Another difference in culture.:cool: With the NPHC, the individual seeks the org so they often know in advance and start saving up or they know someone in the org who can give them a general idea.

One of the reasons I original said TMI :eek: is because even if the total fee amount was known beforehand, the cost breakdown is not the business of those who are not involved in the Process.

If they have to think twice at the cost involved, we wouldn't want them anyway.













Just kidding :)

Kidding but kind of not. ;) Seriously, for a lot of people who don't have relatives or people they know who were involved in Greek life, they have no idea how much it costs, and that's why it's wisest to tell them up front. Even if I had a daughter at this point and she was going to say U of Penn, I would have no idea how much it costs, because the housing figures into it and it's a completely different kind of campus than my alma mater.

Some people might not join because it's too expensive...better to know in advance, then to initiate and get in over your head and have to terminate because you don't have the money.

You would be surprised at how many people are dumbfounded at the amount it costs to intially become part of an organization. Many people are surprised that there is a fee involved especially at the collegiate level.

Some fail to realize that these orgs are essentially businesses, and like any other business there are costs involved to maintain the orgs.

If one is a part of an active entity, the costs are going to accrue at some point in the organization's existance. There's no way an organization can thrive and grow and not have someone within the organization paying those fees.

I think if someone is serious about joining, cost wouldn't make a difference. If you want something bad enough, you'll get the money somehow. It should be one of the things that you are working on along side doing research and getting to know the members anyway. Having the money for your fees is all apart of being 'ready' to join, IMO.

Your first sentence is SO true. And people don't realize/think about what the money goes towards and how they wouldn't have a GLO without it..

The whole "being ready to join" thing- I wish it could apply to NPC's, but unfortunately the time frame in which a young woman has an opportunity to join is fairly short. Just a difference in the way our groups are run.

I agree. If an individual does their research they should not be suprised. It is mostly the individuals that just want to join something to be a part of something that are thrown off about the money.

Well, correct me if I'm wrong here, but several of the representatives from GLO's outside of the NPHC have stated on this thread that the initiation costs are available to anyone who has an interest in knowing them.

Would someone who's entering college as a freshman and already knows that they may want to join a GLO be able to access that information before coming to school?

If I recall correctly, didn't a few people say that the initiation costs of their organization can be found on the website?

I believe that anyone who has a strong interest in joining would be more proactive in learning as much information as they can beforehand, as to make a more informed decision when the time does come for him or her to join.

But I could be thinking in an idealistic manner because unfortunately, I'm not sure how things work for NPC, IFC, and NIC organizations. So please, I encourage anyone to enlighten me if I am wrong in this instance.

But I am glad that forums like this exist because I am learning much more than I did while I was an undergrad.

A lot of the cost vary by chapter as well as by organization, so that can add to the confusion. Some campuses are more expensive than others.

One of the differences between NPC and NPHC groups is that a lot of women that join NPCs haven't had the exposure growing up to NPC orgs in the way that NPHC women may. So they don't come to college knowing what org they're going to join. Some do, but that's no where near guaranteed. The whole approach to membership selection and potential members choosing an org is very different.

Glad you're learning a lot from the boards, I certainly have!

I just meant that they can look up the information in order to get a ballpark figure of what the costs may be. Even if they get information that states that the costs are more than they may actually be at the chapter on their campus, at least they have an estimate to work from instead of being completely in the dark. Can't be anything wrong with having a lil more money saved up, it can go towards buying cute paraphrenalia or whatever you heart desires to do with it. And if the costs quoted on a website are a little less than what you'd have to pay, you'll know exactly how much more you'll need. I just think that having some kind of idea of how much it would cost you would help you rest a little easier.

Okay, this is where I'm confused. So do people who are interested in joining a NPC organization have no idea that they want to join an organization once they get to school? Do most of them decide once they get on campus that they do want to join, instead of having an idea of wanting to join before school starts?

I'm just wondering because if it were me, I'd have somewhat of an idea that Greek life may be what I want to be apart of. And while I'm on the website of my school doing research on my intended major or just browsing the different pages available, I'd check out the Student Life section and look up the GLO's, just so I can have an idea of the nature of Greek Life at my particular campus. And since what organization I'd be joining is not a 100% sure thing, I'd look up as much info on them all. If I'm in the type of situation where I have to set aside money in order to join, I'd like to make sure that I am making the most informed decision. Because I'm not just forking over cash, I'm paying with my time, my dedication, and my love for the organization itself and my new sisters.

Once again, I encourage any help with my understanding of GLO's, so if I've made a mistake in the conclusions I've come to, PLEASE let me know!

:)

You would be surprised at how many young adults go to college and have no clue about greek life. I have had you women ask me questions that left me thinking " You have never heard of the D9?".

Yes. Many, many women who join sororities (and I'm sure it's the same for men, too) don't decide they want to join until after they've been in school for a while. I didn't decide I wanted to go Greek until my sophomore year. Some members wait until they are seniors.

Okay, but that still doesn't mean that they can't go out and do research just because they are sophomores or juniors or seniors. In fact, they should be better equipped to get the information they want to make better informed decisions. They've been on campus long enough to see how the members of each org act and what part they play in the goings-on on the campus, and probably can even approach members at events and get more information.

My whole point about a freshman researching some general information about the GLO's on his or her campus was prompted by the fact that kddani stated that the time frame a young interest has is short. I was just asking if there was any way possible for that young interest to make the most of that short time they have, but now you're saying that interests have their entire undergraduate career to become a member. :confused:

Which is just proving my initial point that if someone really wants to join and make informed decisions about what they are getting into, they will research.

I could understand if it were an individual interested in joining an NPHC organization and not being privy to every bit of information out there for those who are interested in joining. That person would just learn as much as they can that is out there for the general public, and the things that eveyone and their mothers aren't privy to will be disclosed at the time that an invitiation to become a member is extended to them, in the event that this occurs.

I just don't get it. If all this information is available for people to know BEFORE joining a NPC, IFC, or NIC organization, why aren't people who are interested jumping on it? I know that I'd be estatic if all of this info was just a few clicks of a mouse or laying right in front of me on a piece of paper.

But then again, a part of the beauty of learning is in the quest for knowledge, so I think I'd rather search. I'd appreciate the whole experience much more if it weren't handed to me, and I had to work for it.

:D

Much of the local financial information isn't available on a website -- it's not given to the "rushees" until they go through recruitment, which is also the same time they're being bombarded with a lot of other information about 16 other almost identical groups. Of course, this may be different from campus to campus.

What you're talking about is more like finding out about each group's campus reputation, what sorts of activities they do each semester, etc. I think a lot of "rushees" don't even consider how big the financial aspect is until they're immersed in it. Sure, you can tell Susie Rushee how much her dues are going to be each month and how much the formal will probably cost, but there are other costs involved down the road, such as t-shirts, grab-a-dates, etc. that she may not realize.

Of course, some chapters charge an inflated dues amount and simply pay for the t-shirts for all the members so it's not an issue. But that's beside the point. :)

Maybe I don't understand the question.

I said website because several people on here have stated that their dues are posted on either their org's national website or their school's Greek Life website.

I was just trying to figure out how people can be unaware of the dues that would be required of them and/or that dues even exist for these orgs if that information is readily available, as you are all freely posting the costs in this very thread. That was my original question, then based on the answers I received I formed other questions.