Delta Dictionary

Because sometimes it can sound like another language Term Accreditation Definition Every year the chapter sends in a packet that overviews the chapter s accomplishments that year to Tri Delta s Executive Office. Based on this packet the chapter receives a score of a no star chapter, one star chapter, or two star chapter. No-star chapters are potentially in danger of being removed from their campus. The score is based upon five topics: Academics, New Member Education, Finances, Member Development and Recruitment. Alpha Week is also knows as Big/Little Week because it is the week leading up to Big/Little Revelations. Actives find out who their littles are on Sunday (Typically the Sunday following Bid Day) and New Members find out who their big is on the following Friday. New Members come to the house each day during Alpha Week and receive a gift from their big sis. Along with the gifts the big sis usually leaves a clue to help their little figure out who their big is. On Friday there is a revelations ceremony. Our alumnae adviser is a graduated member of Tri Delta that oversees our chapter affairs. She attends meetings, standards meeting, officer s council, ritual and more. Our current adviser is Kasey Martyr who graduated from our chapter, Beta Upsilon. Apple Polishing happens once a year usually during spring quarter during social hour. Each member invites two professors to our house and we mingle and serve dessert. This is a time to show professors our appreciation to them and to let them see what Tri Delta is all about. We also recognize members with outstanding grades. Professors are very excited when they receive our invitations and they usually really enjoy themselves at our house. Also knows as a pin. Members receive the Badge when they are initiated. It is gold with the 3 stars, a crescent and pearls. Members a required to wear it to meeting and ritual. Badges are not allowed to be worn unless the member is wearing business attire. Each pin has the member initials, the letters of their chapter and their chapter initiation number on the back. An initiated member can be in "Bad Standing" with the chapter if she is not current on her dues payments or did not make grades according to bylaws the previous quarter. Girls in bad standing cannot attend Tri Delta sponsored social events (Cocktail, Crush, Stars and Crescent Formal, or exchanges) and are at risk of being terminated from the chapter. An invitation to join a fraternity or sorority. An active member assigned to be the personal mentor of a younger member. The selection process for assigning a big sis is a mutual decision between the older and younger member. When you get a Big Sis, you become part of a family line, each with its own name and fun traditions. An active member of a fraternity and someone you have become very

Alpha Week

Alumnae Advisor (AA)

Apple Polishing

Badge

Bad Standing

Bid Big Sis

Big Bro

Billhighway

Business Meeting

Bylaws

Campuswide

CDO

Chapter

Circle Degree

Coat of Arms

COB

close too. This person should be someone you see as a "big brother." Someone that will look after you and make sure are always safe. This is not someone that you want to hook-up with. Usually a person will ask you if you want to be their little sis. By accepting this offer they become your Big Bro. You should only have one Big Bro, so decide carefully. This is where you pay your dues as a member. The website is Billhighway.com. You will need to create an account so you can see what you owe, when it is due and what you have paid. Two to three meetings every month are Business Meetings. During these meetings you are required to dress business casual. Blazers are not required (but are optional) with slacks or a business skirt. Blouses should uphold to the standard three finger rule. Dresses should also meet this requirement. Appropriate dress shoes shall be worn, and you must wear your pin. The attire should resemble what would be worn to a formal job or interview. These are the rules which govern our Beta Upsilon Chapter. They are usually updated every 3 years but can be amended if the need arises. Our National Tri Delta Bylaws supersede our Beta Upsilon Bylaws. We are also governed by our Beta Upsilon Policies. Policies are usually updated yearly. All girls in the Chapter agree to be governed by this set of rules. It gives our Chapter structure to function and provides consistency though out changes in leadership. Hence, decisions are not arbitrary, they are governed by what is contained in the Bylaws and Policies of the Chapter. Held by sororities typically at their house or on the Arroyo Vista lawn as a public relations event. They are around dinner time with free food and music and are open to all Greek chapters and the UC Irvine community. They are always fun to go to as you can socialize with members of the the Greek community. CDO stands for Collegiate District Officer. The CDO oversees collegiate chapter management and collegiate members in her district. She serves as the main contact between the Executive Office and the collegiate chapter. A branch of a national sorority, established at a campus. Each will have their own name, usually designated by Greek Letters. UCI Tri Delta is the Beta Upsilon chapter. This is the final ritual. A collegiate member goes through this ritual before she graduates to become an alumnae. A member is not considered an alumna unless she goes through this ritual. In 1906 a Tri Delta Coat of Arms was adopted from the Omicron Chapter at Syracuse University. The Coat of Arms is an emblem that represents the sorority. It is comprised of a quartered shield. The first and fourth quarters are blue, on each of which is a silver trident. The second and third quarters are gold, on each of which is a pine tree. Above the shield is a crest consisting of a torse with six folds in which a pansy arises from. Below the shield is our open motto written in Greek on a scroll. COB stands for Continuous Open Bidding. This can occur during winter and/or spring quarter. If a sorority does not reach their quota for the year they have the option of holding an informal recruitment. Here chapters offer bids to potential new members (PNMs), though fewer bids are given

Cocktail

Collegiate Member

Crush Party

Debbie Delta

Delta Dollars

Delta Week

Delta s Only

Dirty Rushing DHOP

Dues

Emergency Financial Status (EFS)

out during COB than in formal recruitment. Our chapter s fall invite-only social event. Every girl is allowed to invite one other person to be their date to this event. The event is formal, and following the name of the event, cocktail attire is appropriate. Once a member has been initiated into Tri Delta, they are considered an active member until they graduate and go through the final ritual (Circle Degree) which makes them an alumna. This can also be referred to as an active member. Crush Party is Tri Delta's winter quarter cocktail party. Each girl has two invites to give to anyone (regardless of whether or not they attend UCI or are in the Greek system). Special invitations are distributed anonymously and those invited discover their crush at the party. Debbie Delta is referenced as a person who exemplifies everything a Tri Delta should be. The perfect woman as dictated by Tri Delta s purpose and standards. Calling a person a Debbie Delta is a compliment within the chapter. It is also the name of a nominated award given out at Stars and Crescent Formal. Members can earn Delta Dollars by showing off their academic prowess. Members receive Delta Dollars for attending a professor s office hours, earning an A on an assignment or test, or earning a B on an assignment. At the end of the school year an auction is held where members can bid on various prizes using their hard earned Delta Dollars. If a member is in bad standing with the chapter for not making grades the previous quarter, she can buy back social events with her Delta Dollars. All grades should be turned into the Academic Chairman to earn Delta Dollars. Delta Week is the week before new members are initiated. Every evening the week prior to initiation on Saturday the new members have an event with different pledge classes. The Friday before initiation is fireside. There are two Delta s Only events every month. Members are required to attend one of these two events each month. Events can range from going to a sporting event together to completing a sisterhood activity as dictated by Executive Office. When one organization will attempt to influence a potential new member through gifts, bad mouthing other organizations, etc. This is forbidden. This acronym stands for Delta House of Pancakes. It is a yearly philanthropy our chapter holds to raise funds for St. Jude. The event is a late night all you can eat pancake buffet. Members personally make every pancake and provide toppings and drinks for all those who attend. The price of entry is five dollars at the door. At the event there is also a DJ, multiple raffles and a pancake eating contest. Charge of joining a fraternity or sorority. Covers costs of operation, formal events, activities and other events. If you do not pay your dues by the due date you will be considered in financial bad standing with the chapter. EFS is a financial plan for girls with a particularly difficult financial situation (i.e. death in the family, medical issues, etc.). They are only required to pay the National Chapter Dues. If put on EFS, the member is given automatic access to Tri Delta sponsored social events. Any girl interested in being put

Exchange Executive Office (EO)

Exemplerary Membership Status (EMS)

Family

Fat Talk

Fat Talk Free Week

Fireside

Formal Meeting

Formal Recruitment

Founder s Day

Frat Fraternity

on EFS must ask Standards for permission at the start of every quarter. A party between a sorority and fraternity, often involving themes. Tri Delta's Executive Office is the highest authority in Delta Delta Delta. EO supports the day-to-day functioning of the Fraternity, the Delta Delta Delta Foundation, and National House Corporation, and supports the needs of the members. EMS is a financial plan for girls studying abroad or girls with excessive amounts of extracurricular activities. They are only required to pay the National Chapter dues. If put on EMS, the member is given automatic access to Tri Delta sponsored social events. Any girl interested in being put on EMS must ask Standards for permission at the start of every quarter. Girls seeking EMS are not guaranteed to be approved for it. Each sorority is comprised of multiple families within their chapter. When you get a big sis, you are automatically adopted into her family . Families are formed when multiple generations of big sisters (or brothers) are brought together. For example, some families within our chapter include: Barbie Family, Enchanted, One Love, and Royal Family. Fat Talk is negative language associated with your or someone else s body. Examples of Fat Talk include: You look great, have you lost weight? , I need to lose ten pounds, or She s too fat to be wearing that. The idea behind stopping Fat Talk is that when you stop focusing on negative body image, you can love yourself more, and focus on what really matters: who you are and being healthy. Fat Talk Free Week is a week that is dedicated to spreading awareness of Fat Talk , and encourages people to end it. We usually set up a booth in the Student Center for the week, where Tri Deltas get people to sign the pledge to be Fat Talk Free. Fat Talk Free Week promotes the idea of your own, personal healthy body image, instead of the model image endorsed by the media. Fireside is a Tri Delta tradition that takes place before Initiation and Graduation, in which all of our sisters gather in the Tri Delta House living room and share stories and our favorite Tri Delta memories. Formal meeting is the first meeting of every month. During these meetings members are required to dress in formal attire. A blazer should accompany a business skirt or slacks, or a cardigan may be worn with an appropriate modest dress. Dress shoes must also be worn along with your pin. The process where sororities and fraternities get new members. Potential new members visit each house, and over the course of multiple visits, decide which house they would like to join. Rush is an inappropriate term for this and is not to be used. An event to celebrate the founding of a fraternity s organization and celebrate its history. It's not necessarily held on the day the organization was founded. Tri Delta was founded on Thanksgiving Eve, 1888. A nickname for fraternity that is generally offensive and should not be used. A Greek organization for men. Also refers to co-ed organizations and many

Gamma Sigma Alpha

GPC

Greek Awards

Greek Life Advisor Greek Week

Hazing

House House Cor. IFC

Initiation Informal Recruitment Lavaliere

sororities are official named fraternities. Gamma Sigma Alpha is a Greek honor society that exists to recognize and advance academic excellence as a core value of fraternities and sororities. In order to be a member of Gamma Sigma Alpha you must currently have at least Junior standing and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 minimum or received a minimum 3.5 quarterly grade point average with Junior or Senior standing. GPC stands for Greek President s Council. A meeting of all Greek organizations is held every Monday at 1pm in the Cultural Center. This is where presidents can exchange information and discuss pertinent issues to the Greek community. An annual awards ceremony put on by Order of Omega to honor chapters that have excelled in specific categories and risen to a higher standard. The event is held in the Bren Events Center and substitutes for a Monday night meeting during Winter quarter. Example awards given out at Greek Awards are Best Philanthropic Event, Chancellor s Award, Excellence in New Member Education, Excellence in Chapter Development, Sport s Trophy, Outstanding Sophomore, Greek Woman of the Year, etc . The attire for this event is formal. UCI s Greek Life Advisor is Brian Clarke. He is responsible for overseeing all Greek Life on campus for the Dean of Students. Greek Week takes place during winter quarter and is a weeklong event where the Greek community unites to raise money for a cause. Each sorority is randomly paired with a fraternity. The pairs compete against other pairs, gaining points along the way. Tug a war, sledding, boat racing, and a cooking competition occur. At the end the points are tallied and the winners are declared gaining serious bragging rights. Any act performed by a member of any Greek Life Organization that is likely to cause harm, danger, causes public embarrassment or shame, compromises a person s dignity, causes the person to be the object of ridicule, cause psychological harm, or is illegal. Hazing is against the law in all states, and is against the principles of all sororities and fraternities. House refers to the Tri Delta house located in Arroyo Vista. This is where most tri Delta events and Monday night meetings are held. This shortened term stands for house corporation. This is the group of alumnae who made our house as beautiful as it is. IFC stands for Interfraternity Council. IFC is the governing body of 13 fraternities at UC Irvine. Many of the fraternities are member organizations of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). The IFC oversees recruitment, educational programming, and the promotion of the fraternity community at UC Irvine. Sorority equivalent is Panhellenic (PHA). A ceremony where a new member becomes a full member of the chapter. Initiation ceremonies are private and different for all chapters. See COB. A necklace with the sorority letters, often worn by members. Lavaliering is a process where a fraternity member would give his lavaliere to his

Legacy

Letters Little Bro

Little Sis

Mandatory MGC

New Member

NPC

OC (Officer s Council)

Open Meeting

Order of Omega

OTC (Officer s Training

girlfriend, as a sign of a serious relationship. The son, daughter, brother, sister, niece or nephew of an initiated or alumnae chapter member. Some organizations also include grandchildren or step children. For example, if your mom was a Tri Delta, that would make you a legacy. Often refers to a sweater or jacket with a chapter s Greek letters embroidered onto them. Tri Delta s letters are . Sorority members have the option of picking up a little brother who can be from any fraternity. A Little Bro has a similar role as a Little Sis, but they are not necessarily associated with one's sorority chapter family. Each new member is a Little Sis to an active who s in the chapter. A little sister, often referred to as a little, is mentored by a Big Sister who is more experienced and knowledgeable regarding the chapter. An event you must attend. If you choose to not attend without giving an excuse there are repercussions. All ritual is mandatory. MGC stands for Multicultural Greek Council. MGC is the governing body for 20 cultural fraternities and sororities at UC Irvine. The council is made up of NPHC, Latino, Latina, Asian, Armenian, and Multicultural fraternities and sororities. The MGC oversees educational programming and the promotion of the cultural fraternity and sorority community at UC Irvine. After receiving and accepting a bid, the person becomes a new member. They remain a new member until they have gone through their chapter s initiation. The new member has previously been referred to as a pledge, yet this term has a derogatory connotation and should not be used. Stands for the National Panhellenic Conference. NPC provides support and guidance for its 26 member inter/national sororities/women s fraternities and serves as the national voice on contemporary issues of sorority life. Founded in 1902, NPC is one of the oldest and largest women s membership organizations representing more than 4 million women at 655 college/university campuses and 4,500 local alumnae chapters in the U.S. and Canada. Tri Delta is a member of NPC. OC is the weekly Tri Delta officer s meeting. They are normally held Sunday nights at 8pm in the Tri Delta house living room. Officers are required to attend these meeting to discuss upcoming events and plans for the chapter. All initiated members are allowed to attend OC. If a member is unable to make Monday night meetings, she should attend OC instead. OC is led by the Vic President of Administration. This is a casual, informal meeting where members are free to dress however they please. Dinner is not provided and paper announcements are usually distributed. An honor society for Greeks who demonstrate outstanding leadership and academic achievement. Must have junior standing to apply for membership, show character, leadership, service, and rank academically above the all-Greek system average. Order of Omega is sometimes referred to as The Order . OTC is comprised of the Vice President of Administration, President,

Committee)

Panhellenic Association (PHA)

Pansy Brunch

Pansy Press

Pearl Sis

Philanthropy

Pledge Class PNM

Reflections

Retreat Rho Lambda

Ritual

Serenades

Continuing Education Chair and the Alumnae Advisor. This committee oversees all officers to ensure that they are doing their job and are trained for their positions appropriately. OTC meeting occur when needed or requested. Often referred to as Panhellenic. The Panhellenic Association consists of nine National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and two associate chapters. The PHA is the local governing body of the NPC at UC Irvine. The PHA executive committee organizes formal sorority recruitment during the fall quarter, quarterly education programs, and represents Greek Life at UC Irvine. The fraternity equivalent is IFC. An event held before graduating seniors go into Circle Degree, the final Tri Delta ritual. Pansy Brunch is a time when friends, Tri Delta families, and past alumnae come to see off the seniors. The Pansy Press is an intra-fraternal newsletter for UCI Tri Delta. The Pansy Press comes out at the beginning of every month. The newsletter tends to highlight information on what we have done in the last month, what we hope to do in the upcoming month, and highlights individual member s stories and achievements. The newsletters is sent to members, alumnae, professors, parents and other UCI students. The day a PNM receives a bid from Tri Delta they are also assigned a Pearl Sis. The pearl sis serves as a mentor and immediate link into the chapter for the new member. The new member should not hesitate to ask their pearl sis any kind of questions or for advice. The pearl sis is there to help and serves as a temporary Big Sis until one is formally assigned. A charity or fundraiser that a fraternity or sorority supports. Can be national, local or both. Tri Delta s nationally aligned philanthropy is St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. The group of girls that you were initiated with is your pledge class. Stands for Potential New Member. All girls going through recruitment are referred to by this term. It can also be generalized to include all women not yet affiliated in a Greek organization. All new members are required to participate in Reflections. During this program sisters reflect on their insecurities with their body image. Throughout Reflections members find ways to overcome these insecurities and learn to accept and love the way they look. This program stresses the importance to strive for your own individual, healthy body image. A trip or sometimes just a sleep over at the sorority house, where the members bond and get to know each other. A Greek honor society for women. The Greek letters Rho Lambda stand for Panhellenic Leadership. Must be of junior standing to apply, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0, have demonstrated outstanding leadership and ability, and been initiated in their respective chapters for two quarters. A secret ceremony of a Greek organization. Ritual elements are sacred to each sorority and fraternity and have been handed down through the generations. Only initiate members may be privy to rituals. Sororities and fraternities often participate in serenades. This is an old tradition going back through the entire Greek system for well over 100

Sister Sorority

Sincerely Yours

Songfest

St. Jude Children s Hospital

Standards

Stars and Crescent Formal

Termination

years. A fraternity or a sorority will gather as a group and go to another chapter house to sing songs to the other group. The songs are always unique to the Greek organization (ie: we never sing other groups' songs, we all have our own) and serve to signify an event, as in a "pinning or and engagement" or to serve as an invitation to an exchange or party. Panhellenic has a program that classifies two sororities as sister sororities each quarter. By holding events together or supporting one another at each other s sports games the pair accumulates points. The chapter with the most sister sorority points each year wins the Sister Sorority Award at Greek Awards. An internal philanthropy that Tri Delta holds. Sincerely Yours is a letter writing campaign where every girl is responsible for writing/addressing fifty letters to ask for donations for St. Jude. This is our chapter s most profitable philanthropy for St. Jude. This is a UCI Greek tradition for more than 30 years. Fraternities and Sororities pair up to sing and perform selections from musicals. This event is held in the Spring, but prepared for by the Chapter all year round. The paired groups are honored with awards for their efforts and several thousand dollars are raised every year for a different charity. Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Chi won "Best Show" in 2009. St. Jude Children s Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is dedicated to the research and treatment of children s cancer. No child is ever turned away for their inability to pay. Tri Delta nationally aligned with St. Jude as its philanthropy. All of the money we raise through our philanthropic events is donated directly to St. Jude. Currently Tri Delta is one year into completing a $15 in 5 years pledge to St. Jude. Standards is short for Standards Committee. This committee consists of the President, the Vice President of Chapter Development, the Academic Chairman, the New Member Educator, the Membership Development and the Alumna Advisor. This committee is responsible for holding girls accountable to the standards that being a Tri Delta requires. A member may be called into standards for not making grades the previous quarter, having inappropriate behavior at a social event, or other offenses. A member may also be called into standards to be commended for their excellent work and achievement within and outside of the chapter. Any member is allowed to go into standards to discuss any concern or issue they may have. Standards is also who a member meets with when they want to go on a financial/payment plan. Everything said within a standards meeting is considered private and not meant to be discussed by either the member it pertains to or the committee. This is Tri Delta s main social event during the spring quarter. Every member in good standing is allowed one invite. Though this formal is put on for everyone, it is primarily dedicated to the seniors. A senior slide show is played, awards are handed out, and dinner is usually served. This is always the last resort of the Tri Delta organization. It is painful to lose a sister! Every sister recommended for termination has her membership revoked by a vote of the Executive Board. There are several reasons for terminating a membership; among them are: that the member

The Trident

has fallen below a certain GPA for more than 2 quarters (termed "not making grades"), a member is not in good standing with the Chapter for financial reasons and has not made arrangements to remedy the default, or that the member has conducted herself in a way unbecoming to the Chapter and has been recommended for termination by the Standards committee. Tri Delta s official magazine. Issues are sent our quarterly to all initiated Tri Deltas.