Fraternities and sororities, or Greek letter organizations (GLOs) (collectively referred to as "Greek life ") are social organizations at colleges and universities. A form of the social fraternity, they are prominent in the United States and the Philippines, with much smaller numbers existing in France, Canada, and elsewhere. Similar organizations exist in other countries as well, including the Studentenverbindungen of German-speaking countries.
Similar, but much less common, organizations also exist for secondary school students. In modern usage, "Greek letter organization " is often synonymous with the terms "fraternity" and "sorority". Two additional types of fraternities, professional fraternities and honor societies, incorporate some limited elements of traditional fraternity organization but are generally considered a different type of association. Traditional fraternities of the type described in this article are often called " social fraternities".
Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues, thereafter, for life. Some of these organizations can accept graduate students as well as undergraduates, per constitutional provisions.
While individual fraternities and sororities vary in exact organization and purpose, most share five common elements:
secrecy ;
single-sex membership;
selection of new members on the basis of a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging;
ownership and occupancy of a residential property at which the undergraduate members of the fraternity or sorority live; and
use of a set of complex identification symbols including Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, handsigns, passwords, flowers, and colors.
