Parents of kids in Greek Life, who pays

[Anonymous]

Lighten up Francis.

[Anonymous]

We paid dues freshman and sophomore years. She will pay junior and senior.

[Anonymous]

DD hadn't planned to rush, but joined a sorority freshman year and found one she really likes. It seems to be pretty balanced, not a stereotypical queen bee situation like another poster mentioned. We paid for the dues because this is a positive way to augment her college experience with friends, activities, community service and a sense of belonging. She has a leadership position (based on academics) so it's been good for the resume as well. I'm fine paying the dues because she's keeping up her end by putting her all into school and her sorority work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD hadn't planned to rush, but joined a sorority freshman year and found one she really likes. It seems to be pretty balanced, not a stereotypical queen bee situation like another poster mentioned. We paid for the dues because this is a positive way to augment her college experience with friends, activities, community service and a sense of belonging. She has a leadership position (based on academics) so it's been good for the resume as well. I'm fine paying the dues because she's keeping up her end by putting her all into school and her sorority work.

+1

This is a normal/typical sorority experience and as a parent, you are supporting her appropriately. Good for both for both of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pay my child NOT to join a sorority or fraternity.

Your opinion is noted but why posting on this thread then? Not exactly helpful. I do not think we need the weekly Greek system argument again do we? Either your kid does it or they don’t, no need to judge anyone else.

This.

[Anonymous]

I’m a dad. My DD has to report to school three weeks early for something called work week. There are themed days during work week as well as rush week. We spent the day looking for jeans a shorts of a certain colour at two different outlet malls. It is her money she is spending but I have asked her to keep a running total of all money spent. There are so many soft costs associated with Greek life that goes beyond the dues and fees. This summer I’ve met one of her good friends from her pledge class that she probably would have never met if she wasn’t in a sorority.

I feel like she is paying for friends but it is not my money nor my life; it is hers.

[Anonymous]

DCUM mothers only hate one thing worse than the Greek system, and that's their mother-in-law.

We had two daughters join sororities at UVA. We neither encouraged nor discouraged them from rushing, because they entered college as adults and as adults you are entitled to make your own decisions. We had enough confidence in how we raised them to know that they didn't decide to go Greek for shallow reasons. Dues included housing and meals, so we happily paid them.

Whenever a see a post decrying and insulting and generalizing about the Greek system, I always think "nerd alert!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We pay all college related costs."

Not trying to be snarky, for real. How exactly do you see this as related to college? I'd pay for things like a flight to Chicago with her college debate team. Or a season ski pass for a kid at a school where that's the main fun activity. If they need a new trumpet for marching band, sure. I'd help with gas and other incidentals if she and her club were going to do volunteer work, like build trails in a park, for the weekend. The kids doing those activities are having lots of fun socializing together and hanging out while doing their activity. But what's the activity of a sorority? I'd be pissed off that my kid was purposely buying a different outfit that had been designated by the sorority leadership each week. I live right by one of our local DMV universities so every week I see the young women pouring out onto the street wearing the "uniform" for that weekend. Once it was cheerleader skirts with a tube top, all in the school colors. Last week it was high rise light wash jeans with a pastel cropped tank top and hair in a high ponytail. Sometimes it's all black, or ruffled blouses with short shorts. When I first moved here I thought maybe everyone was just shopping at the same store or something. LOL!

My DD is in a sorority and in no way is she required to buy the outfit of the week. She does buy different outfits for theme parties but she pays for that herself.

The activity is networking/connnections, service to others, leadership opportunities to be on committees and plan events. A lot of my sorority experience has benefited me in my career, collaborating with groups of people different from me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my school, dues+sorority house+sorority meal plan was less than the dorms, so my parents paid.
I paid for all the extra t-shirts, gifts for my little, formal, etc.

This was it for me, as well. Plus I worked in the kitchen part-time to reduce my meal plan costs in the House. (We had on campus housing, including Greek housing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We pay all college related costs."

Not trying to be snarky, for real. How exactly do you see this as related to college? I'd pay for things like a flight to Chicago with her college debate team. Or a season ski pass for a kid at a school where that's the main fun activity. If they need a new trumpet for marching band, sure. I'd help with gas and other incidentals if she and her club were going to do volunteer work, like build trails in a park, for the weekend. The kids doing those activities are having lots of fun socializing together and hanging out while doing their activity. But what's the activity of a sorority? I'd be pissed off that my kid was purposely buying a different outfit that had been designated by the sorority leadership each week. I live right by one of our local DMV universities so every week I see the young women pouring out onto the street wearing the "uniform" for that weekend. Once it was cheerleader skirts with a tube top, all in the school colors. Last week it was high rise light wash jeans with a pastel cropped tank top and hair in a high ponytail. Sometimes it's all black, or ruffled blouses with short shorts. When I first moved here I thought maybe everyone was just shopping at the same store or something. LOL!

My DD is in a sorority and in no way is she required to buy the outfit of the week. She does buy different outfits for theme parties but she pays for that herself.

The activity is networking/connnections, service to others, leadership opportunities to be on committees and plan events. A lot of my sorority experience has benefited me in my career, collaborating with groups of people different from me.

For me, this has not been the case. I had a lot of fun (but it was also a pain toward the end). I have not benefitted from sorority affiliation, at all. And I was a part of one of the really big, national sororities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much are sorority dues typically? My DD is talking about rushing a sorority and I know nothing about it at all.

It depends on the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM mothers only hate one thing worse than the Greek system, and that's their mother-in-law.

We had two daughters join sororities at UVA. We neither encouraged nor discouraged them from rushing, because they entered college as adults and as adults you are entitled to make your own decisions. We had enough confidence in how we raised them to know that they didn't decide to go Greek for shallow reasons. Dues included housing and meals, so we happily paid them.

Whenever a see a post decrying and insulting and generalizing about the Greek system, I always think "nerd alert!"

Uhhh. . .