Chapter Resources and FAQs
View FAQs and common terms for for Johns Hopkins fraternity and sorority chapters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do fraternities and sororities have to register with LEED like other organizations?
Each fall, fraternity and sorority chapters, as well as governing councils, must register with Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development Office. Registering is mandatory for all student organizations wishing to receive resources and services from the Student Affairs Division of Student Life and other campus departments. Only registered student organizations are afforded privileges such as reserving rooms in campus buildings, reserving space on campus, and recruiting new members on campus. The registration period is typically from the first day of classes to the last day of September and is completed online. You will need contact information for your President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, and Faculty/Chapter Advisor to complete the process.
How does my fraternity/sorority reserve space on campus?
Registered organizations are required to provide two members to be event schedulers for their organization through Scheduling and Events Services. With this training, students learn how to book and reserve spaces on 25live.
How do I get money for my chapter’s program/event?
We encourage each chapter to connect with its governing council if they are requesting money for event items and purchases. Chapters are also able to request money through the Student Government Association.
How does my chapter obtain a Tax ID number and why do we need it?
Your chapter, and any non-profit organizations, may apply online for a Federal Tax ID Number here. What you are actually applying for is an Employer Identification Number (EIN) since a fraternity or sorority is a nonprofit organization.
Your chapter will need a Federal Tax ID number if you request funding or reimbursement from any Johns Hopkins University entity. All JHU check requisitions require the organization’s Federal Tax ID number.
Where may my chapter receive mail or packages?
Should your chapter receive mail or packages, please connect with the LEED office on the fourth floor of the Bloomberg Student Center, located at 3290 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218.
Is there a fax machine or copier my chapter may use for fraternity/sorority business?
Recognized student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, may use the fax machine at the LEED office on the fourth floor of the Bloomberg Student Center, located at 3290 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218. Ask a LEED staff member how to purchase a copy card.
Glossary
Here are some of the most commonly used terms among the fraternity and sorority community:
Active – A member who has been initiated into lifelong fraternity or sorority membership and is active at the collegiate level.
Alumni/Alumnae – Initiated fraternity (alumni) and sorority (alumnae) members who have graduated from college.
Badge – The pin of an initiated member indicating membership in the fraternity or sorority.
Bid – A formal invitation to join a particular fraternity or sorority.
Big Brother or Big Sister – An active member of a fraternity or sorority who serves as a mentor to a new member, guiding them through their new member program and initiation.
Brother – A term used by fraternity members to refer to one another.
Chapter – A local group of a larger national or international organization, designated by a specific Greek name.
Chapter Advisor – An alumnus/alumnae of a fraternity or sorority who establishes and maintains a close advisory relationship with a chapter and assists members and officers in all areas of chapter operations.
Charter – The document issued from a headquarters to a chapter that indicates the group is a full-fledged member of the national or international organization.
Colony/Provisional Chapter – When an organization expands or re-expands back on campus, they may not have a charter. This would deem them as a colony or a provisional chapter until their national organization provides one.
Depledge – To terminate one’s fraternity or sorority membership before initiation.
Disaffiliate – When a member temporarily removes his or her association from his or her chapter, usually during formal recruitment time.
Formal Membership Recruitment (NPC) – The process of mutual selection between potential new members and the NPC chapters.
Fraternity – The name that applies to all Greek-letter organizations characterized by a ritual, pin/badge, and strong ties to friendship and moral principles. Informally, women’s fraternities are called sororities.
Greek – Any member of a Greek-letter social or community service organization (fraternity or sorority).
Hazing – Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule (taken from the Fraternity Executives Association statements of position).
Headquarters – The central international or national organization of a particular fraternity or sorority.
Initiation – The formal ceremony endorsed by the fraternity or sorority headquarters that marks the beginning of active membership. Each chapter has a different set of requirements in order to be initiated.
Inter-Fraternity Council – The governing body of eleven fraternities recognized at Johns Hopkins. Known as the IFC, it sets policy for its member organizations, facilitates and promotes the recruitment process, co-sponsors service and social events, and holds member organizations accountable to established bylaws and the Undergraduate Student Handbook and Student Code.
Initiated Member/Initiate – Any member, alumnus or undergraduate, who has completed the new member/pledge process and has participated through the initiation ceremony.
Intake – The process of NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) chapters engage in to recruit, interview, and choose new members.
Legacy – The brother or sister, son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter of a fraternity or sorority member. Each local chapter has its own policy regarding offering membership to legacies; being a legacy does not mean automatic membership into a particular chapter.
NALFO – National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations; the national umbrella organization for Latino/Latina Greek organizations.
NMGC – The National Multicultural Greek Council is the governing umbrella organization for multicultural-based fraternities and sororities.
NIC – North American Interfraternity Conference
NPC – National Panhellenic Conference; the umbrella organization of 26 inter/national women’s fraternities and sororities.
NPHC – National Pan-Hellenic Council, “The Divine Nine”; an national association of African-American Greek-letter organizations composed of four sororities and five fraternities. NPHC councils are organized at the campus, city, and regional levels.
Neophyte: (i.e., Neo) – A new member of a culturally-based Greek organization.
New Member – A member of a fraternity or sorority who has not been initiated. Some organizations refer to new members as pledges.
New Member Program – The process, endorsed or prescribed by the fraternity or sorority headquarters, to teach the history, ideals, and values of fraternity and sorority life. The length of time of each chapter’s new member program may vary.
Panhellenic – Meaning “all Greek,” it is the governing council for the five NPC sororities at Johns Hopkins; it is the collegiate counterpart of NPC.
Philanthropy – A charitable fundraising event sponsored by a fraternity or sorority. It also refers to the charitable organization of choice of a chapter; sometimes officially named by the inter/national organization.
Potential New Member – A college woman who is participating in, or is eligible to participate in, Panhellenic Formal Membership Recruitment.
Probate/New Member Presentation – The performance to unveil the new members in a culturally-based organization.
Prophyte – A term used to describe older members within a culturally-based organization.
Recommendation – A personal letter of reference provided by an alumnus of a fraternity or sorority to the local chapter. Letters of recommendation do not guarantee an invitation to join from any fraternity or sorority.
Rho Gamma (Recruitment Guide) – A NPC woman who agrees to disaffiliate herself from her sorority to assist Potential New Members navigate the Formal Membership Recruitment process. These women are charged with providing impartial assistance to PNMs in making choices about selecting membership in NPC organizations.
Ritual – Secret ceremonies performed by fraternity and sorority chapters, and prescribed and endorsed by their headquarters, that are an outward depiction of the fraternity’s or sorority’s stated values, aims, and principles.
Sibling – A term used by both fraternities and sororities that refers to a member of the respective chapter.
Signing – A hand gesture used by NPHC and most multicultural fraternity and sorority members to signify their membership in the organization.
Sister – A term used by sorority members to refer to one another.
Unaffiliated – A term used to describe student that are not members of a campus fraternity or sorority.
Yard — A term used by NPHC groups to indicate the campus. Used in phrases such as which groups are on the yard, meaning which groups are on the campus.
