Alpha Chi Omega Theta Sigma Chapter

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Our Purpose: As stated in our Constitution, our purpose is "to encourage the true spirit of sisterhood, to develop through personal effort a high moral and mental standard, and to advance the appreciation of fine arts among our members.

Our Vision: Alpha Chi Omega enables women with a shared value system to develop and maintain relationships that encourage each woman to strive to reach her potential as a fulfilled individual and a contributing member to society.

Our Membership: Over 159,000 women have been initiated into our Fraternity. Alpha Chi Omega has 133 active collegiate chapters in 39 states and the District of Columbia; and over 200 alumnae nationwide.

• Alumnae: a fully initiated member of a sorority who is no longer in college

• Bid: invitation to membership by a sorority, starting the new member process (learning about the chapter’s history, etc)

• Big Sister/Little Sister: each new member is matched to a big sister during the new member education process. A big sister is there to be a guide and mentor to her little sister throughout the new member process and continuing through college and life.

• Chapter: 1.The name applied to the local group of a national fraternity or sorority
2. A weekly business meeting which takes place, normally, on Sunday

• Fraternity: A men’s organization established through the bonds of brotherhood ( It is often offensive when a fraternity is called a ‘frat’)

• Hazing: Persecuting or harassing with humiliating tasks, words, or actions (zero tolerance policy at UNF)

• Lavaliere: a necklace with a Greek letter charm, usually given to a new sister after initiation. Fraternity lavalieres are also given to long term girlfriends in certain chapters

• Legacy: a PNM of a sorority who is the daughter or sister of a member of the same sorority, although not necessarily of the same chapter

• Lifetime: A collegian who has participated in the Second Degree of Initiation.

• NIS: ‘Newly Initiated Sister’, a girl who has recently been admitted to a sorority

• Panhellenic: College or national organization established to maintain fraternity relationships among women's groups and promote the Greek system.

• Philanthropy: An effort to promote human welfare. Philanthropic activity is one of the foundations of Greek organizations (our local philanthropy being the Hubbard House)

• Pi Chi: A rush counselor who is a member of one of the sororities at the University of North Florida and who has opted to disaffiliate from her chapter for the entire summer so she can provide unbiased counseling to PMNs before, during, and after the Recruitment period

• PNM: ‘Potential New Member’, a girl interested in joining a Greek organization who participates in rush. (PNM is preferred to the derogatory term ‘pledge’)

• Quota: specifies a number of new members each sorority can accept during formal recruitment

• Rush: The period of time for membership recruitment by Greek organizations. An opportunity for non-Greek students to learn about individual organizations and their membership. (Alpha Chi’s begins in September 2006)

• Sorority: A group of women joined together by friendship and the bond of sisterhood for leadership and academic purposes. (Although some sororities, such as Alpha Chi, identify themselves as a fraternity. This is done to distinguish our organization from the sisterhoods organized in connection with men’s fraternities, called ‘sororities.’ Alpha Chi Omega has no ‘brother fraternity’)