Fraternities and sororities, also referred to as Greek-letter organizations (GLOs) or, collectively, as "Greek life" in North America and the Philippines, are social organizations at colleges and universities. A form of the social fraternity, they are prominent in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Philippines. Similar organizations exist in other countries, including the Studentenverbindungen of former and current German-speaking countries and the goliardie in Italy. Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most share five common elements: