Quote:
Originally posted by ISUKappa
Ideally, it would be nice if everyone joined for the friendship, academic and philanthropic aspects of our organizations but in reality, that's not going to happen. If someone joins purely for the social aspects, as long as they pay their bills and don't break chapter/fraternity/university/state rules, I'm okay with that. It's difficult to get the chapter members to see their chapter as a business, though.
How I see it, you're paying for all the privileges that come along with fraternity/sorority membership. These can include social, philanthropic and campus opportunities; inter/national networking resources; the status that comes from being a part of a recognizable group; and support and encouragement from fellow members. That last could be interpreted as buying your friends, but I do feel there's more than just that. I know not everyone agrees.
We definitely had women resign membership who gave their reason as "I don't participate enough to merit paying the membership fees" and that is a legitimate reason.
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I just don't get the attitude that is dished out on this website towards people who joined their organizations primarily because of the social opportunities. Let's face it -- most of us are members of SOCIAL sororities or fraternities. I don't think anybody can legitimately say they joined a social GLO for the academic benefits or philanthropy first and foremost. If academics was your priority, you'd join a business fraternity, or Marketing Club, or something directly connected with your major. If philanthropy was your #1 priority, there are a lot of ways to be directly involved, and do it cheaper, than a sorority. For most of us, the #1 reason we joined was for the social benefits and
to have fun. "Social" doesn't necessarily mean "OMG GETTING WASTED AT THE HOTTTTTEST FRAT TONIGHT" -- to me, it encompasses everything from that to "Laguna Beach" night in pjs at the house -- but I don't think that wanting to meet cute frat boys is necessarily a bad incentive to join.
Like we've all said a million times, you can make friends in any organization on campus, so what is the specific draw of sororities and fraternities? I'm just throwing this out there; feel free to add your own:
-- the assumed prestige of Greek letter orgs, the idea that you're joining an "elite" group (which may or may not be an "elitist" group)
-- the "pre-screened" nature of membership (i.e., the assumption that you will be compatible with everyone, which is, of course, wrong -- but I do think it's a draw)
-- easier access to the opposite sex
-- easier access to alcohol, especially for those who are under 21
-- the fact that it is something that is national/lifelong -- you are connected to people across the country, even after college
- a consistent stream of pre-planned "events" (Homecoming, Greek Week, mixers, philanthropy competitions, formals, sisterhoods) for people like me who need that structure
- opening doors for you both on campus and in the real world
I'm sure there's more, but that's just a preliminary list. When one of those things suffers, it's usually not a big deal. However, when you start missing out on a couple of those, or most of them -- that's when a lot of people decide it's not worth it anymore.
I think that ultimately you and I are on the same page -- I don't think there's anything wrong with a girl who joins a sorority to meet fraternity men -- as long as she doesn't slack on the other obligations of membership (financial, academic, being a good sister, whatever).
I also think that the problem with a lot of chapter members is that they DON'T view the sorority as a business. Let's be honest -- at some campuses dues are very expensive. You have to get people to see that their money will be going to good use. And if you are a group that, for whatever reason, has less prestige or fewer social opportunities, you either have to make up for that in other areas (stronger sisterhood, more fun at events) or you need to charge less (like the TJ Maxx of sororities? LOL). You can't charge the same amount if you're not offering the same benefits.
(Which is unfortunate for the sororities, since the smaller groups usually need to charge MORE to stay competitive with the larger ones, since the cost is spread out among fewer members.)
And I'm not touching ASUADPi's post with a ten-foot-pole . . . haha.