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Active: an undergraduate member who has been initiated into life-long membership.

Badge/Pin: worn by new or active members to designate that they are joining or a part of a specific organization.

Bid: an invitation to a potential new member to join a sorority or fraternity.

Big Sister/Brother: an older member of the chapter who serves as a role model and mentor to a new member or “little sister/brother.”

CBFO: culturally-based fraternal organizations.

Chapter: the name applied to the local organization of an inter/national fraternity or sorority.

Continuous open bidding (COB): an informal recruitment process that Panhellenic sororities use to recruit new members outside of the designated primary recruitment period.

Crossed: the process of completing the intake process and becoming a full member of a chapter.

Family: the connected bigs and littles in a chapter, which makes a family tree dating back each semester or year.

Fiji Island: the open area in Fraternity Park where many chapters host philanthropy events and gatherings.

Formal or Primary Recruitment: a designated membership recruitment time period during which a series of organized activities are held by each fraternity/sorority and governed by Panhellenic or IFC.

Fraternity Park: the location of 13 fraternity houses located in the south area of campus near The Rock.

Gamma Chi/Recruitment Captain: Gamma Chis (Panhellenic) and Recruitment Captains (IFC) are members of the community who serve as mentors and guides through the recruitment process. They oversee a group of students and are a point person for communication and assistance.

Greek Life: also known as “Sorority and Fraternity Life,” Greek Life refers to sororities and fraternities because of their history as Greek-lettered organizations. Because not all of our chapters use or publicize Greek letters, we use “sorority and fraternity life.”

Interfraternity Council (IFC): the governing body of the men’s fraternity system at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Initiation: the inter/national ritual ceremony through which new members learn the full meaning of their organization, promise to uphold the standards of the organization, and receive life-long membership.

Intake: the period of education before initiation when MGC/NPHC new members learn the history and traditions of their organizations.

Interest Meeting: a meeting for potential new members to receive information about and meet members of an MGC/NPHC organization.

Legacy: a potential new member who is the sibling, child, nephew/niece, or grandchild of an active member or alumni of a fraternity or sorority.

Line/Ship: a group of new members in a specific MGC/NPHC chapter (within a specific semester).

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC): the governing body of the multicultural sorority and fraternity system at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

National Pan-hellenic Council (NPHC): the governing body for the nine historically but not exclusively Black fraternities and sororities (“Divine Nine”) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Neophyte/Neo: a term used for new members of an MGC/NPHC organization

New Member: a student who has accepted a bid or invitation for membership into a fraternity or sorority, but has not been initiated.

New Member Presentation: an event where newly initiated members of an MGC/NPHC organization perform step routines and reveal themselves to the public after their intake period.

Panhellenic Council (Panhellenic): the governing body of the women’s sorority system at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Potential New Member (PNM): a student who is interested in becoming a member of a Greek organization.

Prophyte: a term used for a member who is responsible for educating and mentoring new member(s) in an MGC or NPHC organization.

Sorority Village: the location of 14 sorority facilities located west of campus across from Alcoa Highway.

Stepping or Step Show: a tradition of NPHC organizations where routines are performed. A series of complex, synchronous, and precise rhythmic movements, typically performed to songs or chants created by member organizations.

Strolling: precise and synchronized movements performed in unison by members of culturally-based fraternities and sororities.