A colony is a probationary member of a national fraternity. A group wishing to become a member of a fraternity must first petition for status as a colony. If the colony prospers, the colony may later be chartered, thereby becoming a full chapter of the fraternity. Not all national fraternities follow this practice. While the terms fraternity and sorority can be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, International and the Shriners, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher education students in the United States and Canada but... While the terms fraternity and sorority can be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, International and the Shriners, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher education students in the United States and Canada but... Alternate use, see charter airline or bare-boat charter. ... Chapter has multiple meanings. ... While the terms fraternity and sorority can be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, International and the Shriners, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher education students in the United States and Canada but... While the terms fraternity and sorority can be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, International and the Shriners, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher education students in the United States and Canada but...
If a pledge determines that fraternity life is not for him or if the particular fraternity he pledged is not for him, he may choose to "depledge," relinquishing his rights to continue his pledgeship and to be initiated.
A pledge is sometimes "depledged" by a fraternity for actions which have in some way brought discredit or embarrassment to the fraternity.
Fraternities frown on such "deal making." While it is logical that friends would like to participate in activities together, ultimately friends should remain friends no matter what choices one makes.
In the case of fraternities and sororities that have disaffiliated from a national organization, the Greek letters chosen for the name of the organization are often a derivation of the previous name (for example, Phi Tau is the former Tau chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa) and thus the name bears no special secret meaning.
Fraternities and sororities invite fellow students (often referred to as "rushees" or "potential new members") to attend events at the house (or on-campus) and meet the current members of the organization.
Though the Delta fraternity protagonists were meant to be portrayed positively in the film, it is often used by those skeptical of fraternities to describe the dangers of the binge drinking culture seen in fraternities.