sorority recruitment and disclosing financial info: question?

[KSUViolet06]

I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the NPC Green Book there's something about sororities being required to disclose financial info to PNMs during recruitment (be it during parties, on the Greek Life website, or in the recruitment books), even if it's just an estimate like "ABC = approx $2,000/yr."

Where I went to school, part of Philanthropy Day was devoted to finances. We all had to hand out pamphlets (the only things they could take home during rush) which included:

*National & local dues per semester
*NM/Badge/Initiation fees
*Whether the chapter assesses fines (and what for)
*Whether socials/favors/t-shirts are included in dues
*Housing fees per year
*Meal costs
*Out-of-house fees (parlor/maintenance fees)
*Whether the chapter offers payment plans

Do any other schools do this? How do other schools disclose finances? Do you do it at all? Why/why not?

[aephi alum]

Each chapter at my school printed up little half-sheets of financial information. The papers included a list of all dues and fees, including dues, initiation fee, badge fee, parlor fees and house fees for the house-operating chapters, etc., plus a sum total of what a new member would be expected to pay during her NM semester. PNMs could take these half-sheets with them; it was the only thing they could take out of a rush room.

[Benzgirl]

This information was printed inthe Recruitment Handbook. Everything was broken down to approximate costs. The reason I say approximate is because we had three types of badges in which to choose, live-in vs. live-out, parlor fees, initiation fees, dues, pledge fee, lifetime membership dues, and so forth. This was many years ago where it was basically understood that you needed to pay everything on time, so no payment-plans were discussed.

We were under strict guidelines from Panhel that the PNMs could not take anything from the house. This included fee information

At a college that I assisted during FR this year, they had everything posted during round 1, which was sort-of an open house. I don't know if they handed out anything during the philanthropy round. It was a little simpler since this chapter did not have a house or a meal plan, and fees were not what I would consider to be huge (considering this was a private college with expensive tuition)

[knight_shadow]

Back when I rushed in 2002, I got confused and picked up an NPC recuitment schedule from the Greek Life office. It had "approximate fees for an NPC sorority" on the first page, then went into each chapter's specific dues. It didn't go as far as breaking down what the fees were used for, though (I believe an NPC member told me that is revealed during rush/recruitment week itself).

I haven't noticed any general documents in Greek Life that show fees recently, though.

[Kitemom]

At my daughter school there was a average of dues in the Recruitment manuel. But nothing specific. I got my best info from a friend who's daughter was in another sorority. She was in $50 of the amount. As she explained in the end it is all about the same. Some charge less up front and then you pay for everything else. Some charge more and then you pay less during the semester. That said it is doable, but not cheap and I make my daughter pay for her own dues --- its what she works for in the summer. I make her pay for her own T-shirts this seems to limit her otherwise she would buy 3 a week for all the sorority and fraternity stuff that is going on. Also one fleece a semester. I am not the only parent who does this.

[ThetaPrincess24]

My chapter devoted some time on philanthropy night to discussing financial information. Dues information were printed on the brochures/pamphlets that were given out that day. All of our new members were automatically put on payment plan their first semester (but they could pay in full at the first date if they so desired).

The recruitment booklet had an average cost per semester after initiation but that was it. i've seen recruitment booklets from other campuses and I've seen it broken down for each sorority like this:

New member fee
In house active fee
Out of house active fee