Greek Glossary

What is Rush? 

New Member Recruitment, or « Rush » as it’s called, is the the period during which potential members become introduced to Greek life to see if it is for them. It is a time to meet many new people. It is also a time for making decisions. « Is Greek life for me? », « Which organization do I feel the most comfortable with? », « Which Greek members will I feel Brotherhood with? », « Which Organization has the ideals and values which best match my own? »

These are all questions that you will have to answer while you are learning about the Greek system and preparing to join. Participating in Rush does not mean that you MUST join, it is for you to decide if you WANT to join. It is a fun and exciting time!

Bid:  An invitation to join a Greek Letter Organization. Bid Matching: In Recruitment, the matching of Potential New Members with Houses is based on the choice of both parties.

C.O.R.: Continuous Open Recruitment (Also called Informal Recruitment or post-rush recrutment).

Formal: Recruitment Events organized by members of the fraternity.

Fraternity: A single-sex Greek Letter Organization whose members follow a same philosophy for personal development, scholarship and Brotherhood. Some Women’s Fraternities are called Sororities.

House: Another name for Greek Letter Organization (GLO) or Social Fraternity/Sorority. Also refers to the actual building which is the Fraternity/Sorority residence.

Potential New Member (Rushee): A man or woman interested in joining a GLO and is going through Rush in order to get more information about GLOs.

Rho Chi: Pronounced row-kh-eye (Also called Rush Counsellors, or Recrutment coordinator).

Rush/Recruitment: The process of exchanging information. Fraternity and Sorority members give information about their respective organizations to Potential New Members (Rushees). The Potential New Members give information about themselves and inquire about the missions, philosophies, financial obligations, Alumni opportunities and membership commitment of the organization that he or she is Rushing. It is an active process on both sides to ensure that new members are properly matched with a Greek Letter Organization (GLO). Every Fraternity is not for every Potential New Member and vice versa.