The choice: live in the house or depledge

[dakareng]

I always thought living in the house is the greatest thing ever, and I don't understand why people would NOT want to live in the house.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Non-housed chapter members dream of having a consistent place to display their treasures, have meetings and ceremonies and hang out together. Housed chapter members dream of the freedom to live where they want, on their own terms and pay fees that are substantially less.

There are pros and cons of both. To have no where at all is the hardest from the perspective of chapter organization. To have a large house is the hardest from the financial perspective. If you have a rent payment of $10,000/month, it IS a business, whether you like it or not. (and I'm not exaggerating that figure. As province officer 1993-99, one of my chapters had a rent payment to their house corporation of $12,000/month) On the other hand, those large, gorgeous homes also create lasting memories, provide sisterhood experiences that no apartment or dorm floor could match. And, in all honesty, it is a matter of competition. If XYZ, ABC and PDQ have 30-bed red brick mansions with white columns and manicured lawns, when CDE comes on campus they'll want one too or they won't be able to compete during recruitment (as much as we hate to admit it, a lot of formal recruitment is dependant on externals).

Should new members be told upfront about housing requirements? Absolutely! On the other hand, if you are joining a housed chapter, you should not assume that you won't be asked to live in at the first opportunity. And it should never be assumed that the housing obligation is only one year if you have a large house. If your house sleeps 75 and you typically pledge 40, you WILL be asked (that's the polite way of saying required) to live in a second year.

I'm with you Dolphin Chica-- I don't understand why people would not want to live in the house. You have the rest of your live to clean your own bathroom? The opportunity to live in the house is for a very short time and then it's gone. Is the ability to have your boyfriend spend the night or keep beer in your fridge more important?