Bid: An invitation to join a sorority.
Bid Day: The last day of recruitment when potential new members receive an invitation (bid) to join a sorority.
Continuous Open Bidding (COB): An additional recruiting option for a chapter that did not fill Quota, or did fill Quota but did not reach Total, before and/or after Formal Recruitment. Before being bid through COB a student must meet the eligibility standard set by OFSA and Panhellenic and be registered in the Greek Recruitment Portal.
Initiation: A ceremony that brings new members into full membership of a sorority. Once a student is initiated into an NPC sorority, they are ineligible for membership in any other NPC sorority.
Intentional Single Preference: When a PNM lists only one chapter on their Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA) following the preference round of NPC formal recruitment.
Legacy: A daughter, sister or granddaughter of an initiated member of a sorority. Each NPC member organization has its own definition of who is considered a legacy. Legacy status does not guarantee a student will be invited back to a certain round of recruitment, nor does it guarantee a student will be invited to join the organization to which they are a legacy.
Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA): This is a binding agreement signed by a potential new member following the final preference party they attend during formal recruitment. A potential new member agrees to accept a bid from any chapter they list on the MRABA. If the PNM receives a bid to a chapter they list and decline it, they are ineligible to join another organization on that campus until the beginning of the next primary membership recruitment period. If they do not receive a bid to membership, they are eligible for continuous open bidding.
New Member: a student who accepts a bid from a sorority but is not yet an initiated member. As a new member, they receive education about the organization’s values and history to prepare for initiation.
Pledge: A promise made by a new member. It is a verb and should not be used as a noun to describe a new member.
Potential New Member (PNM): Any student who is eligible to participate in recruitment.
Recruitment Counselor (Pi Chi): A member of the Panhellenic Recruitment Team who has no contact with her own chapter during membership recruitment and serves as a guide for PNMs through the recruitment process.
Financial Glossary
All Inclusive Dues: Some chapters are “all inclusive” meaning they budget out of their dues for events such as social events, T-shirts, etc so members do not have to pay out of pocket throughout the year.
Badge Fee: Each organization has a membership badge/pin. Some groups require a separate fee for a new member to purchase a badge and others include that fee it in the initiation fee.
Per capita Fee: Fee paid to inter/national organization per member to support overall sorority operation.
Technology Fee: These funds support software used by the chapter to conduct business and/or high speed internet in the chapter house.
Assessment: Chapter may vote to support an activity/event/cause that is not included in the chapter budget and the expense would be assessed per member.
Campus Obligation: These funds are used when a chapter is asked to donate funds to other organizations and fundraising opportunities on campus.
Chapter Dues: The dues fund all members activities including programming, recruitment, chapter supplies, and chapter operations.
Composite: An annual photograph is taken of each chapter’s membership. This expense can be included in the dues or billed separately.
Initiation Fee: Fee paid to finalize membership in an organization and is paid at the completion of the new member process.
Liability/Risk Management Insurance: This fee covers insurance-related costs for the safety of members, their guests, and sorority property. Funds may also be used for special programming relating to risk management concerns on campus or within the chapter.
New Member Fee: Fee paid to establish membership in organization.
Panhellenic Dues: These funds are used to support Panhellenic operations. Attending conferences, office operation, donations, marketing and electronic media are some of the items included in the Panhellenic budget.
Parking Permit: Parking is extremely limited at chapter houses. Spaces are allocated by each chapter to members based on criteria set by the leadership and/or Chapter Corporation.
Philanthropy Fee: Each chapter has a national philanthropy and some have local causes they support. This fee can be included in the dues or billed separately.
Purchase Fund: This fund is set up at the beginning of each semester to pay for things not included in chapter dues. Funds can be used to purchase T-shirts, sorority paraphernalia, or attend optional social functions.
Social Fees: Social functions not included in chapter dues are billed out individually based on cost of the event.
House Corporation Fee: These funds are used to support chapter property and physical plant. Often this is a one-time fee paid prior to initiation
Parlor/House Usage Fee: The entire membership has access to the house and thus the property is subject to a great deal of wear and tear. This fee is used primarily for care and maintenance of property and furnishings in the common areas of the chapter facility.
Security Fee: Special security staff is sometimes utilized on property and all members, not just those living in the house, would absorb this expense.