Important Terms for Sorority Recruitment

• Alumna/Alum – A woman who has completed a period of active membership in a sorority chapter in college.
• Alumnae – Plural of Alumna.
• Alumnae Panhellenic – The city organization of the alumnae of National Panhellenic Conference sororities.
• Bid – A written or oral invitation to a potential new member to pledge a sorority. During Formal Recruitment Week it may be oral or written.
• Continuous Open Bidding – Following the close of Formal Recruitment some chapters may hold small social gatherings for a small number of potential new members. At any time the chapter could offer an invitation to join their sorority. Check with your university Panhellenic for the rules pertaining to continuous open bidding.
• Deferred Recruitment – Time scheduled after the opening of school for Recruitment Week. Sometimes this is in January rather than the fall.
• Dirty Rushing – Any violation of a rule set by the University Panhellenic Council as governed by the National Panhellenic Conference.
• Dropping out of Recruitment – If it becomes necessary for a potential new member to discontinue attendance at recruitment parties, she should check with her college Panhellenic as to procedure and registration for Recruitment at a later date.
• Initiation – Inspirational ceremony where potential new members are inducted to active member status.
• Intentional Single Preference/ Solo Bidding/ Suicide/Suiciding – To indicate only one choice at a preferential signing. NPC strongly recommends that every girl going through recruitment indicate a first and a second choice at preferential signing.
• Legacy – Generally defined as the daughter, granddaughter, or sister of an initiated sorority member. A potential new member may be a legacy to more than one sorority.
• Letter of Support – A personal letter written by an alumna in support of a potential new member and sent to the active chapter.
• PRAP Master List – A list of all girls that have registered with PRAP indicating their desire to participate in sorority recruitment. This list is only used by the sorority groups which are members of PRAP. This is not a university Panhellenic's registration list. You still must register with your university Panhellenic.
• Open/Informal Recruitment – A period following Formal Recruitment with informal recruitment without scheduled parties. This is designated by the university Panhellenic.
• Panhellenic – All Greek.
• Preferential Bidding – A system used at the conclusion of Formal Recruitment when potential new members and sororities indicate choices.
• Quota – System used to equalize, in general, the number of members in each campus group. It means the number of girls who may be pledged by each group in Recruitment. The quota is set by the university Panhellenic and depends on the number of potential new members and sororities on a particular campus.
• Count Against Quota – At most universities freshmen and sophomores are counted in the quota. Juniors and seniors are "bonus" pledges and are not included in the Count Against Quota total, meaning they do not count against quota.
• Quota Additions – A method of offering a bid to a girl who would have been a "Quota Victim" because she was not high enough on the sorority's Mater List to be offered a bid before the quota was reached. Check with your university Panhellenic to see if they offer Quota Additions.
• Recruitment Counselor (Rho Chi) – During Recruitment Week there is an advisor for large groups of potential new members. The advisors, sometimes called Rho Chi, are active sorority members who keep their sorority affiliation a secret during Recruitment Week.
• Reference (RIF) or Recommendation (Rec) – A form used by sororities with information pertaining to the potential new member; each sorority has slightly different informational needs. A reference/recommendation is voluntarily written by an alumna of each sorority. Alumnae use these forms to call a potential new member to their group's attention but it is the sorority chapter's privilege to choose who shall receive invitations.
• Release Figure Method (RFM) – A system that looks at the number of women each chapter on a campus invites to each round during recruitment. This new system helps better manage the expectations of potential new members and "levels the playing field" for each chapter on campus by allowing a woman to maximize her choices and find herself in a sorority where she feels at home. The RFM allows potential new members a better chance for placement in a chapter that appeals to them, especially if their first choice at the beginning of recruitment releases them early in the process to pursue other options and choices.
• Silence – The period of time designated by university Panhellenics when there is no communication between potential new members and sorority members. Some university Panhellenic's prohibit contact between potential new members and their relatives and friends during silence.
• Snap Bid – At the close of Recruitment Week some sororities are permitted to accept additional members. Check with your university Panhellenic for the rules pertaining to snap bids.