Fraternity and Sorority Life at Missouri State University is home to 31 chapters and
2,000 students. Membership in Fraternity and Sorority Life provides opportunities
to develop valuable leadership skills, serve the Springfield community, and to build
friendships that will last a lifetime. As you explore different ways to Make your
Missouri Statement, we hope that you will consider the lifelong impact of membership
in a fraternity or sorority.
FSL Fast Facts
Fraternity and Sorority Life students make up about 15% of the undergraduate student population
The All FSL GPA is a 3.24, surpassing the All Campus GPA of a 3.23
Last year, we had 514 members with a 4.0 GPA
Chapters hosted or attended 117 educational programs
Our members completed a total of 25,625 community service hours
The FSL community donated $159,592 to philanthropic initiatives
The FSL community donated over 21,000 pounds of food to the Bear Pantry on campus
Letter from Dr. Siscoe
During my collegiate days at MSU (many years ago), I joined a National Sorority. That
affiliation provided me an abundance of growth and development opportunities. I can
truly say that my sorority experience laid the foundation for me as an ethical leader,
engaged citizen, and culturally competent professional.
While involvement in the Fraternity and Sorority Life community may not be the right
experience for all students, it does provide a positive connection for many. Thousands
of our alumni have enriched and enhanced their Missouri State University experience
through involvement in our Greek-lettered organizations. Our fraternities and sororities
offer students the opportunity to make friends, to serve others, and to gain leadership
experience, both on campus and on a national level.
We are proud of the accomplishments of our growing number of Greek-lettered organizations
and students. You owe it to yourself to learn about these organizations and to consider
whether membership would be the right choice for you!
Go Bears!
Dr. Dee Siscoe VP for Student Affairs
If you're new to Fraternity and Sorority Life, some of the language might be confusing.
Below you'll find an overview of commonly used terms.
Active - a member who has been initiated into a chapter, is an undergraduate, and actively
participates
Alumni/Alumnae - initiated fraternity or sorority members who have graduated from college
Badge - the pin of an initiated member
Bid - a formal invitation to join a fraternity or sorority
Chapter - a local group of a fraternal organization
Colony/Associate Chapter - a new group of an inter/national organization before they are installed as a chapter
Fraternity - the name that applies to all Greek organizations, traditionally men's organizations.
Informally, women's fraternities are called sororities
FSL - Fraternity and Sorority Life
Hand Sign - used to identify members of the same organization across all chapters. Most have
a deep meaning to that organization or ritualistic symbol
Initiation - a formal ceremony or ritual in which a new member gains full membership
Intake - the process through which National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters gain new members
Interfraternity Council (IFC) - The governing body of some fraternities at MSU.
Legacy - a potential new member whose immediate family member or grandparent is in a fraternity
or sorority
Line - The members of a cultural Greek organization new member class
Local Chapter - a Greek letter organization that is not affiliated with an inter/national organization
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - a national organization composed of four sororities and five fraternities whose
members are historically African/Black-American
Neophyte ("Neo") - A new member of a cultural Greek organization
New Member - a member who has accepted the bid of a fraternity or sorority, but has not yet
been initiated
New Member Presentation (Probate) - a formal presentation of a new line to campus. Usually done in a public forum after
members have been initiated
Panhellenic Association - an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's sororities throughout the
United States and Canada
Panhellenic Counselor (Pi Chi) - a Panhellenic sorority member who will assist potential new members during formal
recruitment.
Para ("Nalia") - short for paraphernalia. The different items of clothing someone is wearing
Philanthropy - a charitable fundraiser or service project sponsored by a fraternity or sorority
Potential New Member (PNM) - a person interested in becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority
Prophyte - term used to refer to an older brother/sister from the same chapter, typically
only used for culturally-based organizations
Recruitment - the mutual choice and selection process to determine fraternity or sorority membership
Ritual - the traditional beliefs and oaths of a fraternity or sorority
Soror - term used to refer to a sister in a National Pan-Hellenic Council or Multicultural
organization
Stepping - a historically black tradition characterized by synchronized hand foot movements,
along with signing, dancing, chanting, and acting. Many Latino/Latina and Multicultural
groups participate in stepping as well.
Stroll - a line dance done by members of National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations; usually
done at a step show
Yard - the term used to refer to the particular campus or university where a chapter is
located
During my collegiate days at MSU (many years ago), I joined a National Sorority. That
affiliation provided me an abundance of growth and development opportunities. I can
truly say that my sorority experience laid the foundation for me as an ethical leader,
engaged citizen, and culturally competent professional.