[aephi alum]

The NPHC orgs did not have official residential communities, although there seemed to be a high correlation between membership in Chocolate City and Alpha Phi Alpha. (Chocolate City is all-male.)

Chocolate City and the language houses were considered part of the dorm system, as they are located in a dorm - but you still had to be invited to join. Independent living groups are something different - six organizations (one all-male, one all-female, four coed) with houses located off campus.

You could be a member of a language house and of a GLO. When I was an active, I had a sister in Spanish House and another in Russian House.

Things have changed since I graduated, and I was never a member of a language house (or, obviously, Chocolate City, as I am female) so I'm not 100% sure of how everything works these days.

And, yes, back in the day, all of this rush activity happened before classes started - and before academic orientation.

Edit: As for moving your crap 2-3 times, freshmen were instructed up front to bring only what you needed for rush: clothes for rush, an alarm clock, sheets for your bed, toiletries and a towel - whatever you'd need for one week. I just had one suitcase. There was a freshman parents' weekend during Labor Day weekend, and many freshmen had their parents bring up the rest of their stuff at that time; other freshmen arranged for their belongings to be shipped to their dorm / fraternity house once they figured out where they'd be living.