500 a month? Not bad!

"Speaking of reasonable, only $500."

I don't know how you couldn't know at my alma mater. During rush we were given handouts that outlined exactly how much each chapter cost per quarter. Even if you didn't pay the dues yourself, you had the handout and the Rho Chis went over it with us to explain the terms. The fraternities did the same thing the first day of their rush. I remember compairing the fraternity dues versus the sorority dues- not only the amounts but what the money went for.:cool:

Unfortunately it doesn't. The dues do cover meals, so my son does go by the house to eat. I'm not sure what it will cost him to live in the house, at his fraternity that is generally reserved for seniors and he is just a sophomore.

We were told at the parent's meeting that the reason the dues are so high is because of property taxes in Austin, insurance rates, upkeep of the house, etc. Social dues tend to be extra in that I get a call every couple of months where my son needs an extra $250 (I'm guessing that is for the booze funds).

We knew what we were getting into when he pledged, so it is what it is, and even with the added expense we're still paying less per year than if he were at Harvard ;).

[QUOTE][Ok, I’m gonna ask the question… and my intention isn’t for this to sound mean, so don’t take it that way, but… how many people have had their parents pay their dues, without knowing how much they are? I don't know about other people, but I think my son has an idea of what they are, but doesn't know the exact amount.Don’t you discuss these things in your meetings? I don't know if they discuss regular dues in meetings, but what they do discuss are the "social dues" and he will call and ask for the money to be deposited.And how do your parents find out how much your dues are? They send the bill to the parents, it isn't addressed to him. It has a letter with it that talks about how great their year is going to be and how wonderful it is to be a part of the fraternity - I guess it's to soften the blow of the bill.Don’t you have to tell them in order to ask for the money?
/QUOTE]

Another thing, we don't pay by the semester. It's around $5000 due in the fall. I say "around" because the cost goes down a bit each year you are active, so this year his bill was $4800.00, next year it will be $4600 I think. But when you add in the extra social dues that come up over the year, it can run $5000 or more.

This is very common at UT, I think all the big fraternities run about the same cost. What's posted on Greek Life is somewhat false advertising;). I think the sorority dues are very expensive too. UT greek orgs have a major problem with taxation - huge houses on large lots in a highly taxed area.

I'm still amazed at the fact that it's close to $5000 if you don't live in the house. I know that there are reasons for it, but there's no way I would have ever been Greek if that was the case (which is kind of sad, because I'm sure that's what happens to a lot of students).

And I think it's funny that you actually get a bill. For us, the budget is established the semester prior to when dues are to be paid, and the Treasurer says at the first meeting of the semester, "ok, dues are to be in 2 weeks from now." lol

I was in a sorority back in the 80's and I have no idea what the dues were, as my parents were billed for them. So I was used to this system, in fact, I honestly would have been surprised if it were done by billing the kids.

I guess it's all what you're accustomed to.

As to the high cost and its precluding many of joining the Greek system- it is a shame, and I am sure that many do not participate because of the expense (and many more who just want no part of it), but UT is a huge school with many opportunities for involvement beyond Greek life. My son has a friend from high school who couldn't join a fraternity, so he instead got involved with an "ultimate frisbee" team, and it has been great for him. As long as you can find something to get involved in that makes the school not seem so huge, there's no reason to not have a wonderful experience there.

Where I went to college, over 75% of the people were Greek, so even though it was in a big city, it seemed as if you had to be Greek to have anything to do. So, to not be in a fraternity or sorority was a much bigger deal.

Wow. My sister is in a sorority in downtown Chicago and her dues are maybe..2K/semester? And this includes rent in the house AND all meals, for which they [of course] had a personal chef!

Mine tend to run about $275 per semester. This is all inclusive - all t-shirts, recruitment stuff, socials, formals, date parties, parlor fees, etc.

I know my dues are about $2500 a semester, I look at the bills, but don't memorize them or anything. And dad pays them because my chapter used Omega Financial and the bill went straight to my home address. If you didn't get your bills paid the treasurer would come hunt you down and make you give him a check, but the vast majority of people were having the bills sent home and their parents would either mail in a check or pay online with a CC. And yeah, the only thing we really discuss in our meetings are our social budget and whether rent is going to go up for the next year.

Same for us. Each sorority gives out a detailed expenses sheet during recruitment. The sheets had to include:

*dues
*NM/Initiation/badge fees
*room & meal costs
*whether the chapter assessed fines
*whether costs for social events were included in dues

I personally liked this, because PNMs could see everything in print and determine whether they (or their parents) could realistically afford a sorority on the first day of recruitment. It cut down on girls continuing with recruitment, getting a bid, then depledging because they "couldn't afford it."

^^ We basically do the same thing. Along with explaining what the purpose of dues are (National dues help the organization run effectively, local dues can pay for everything from Formal decorations to stamps for the secretary, blah blah blah). That way, girls could know what they needed to pay, and what they were paying for. And they weren’t blindsided after they accepted their bid.

I don't think fraternity dues could be that low in this day and age, because of the insurance that national fraternities have to take out. If memory serves, my undergrad chapter currently pays about 2/3 of your semesterly dues per member to headquarters just for risk assessment.

I have a good idea of what it is, but not sure.

And talking to parents about money matters is always off limits.

The bill comes to their house, and it's paid and I don't ask questions.

^^ Again, it just strikes me as odd that a bill goes to your parents. Because we don't have bills, and even if we did, if my mom received it, she'd send it right back to me. I don't know of any girls in my chapter that have their parents pay their dues. In fact, I don't know of any of my friends in Delta Chi who have their parents pay their dues, either. And I know they also don't send bills to their parent's house. It's just different than what I'm used to.