Resources

Advisors

Advisors are an important part of helping to guide and assist our chapters on all levels. In requiring fraternities and sororities to have Chapter Advisors, the University expects that advisors will take an active role in the organization. The nature and style of that role is left to the determination of the organization and its advisor. The role of the Chapter Advisor is to guide, advise, and support the chapter and its officers and monitor their progress.

Parents & Families

The college experience is a huge transition and an exciting time in your son or daughter's life. This new time brings opportunities, challenges, and rewards for you and your student. As a parent, you must have questions and concerns about the choices that they will make. Joining a fraternity or sorority can enhance their experience at WCU. This information is designed to provide answers to some of your questions about Fraternity & Sorority Life and what it can offer them in the coming years.

Glossary

Fraternities and sororities have a unique language to refer to the things they have in common and the things that make them unique.

Glossary of Common Terms

  • Active: An initiated undergraduate member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Alumna: A post-collegiate life-long member of a sorority. Generally, women move to alumnae status after eight semesters of undergraduate study. Plural is alumnae (pronounced alumnee).
  • Alumni: Used to refer to multiple male or female post-collegiate members of Greek organizations. An alternative plural is the combination alumni/ae.
  • Alumnus: A post-collegiate life-long member of a fraternity. Generally, men move to alumni status after eight semesters of undergraduate study, but they may continue to pay active member dues up until graduation, if their undergraduate work continues beyond eight semesters. Plural is alumni (pronounced alumnye).
  • Anchor/Tail: The last person in the intake class for a culturally based fraternity or sorority (usually organized from shortest to tallest).
  • Badge: The badge of an initiated member is received during the initiation ceremony and worn in a designated location.
  • Bid: A formal invitation to join a fraternity or sorority.
  • Black and Latino Greek Council (BLGC): governing body for culturally based fraternities and sororities, currently representing Black Greek Letter Organizations and Latino Greek Letter Organizations.
  • Brother: a term used when referring to other members of a fraternity.
  • Call/Chant: A vocal sound (sometimes high-pitched) used by members of cultural based fraternities and sororities to acknowledge one another.
  • Captain/Ace: The first person in an intake class for a culturally based fraternity or sorority (usually organized from shortest to tallest).
  • Chapter: A local branch of a national fraternity or sorority. Each fraternity and sorority at WCU has a unique chapter designation; for example, we are home to the Lambda Gamma chapter of Phi Mu.
  • Chapter: A term used to describe the collegiate group of a fraternity or sorority.
  • COB: Continuous Open Bidding; the opportunity for a chapter to invite women to membership if the chapter did not fill its quota in FMR or has not reached total.
  • Colony: A term used to describe a new organization on the campus, not yet fully installed as a full chapter by the national organization.
  • Crossing: A term used by NPHC and MGC chapters groups to indicate that a new member has been fully initiated into the group.
  • Event: The name used during Panhellenic formal membership recruitment to refer to when PNMs are in a chapter house. Party is no longer used.
  • Formal membership recruitment: The NPC sorority membership selection period held before school starts in the fall.
  • Fraternal Programming Board (FPB): the programming board that is responsible for coordinating programs for the entire fraternity and sorority community.
  • Greek Week: An annual celebration held in the spring in which chapters participate in athletic events, community service, brotherhood and sisterhood activities.
  • House: Independent living unit owned or rented by a chapter's alumni Housing Corporation Board. WCU does not formally recognize any fraternity or sorority houses.
  • Informational: A forum for individuals interested in seeking more information about a particular NPHC or MGC fraternity or sorority.
  • Initiation: The ceremony in which a new member becomes an initiation member.
  • Intake: The term groups used to bring new members into an NPHC or MGC organization. Each chapter determines when they will conduct intake and is assisted in this process by their Graduate Chapter and Chapter Advisor (a group of local alumni).
  • Interfraternity Council (IFC): the local governing body for the member chapters that are also affiliated with the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
  • Legacy: A potential member whose grandparent, parent, brother or sister is a member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Multicultural Greek Council (MGC): The national governing body for multicultural fraternities and sororities.
  • MRABA: Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement; a one-year binding agreement between the PNM and an NPC chapter on campus.
  • NALFO: National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
  • National Headquarters: The governing association for each individual sorority. Link every chapter together. No longer referred to as "Nationals".
  • National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC): The national governing body for the nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.
  • New Member Show: A term used by NPHC and MGC groups to designate the time when new members of such groups come out/present themselves to the campus. Those joining such organization are generally not known and thus it is a time when the new members are revealed.
  • Non-affiliated: Those WCU students not involved with an inter/national fraternity or sorority.
  • New Member: For an IFC or PHC chapter, this is a potential member who has accepted a bid from a fraternity or sorority but is not yet initiated. May also be referred to as an "associate member."
  • NIC: North-American Interfraternity Conference, the national leadership organization for its member fraternities.
  • NPC: National Panhellenic Conference, the national leadership organization for its member sororities.
  • Panhellenic: Greek word meaning all Greek. It is inappropriate to shorten it to "Panhell"
  • Panhellenic Council (PHC): Panhellenic Council, the local governing body for the NPC member sororities.
  • Philanthropy: Fundraising activities or service projects for charitable institutions, or charitable aid/donations to these institutions. (Please note the difference between philanthropy and community service).
  • Potential New Member (PNM): An individual interested in becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Quota: The number each NPC sorority may pledge on a campus during formal recruitment
  • Recruitment Counselor: A neutral representative of the College Panhellenic who guides and supports the participant through recruitment.
  • Recruitment: Refers to the process by which PHC and IFC chapters select new members.
  • Ritual: The traditional, secret ceremonies of a fraternity or sorority.
  • Sands: The term used to refer to men and women who were initiated in the same term and year (ex. Spring 2013).
  • Sister: A term used within a women's fraternity when referring to other members or new members.
  • Soror: A term used within NPHC and MGC member sororities when referring to other members.
  • Step Show: An event in which members of an organization or several organizations perform synchronized, rhythmic steps while chanting lyrics to show pride and spirit for their organization.
  • Total: The allowable chapter size, as determined by the Panhellenic Council, including both new and initiated members.
  • Women: The term used to refer to members of the sorority community. It is inappropriate to use any other words including girls or ladies.
  • Yard: A term used by NPHC and MGC groups to indicate the campus with which they are affiliated.

Staff

Amber Decker Haynes

Amber Decker Haynes

Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

Amber has her bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University in Human Development and her Master’s degree from Nazareth University in Leadership and Organizational Change. Amber began her career working for her sorority headquarters and advising chapters across the country. After working at Phi Mu Headquarters, Amber transitioned into a campus based professional, serving as the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Advising at Colgate University in upstate New York. After departing Colgate, Amber continued her career at the University of Pennsylvania working within the student union to oversee programming, student employment, and student run businesses. Outside of work, Amber enjoys hanging out with her wife, Sierra, and her two black pugs. Amber is eager to lead the West Chester community and serve the West Chester students.

Amber Decker Haynes

 

Elisa A. Oliver

Elisa A. Oliver

Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

Elisa Oliver has joined our team as one of the two Assistant Directors of Fraternity and Sorority Life where she will primarily advise the Black and Latino Greek Council. Elisa is originally from Miami, Florida and is a  sister of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. where she is actively involved through her role in national leadership. Prior to arriving at WCU, Elisa served as Assistant Director of Residential Education at Florida Atlantic University.  Before that, she served as a Residence Life Coordinator at the University of South Florida. Elisa earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees at Florida State University where she served first-generation students as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE). Elisa is passionate about leadership development and is excited to serve the students of WCU.

Elisa A. Oliver
Lorae Bonamy

Stephen Hopson

Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

Stephen comes to WCU from Fort Hays State University, where he served as the Coordinator of Student Engagement, primarily working with fraternity and sorority life as well as student affairs assessment projects. Stephen completed his undergraduate work at Rider University in 2016 and a Master’s of Science in Higher Education Administration from New England College in 2017. Stephen is originally from New Jersey and a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking or playing sports, singing Hamilton lyrics on repeat, and has an energetic 2-year-old German Shorthair Pointer named Tug.

Stephen Hopson
Alyssa Innaurato

Alyssa Innaurato

Graduate Assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life

Alyssa is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. She completed her undergraduate at WCU, in 2020, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree. After graduation, Alyssa worked in the social media marketing space for three years, before pursuing her passion for mental health. When Alyssa is not working with students or in class, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her cat, Beso.

Alyssa Innaurato
Zahir Owens

Zahir Owens

Graduate Assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life

Zahir is a Graduate Assistant in the FS&L department. He is currently in graduate school for his Master's in Higher Education.

Zahir Owens
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