<p>Well, my D recently registered for Greek Women's Recruitment. </p>
<p>(Hunh? You have to register and pay for the opportunity to be recruited??!)</p>
<p>I recall hearing that women can't live in Sorority houses...so what are the costs associated with going Greek.</p>
<p>Women can live in sororities. It's just a New York state rule that they can't have parties that include both men and alcohol. Other costs would be for ongoing dues.</p>
<p>Thanks gellino, I guess I misread or misunderstood. and now I see on the website that it says, "All women participating in recruitment should enter with the idea that they will very likely live in their chapter facility for both their junior and senior years. " <a href="http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=905&pgID=5446%5B/url%5D">http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=905&pgID=5446</a></p>
<p>Gee, that's got to be something like 700+ women. Seems like a lot. I didn't think there were that many sororities or that the houses were that big.</p>
<p>What are dues, generally and are costs of living (and eating?) in a chapter house comparable to dorms?</p>
<p>Usually dues. Maybe special projects or activities. It will vary considerably from school to school and frat and sorority. With my son joining, the costs were his that he has to cover on his own. I had many reservations about him joining with just stereotypes to go on, but I have to say I am more than impressed with his choice. </p>
<p>They are nice guys, provide community service from Habitat to humanity to special olympics to volunteering in elementary classrooms as teacher's helpers. Yet they also have some good theme parties during the year. I've been to some and had a great time. They look out for each other and their guests and while they're still kids they do some dumb things, but not stupid things. </p>
<p>If you don't know what that means, dumb things are silly goofy stuff and stupid things tend to be mean spirited. ( "Our shenanigans are cheeky and fun".)</p>
<p>The Frat's alumus include Bob Dole and Jimmy Buffet. Nice cross section. Take the time to get to know the sorority she ends up interested in.</p>
<p>I think my prior calculation of the number of women living in chapter houses was off. I guess if a little more than half of Colgate students are women and 40% of the upper classes go Greek, then if most women live in chapter houses that would be around 280 -300. Still seems high to me, how many sororities are there anyway, I thought only 3 or 4.</p>
<p>So what are the costs of dues, living etc? I never joined one in college but there was a piece in The New Yorker by Joyce Carol Oates a few years back: </p>
<p>"the most desperate period of my life, financially speaking, was my years as an undergraduate at Syracuse University, which I was able to attend on a New York State Regents scholarship. Beyond the tuition, there was pressure to come up with money for room and board and other expenses. Above all, I lived in constant fear of doing poorly academically, and being shipped back to Millersport, where my farm tasks awaited.</p>
<p>At Syracuse, I was privileged to work in the university library for a dollar an hour, for as many hours a week as I could manage. This was my first "real" job; I could now consider myself an adult. Yet, in my immaturity, in my naïveté and idiocy, I'd pledged a sorority, and for this impulsive act I would pay, financially and emotionally, for a long time. I had not realized how many hidden costs would show up each month on my bill. This was a nightmare; there always seemed to be special assessments, dues I hadn't anticipated. And fines. Because I worked at the library, I had to miss numerous meetings and sorority functions, and for each event missed a fine was levied. When I missed "ritual" functions, the fines were higher. Now a fever came upon me to resign from the sorority, which I couldn't afford and felt no kinship with. I could not believe I had made such a mistake. But joining a sorority is akin to those cruelly ingenious fish traps in which an unwary fish, having swum inside, can't maneuver to turn and escape. Now a percentage of my work hours had to go toward defraying sorority costs."</p>
<p>mhc48,</p>
<p>Go see for yourself. Your last post was one person's opinion, her world, her time. I had the same reluctance and reserve you have. Until I interacted myself, I was not at ease about the situation. </p>
<p>If your daughter is not confortable with joining than don't. Maybe as I did with mine, make it her expense to cover.</p>
<p>mhc, ask ticklemepink what the costs are. I think she joined a sorority last year.</p>
<p>Opie, I'm not opposed to her joining a sorority. Greek life had a very negative connotation when and where I went to college and I guess still does for some people and at some schools. But that doesn't affect or color my views of whether she should join here and now. Heck ~ I didn't go to summer camp or private schools either, but sent all my children to both. In all those cases I think there could be a lot of benefits and skills learned. And even if there are none, but it's just... fun, or right for her, that's okay with me. </p>
<p>At this point I'm just trying to get an idea of the costs. Of initiation, of dues, of living in the house, meals, other perhaps non apparent costs that go with belonging etc. etc. etc. </p>
<p>I guess it's just my natural (fiscally) conservative nature, ingrained in me as a product of having grown up with the kind of restraints Oates did. </p>
<p>Ones which, I'm sometimes thankful and other times regretful, that my children have not yet had to be exposed to.</p>
<p>and I was kind of hoping Tick would chime in.</p>
<p>First off- ANYTHING you read about Greek life that's NOT relating to Colgate, they're dead-wrong. Dead.... wrong. I actually read the first chapter of "Pledged" and ranted to my mom afterwards how it's all so untrue (what? We don't have super-soakers to blast at the new pledge class!). </p>
<p>Secondly, Colgate is much smaller and more personal so our Greek experiences tend to be very unique compared to our peers at other schools. Colgate is one of the few small LACs in the Northeast with surviving Greek life. </p>
<p>What the ResLife says on the web is a bit off so you're much better off asking a Greek about the life. Not every sorority woman lives in her house in the last two years because there isn't enough room. I believe that only Kappa Alpha Theta requires their juniors to live in the house because they have enough room (doubles). Otherwise, those who hold certain officer positions (prez, VP..) are required to live in the house (as they should!). So the chances of your D living in a sorority are, well, it's her choice.</p>
<p>The costs for this year's recruitment includes a t-shirt for her to wear on the first day so that way everyone gets a fair chance at making first impressions based on personality instead of whether she's wearing a designer t-shirt or not. Some of the costs include food (including a dinner one night in middle of the recruitment). I thought I wouldn't join a sorority but I was just a new transfer student and just wanted to meet as many people as I could. So I forked over the money just to have an opportunity to create social networks (it's a huge, huge part of the recruitment and even those who didn't make all the way benefit from meeting the other girls). Give her a chance to get to know some upperclassmen- hasn't this board emphasized enough for the younger ones to tap in the older ones?</p>
<p>The actual cost, once part of the sorority, is usually higher in the FIRST semester because of initation fees, registration with the headquarters, and a nice pin. After the first semester, the costs go down by $100 or so. Currently, the range is between $250-$500, depending on the sorority. Panhellenic will emphasize this- do not let your daughter choose a sorority based on the costs because "fit" is much more important. You do want your D to be treated well, right? It's like choosing a college.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there can be hidden costs but for my sorority they're mostly related to dealing with the recruitment (miss a party? Give us $25). It's more to encourage sisters (even the shy ones) to welcome in prospectives. The preparation for this can be very exhausting so that's why some sisters will skip an event or two but they just have to remember that it happens only once a year. Otherwise, all other additional costs involved (like meal plans, t-shirts...) are totally optional. No pressure. I don't think I have spent anything more than my own dues except for a $6 t-shirt, $10 registration for a charity event in the past year.</p>
<p>Any more questions or concerns, you're more than welcome to PM me as I am on Panhellenic Executive Board.</p>