OK, here is the link showing the prices I quoted earlier:
http://greeklife.ua.edu/docs/Sorority%20Life%20at%20the%20Capstone%202009.ppt
If it does not work, go to the greeklife.ua website. On the right hand side there is the sorority recruitment guide that you can open in pdf form. As you can see, it is much higher than the highs and lows quoted on the front page of that same site, and also than the Panhellenic site that Zillini quoted. I just wish we had known the accurate information upfront.
I realize that all fees will vary. However, each house has an idea about a price range, and I think the UA site should be consistent, and not have different prices on different pages.
Yes, the train has left the station, but combine real estate depreciation, loss of money in three college funds, and less income from a straight commission job, and it is just information that we would appreciate having access to. My daughter is pragmatic enough to know that sometimes life requires compromise. But she has no idea which ones are outside of our budget.
BTW, I was not trying to find fault with any of the sorority representatives at the Panhellenic weekend. I do recognize that they are inexperienced young women who may not have access to all the financial data. I just thought it was odd, in view of the fact that the speakers told us to go to each table for financial information, that we found a table with none to give out. I am sure that this will improve in forthcoming years. From an audience standpoint, we had no idea that this was the first year this was offered. No young lady was rude to me personally, but one young, pretty, immaculately attired young woman was sitting on the table with her legs crossed and foot swinging as we approached. I guess it was the way she said that they do not give out prices to the mom in front of me that made me think that they did not want to divulge them.
I just think it would be a travesty if ANY girl (not just my daughter) went into this after convincing her parents to pay the "average" Approx. $1,700 per semester listed on the official Panhellenic web site that Zillini posted, only to fall in love with and receive a bid from a sorority that requires the $6K per semester listed in the rush packet instead, and perhaps not have the funds or desire to pay the higher amount. I wish there was a way to know which ones were in that category. There must be some sororities that do charge that much, or else that would not be stated in the packet.
I am not complaining, btw, just trying to make sure we do not commit to something that we will later regret. This is too important to my daughter for her not to get the opportunity to see it through. Does that make sense?
I am not saying that we would not have allowed the "train to leave the station" had we known about the potential high end, but the truth is we did consider the higher cost of the sororities when allowing her to go to UA rather than other colleges . . .