Boarder Living in a Frat House?
 

I know this is a frat question but this sub-section is much more active haha.
I am looking at housing options for this fall semester and I saw an add that was advertising a room in a frat house as a boarder, not as a member of the frat. I plan on rushing this fall. Do you think it would hurt my chances with other frats if they found out I was living in another frat? If you have an anecdotal experiences with this situation let me know what you did.

Second question. If you decide to move into the frat/sorority house the following year, do you have to pay monthly rent on top of the yearly membership fees or do you get to live there for free as long as you pay the membership fees?

I'm a sophomore transfer by the way

Yes.

I've never heard of the whole boarding situation in a fraternity house before, but I can't imagine it would help your chances with other fraternities. If you're going to recruitment events for other chapters but living in ABC's house, that could just be awkward. What would happen if you, by some chance, received a bid from DEF, but you were living in ABC's house? Think about it... do you really think a) DEF would actually give you a bid, and b) if they did give you a bid, do you think they'd want you living in another fraternity's house?

I have heard of fraternity houses taking in boarders, but I would not recommend it if you are planning on rushing another fraternity.

To answer your second question, generally speaking, you pay dues and house fees to live in a fraternity house.

Dues are separate from house fees. It would be the same as living in an apartment off campus and being a member of a fraternity. You would pay to live in your apartment, and you would pay your fraternity dues.

It might be better not to live in a fraternity house while you are participating in fraternity rush. The fraternity you are boarding with might put undue pressure on you to join their group which could make you very uncomfortable. As others have said, the fraternity you join might think it odd that you are living at another fraternity house. Find another place to live.

I agree. Find somewhere else. There are other issues as well - will you have to leave the house during certain events since you wouldn't be a member? I just see too many issues.

Yes, if you were living in the house you would have to leave during any recruitment or voting activities. The houses that I knew that took on boarders either took only graduate students or women or only boarded in summer to avoid such situations. The grad student that I know that did this had to spend a couple of nights at a friend's house during recruitment when voting and discussion would run very late.

My ex's fraternity had a boarder from another fraternity on the campus and they got along really well. It'll depend on your campus culture.

Follow the current train of advice and don't move into any fraternity house until you have completed rush. Maybe hold off until sophomore year.

We had some boarders who actually pledged other groups. There's a big difference between living in a little family-style house and a giant fraternity house with kitchen/housekeepers and all that, though. I wouldn't do it while you're going through rush. Generally when fraternities do this, they like to either have 1) guys they know are going to pledge them (i.e. brother of 3 previous chapter alumni) or 2) guys they know AREN'T going to pledge them who are just a means to pay rent (i.e. senior with demanding major who spends all his free time in the library and goes home every weekend).

Do you think ABC (the house you'd be living in) is one that you'd like to join? If the fraternity itself seems like a good fit I might go for it, as long as your rush process isn't like a sorority's in that you visit every house before narrowing it down. Otherwise, as everyone else said, you might be best off living elsewhere.

(I will mention that occasionally, our chapter house takes boarders, filling holes left by study abroad etc, and it was never a problem; in fact, many of the sisters have maintained lasting friendships with the boarders. This past year, out of the two boarders the house had, one ended up rushing our house that semester, and the other is accelerating the process of transferring to our university from community college so that she can rush next fall!)