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.