One of the most well-known images of fraternities is throwing rage-tastic parties at their houses and having girls from all over campus come and partake in the festivities. However, not all fraternities have an official house. But this does not make these fraternities any worse than ones that do have a house. They are simply different. In some cases, not having a house can be a blessing in disguise.
Here are some reasons why not having a fraternity house might not be a bad thing.
1. Dues are cheaper.
By a pretty significant margin, in fact. Paying less means that more people can afford to be a part of your organization. Less exclusivity means more people and differing personalities can join. We might all share the same values and interests, but cheaper dues allow for more diversity, more viewpoints, more lifestyles, so that we can all learn from each other and grow together as a fraternity. Since you don't have to pay any portion of dues to live in a house, a larger portion of your dues go to things that you can take part in like social and brotherhood events.
2. You don't have to live with a bunch of dudes all the time.
I went to an all-boys high school in St. Louis, and by the time I got out of there, I was ready to be around girls again. Sure, your bros are always there for you, but sometimes its nice to be around someone who smells nice and doesn't have armpit hair. Also, after freshman year, I thought living in the same dorm room with one other person was torture, and I didn't even have a bad roommate. Sleeping in the same room with four or more other guys does not sound appealing at all.
3. It's harder for people to steal your stuff.
We all know at least one girl who has gone to a fraternity house party, made their way into someone's room and stolen some clever sign or flag from a guy's room. I don't know why girls do that, but apparently it's a thing now. It's pretty difficult to constantly be keeping an eye on your belongings in your room, while also trying to entertain a bunch of people in a different area of the house.
4. If you and a brother have a disagreement, you don't have to be around them all the time.
Sometimes problems arise between fraternity brothers. Whether it's a girl issue, a money issue or simply a difference of opinion, you just don't want to be around a certain person because they rub you the wrong way. If you live in the same house, there is only so much room for avoidance. If you don't have to live in the same place, then you can let some time pass and the tempers dissipate before having to see that person again.
5. You don't have to share a bathroom with a bunch of guys
College men can do a lot of damage to a bathroom. It's a lot easier to deal with if you only have to worry about cleaning up after yourself and one or two other people.
6. When you're trying to sleep but your brothers are loud
Let's be honest, the weekend starts on Wednesdays for some people, and for others, Thursday is the new Friday. However, some people have class all week long, and might even have important things to do on a Friday morning. Say you have a test or you have to work Friday morning, but your brothers' week has ended, and they want to get drunk and hit the bars. They have a right to do that, but that is usually a noisy process. Or you could be fighting a nasty cold and you are physically and mentally drained. All you want to do is curl up in bed and sleep as soon as 8 p.m. hits. Of course, this is assuming everyone in the house will be courteous and respect your desire to be left alone and for your space to be completely silent for the night.
7. There is no limit to how many men you can recruit.
You don't have to worry about filling a house or not having enough room to fit everyone. You can recruit as many men as you want every semester.
A house can set a fraternity apart from other chapters on campus. It's also easy to recruit new members to the fraternity with a house because it gives them something tangible to see. But there are more important things than having a house, and not having one certainly has some advantages.