I Due!!

Claire Ainsworth
Delta Gamma

Dues; the one word that can make some sorority girls cringe and send others running for the hills. We often try to avoid talking about the subject; in fact, it is a word some try and avoid like the plague during recruitment. However, without paying up, none of the things we might take for granted would be there for us.

We tend to think of our chapters and sorority life as an opportunity to make lifelong friends, go to events, have fun and help the community, but meeting chapter financial obligations is as much ingrained in sorority life as these elements, if not more so. Joining a sorority is a time commitment but is also a financial one that can be a burden for many and sometimes too much to handle, forcing girls in every chapter to lose their sorority identities.

 It is a strange situation that the sorority sister faces if she does not pay her dues. Events are taken away from her, and if she does not attend events, she risks the threat of being fined for her absence. So the simple solution is; pay, and go to everything. Thankfully we all have these shining star members who often keep the organization on its feet, but sometimes a girl can’t do it all. Many members must work to keep up with their dues and school tuition or take out loans to cover their expenses.

It is easy to overlook a sister's struggle to meet her financial obligation if it is something that you have never had to take a second thought over, but there are girls everywhere who are struggling. It gives the Greek system in general a bad image. Skyrocketing dues fuel the fire of the typical “So-RAWR-ity girl” as seen on YouTube. “Some may say she is materialist because she pays for her friends, but that’s not true first off because her daddy pays her fees and second off that means that like 100 people are paying to be her friend.” While this video is an exaggeration for most, it's not entirely made up; many girls do not have to worry about their dues. The point is the price of membership to many houses is not even a possibility for many girls, and as much as we focus on friendship, sisterhood and helping others, the exclusion of those who cannot afford this sisterhood is just something that seems a little sad. Some say you can’t put a price on friendship, but the sorority has been able to pretty easily.     

 The truth is, the things we do cost money and no one is ignorant of that; it is an unavoidable fact. It is also unavoidable to ignore the number of girls who have been forced to drop out of their chapter because of the cost of their dues or even chosen another chapter because of the differences in price. We love to rejoice over our indescribable sisterhood but we deny girls those experiences because of price. The Office of Student Life and Leadership at SDSU puts on their website “Given the benefits provided, Greek membership is a bargain; however, students should consider costs in planning their personal budgets. The average for all dues, fees and other incidental expenses per semester (excluding room and board for residential chapters) are $950 for Panhellenic (general) sororities…” I would not describe this price as a bargain, but it is true that the experiences a girl gains are unlike any other.

As tuition increases, paying your dues can be harder than ever. Maybe we should try having sisterhood events where we all play the lottery. But even if there is no solution, I think it is important at a national level for these organizations to realize that their target audience is college students. Not only that, but as much as it is a place of sisterhood, it's also a place of business. The dues we pay each month or each semester are intended to better ourselves, but instead the dues we pay go toward organizations that through our faithful membership have the ability to reprimand us for absence. This leads to a system of girls who are turning in their badges because they either are unable to pay or fed up from trying so hard to only be fined in the end. The sorority is like a marriage it’s a commitment and a financial agreement and it is til death do you part. But unlike a marriage, if you don’t pay they are filing for divorce.

Claire is a sophomore studying journalism. You may contact her at ainsworth.claire@yahoo.com.