referring to the Fraternity as a whole.

Greek - A member of a fraternity or sorority.

Hazing - Being forced to participate in activities that are against one's own will. Missouri has laws that ban hazing and so does Beta Theta Pi. Beta Theta Pi holds a strict ban on all hazing activities.

Initiation - The traditional fraternity ritual that completely educates and turns pledges into active brothers within the fraternity.

Interfraternity Council (IFC) - Organization at the university that enforces rules and oversees the fraternity system. The IFC is made up of an executive board of members elected from all the fraternities.

Legacy - A rushee whose parents or siblings were/are a member of the same fraternity that they are rushing.

Local Fraternity - A group existing only at a local school and is not affiliated with a National organization.

New Initiate - An individual who has been intiated, and is a full member for the first time.

Pledge - Status of one who has accepted a bid, but has not yet been initiated.

Pledging - Process for pledges where they are educated about the chapter's history, rituals, and structure.

Pledge Class - A group of men who received bids during the same recruitment season, and/or are in the same pledge period together.

Pledge Father/Big Brother - Active who serves as a mentor for a pledge.

Ritual - An offcial ceremony that bonds the fraternity together through explaining the history and lore of the fraternity. It is usually secretive.

Rush - The period of time for membership recruitment by Greek organizations. An opportunity for non-Greek students to learn about individual organizations and their membership.

Rushee - A person interested in becoming a member of a fraternity.

Sitting on a bid - Time when a rushee has received a bid from a fraternity, but has not made a decision whether to accept or decline the bid. Thus, he is not considered a pledge and is free to rush any other fraternities.