General Information
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two great websites that you should visit...
- The Sorority Life: thesororitylife.com
- Fraternity Info: fraternityinfo.com
Only you can answer that question, but make no mistake - members of fraternities and sororities will have some mandatory commitments, such as chapter meetings. While academic achievement is a primary focus, fraternities and sororities participate in a wide variety of activities, including socials, date functions, philanthropy events, Homecoming, Greek Week, and many other campus activities. Participation in these events is highly encouraged because it gives members an opportunity to meet students from other chapters and teaches the importance of time management
Also, remember that discussing time commitments for new members is an excellent topic of conversation during recruitment events!
Like any opportunity for involvement in college, there is a financial commitment associated with joining a fraternity or sorority. The costs go toward council and national fees, chapter operating expenses and social functions.
Be aware that additional costs may be incurred throughout the semester for gifts, pictures, t-shirts, etc.
All organizations, under the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life umbrella, fall into one of four representative councils. Each council provides services to their respective chapters, in addition to working collectively to coordinate programming for the entire fraternity and sorority community.
The governing councils at Florida Atlantic University are:
Interfraternity Council (IFC) : This council is the representative body for the traditional men’s fraternity chapters. Organized IFC Recruitment Week is held every Fall & Spring semester.
College Panhellenic Association (CPA) : This council is the representative body for traditional women’s sorority chapters. Panhellenic Formal Recruitment is held every Fall semester.
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) : This council is the representative body for the historically African American fraternity & sorority chapters. Intake processes differ from chapter to chapter, so please contact each organization directly.
United Greek Council (UGC ): This council is the representative body for the culturally based fraternity & sorority chapters. Intake processes differ from chapter to chapter, so please contact each organization directly.
More Information on our individual fraternity & sorority chapters can be found at fau.edu/fslife
It's All Greek to Me...
Alumna |
Member of a sorority who has graduated. |
Alumnus |
Member of a fraternity who has graduated. |
Bid |
An invitation to join a fraternity or a sorority. |
Chapter |
A term used to refer to undergraduate fraternity or sorority students in a particular Greek organization. This term is also used nationally to distinguish one group of students on a particular campus from those on another campus. Many national groups give their chapters names such as a Greek letter, or a combination of letters, or a Greek letter and a state. |
College Panhellenic Association |
The governing body for Panhellenic sororities at FAU. |
Crossing |
A term used by NPHC and MGC groups to indicate that a new member has been fully initiated into the group. |
Fraternity |
A group of men bonded together by their ritual that contains the founding principles, ideals and aspirations of the group. |
Interfraternity Council (IFC) |
The governing body of the fraternities (typically NIC groups) at FAU. |
Intake |
The term NPHC & MGC groups use when they bring new members into their organization. Each chapter determines when they will conduct intake and each group is assisted in this process by their Graduate Chapter and/or National Organization. |
Line |
Being "on line" is a term for when a student is joining an NPHC group. In 1990 all 9 NPHC groups prohibited "pledging" and began a process called intake (see definition above). |
Legacy |
Someone whose mother, father, sister or brother, are members of a particular group. Some consider an aunt or an uncle a legacy also. |
NPC (National Panhellenic Conference) |
The national umbrella organization of the College Panhellenic Association. NPC is made up of a group of 26 women's sororities in North America. Representatives from each national sorority get together to support and promote sororities across North America. |
NIC (North American Interfraternity Conference) |
The national group of 62 men's fraternities in North America. Representatives from each national fraternity get together to promote fraternities across the country. They work to promote fraternities and Fraternity and Sorority Life. |
NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) |
The national umbrella organization and governing body for historically African-American fraternities and sororities. |
NALFO |
The national umbrella organization for Latino/Latina based fraternities & sororities |
New Member |
A term used to refer to a new member of a fraternity or a sorority. After the recruitment period, new members learn the history of their national and local chapters, learn the ideals and principles of the group, get to know their fellow new members and get to know the initiated members. |
New Member Presentation |
A term used by NPHC & MGC groups to designate the time when new members of such groups come out to the campus. Those joining a group are generally not known and thus it is a time when the new members are revealed. Typically stepping is demonstrated as well as testimonials from the new members. Parents and other students are generally in attendance. |
Recruitment (nope, it’s not called “RUSH”) |
This is the time when fraternities and sororities recruit new members. IFC fraternities usually recruit the first 3 weeks of each semester. Panhellenic sororities usually recruit the first 3 weeks of fall semester. For NPHC & MGC groups, their recruitment process is referred to as an "intake process" because of the nature of their process. |
Recruitment Counselor (Rho Gamma) |
An initiated member of a fraternity/sorority who guides potential new members through formal sorority recruitment. |
Ritual |
The sacred ceremonies practiced by every chapter of a Greek letter organization. These are generally secret. |
Sorority |
A group of women bonded together by their ritual that contains the founding principles, ideals and aspirations of the group. |
United Greek Council (UGC) |
The governing council for multicultural organizations, for both men and women. |
Yard |
A term used by NPHC groups to indicate the campus. Use in phrases such as which groups are on the yard, meaning which groups are on the campus. |