University of Oregon sorority and fraternity recruitments are underway, and members of Greek life at UO are required to pay dues and other fees each term to maintain their membership.
New members pay higher dues during their first term due to one-time new member fees.
For sorority members, new member dues can range from $537 to $1,372 per quarter, and active member dues range from $500 to $600 per quarter, according to UO’s Panhellenic Council.
However, these numbers are lower than what members report paying.
Alessandra Grosjean, a UO alumni and former member of Gamma Phi Beta, said she paid $900 per term as a member not living in the house.
Abby Nicholson, a member of Alpha Chi Omega who also does not live in her sorority’s house, pays $654 per term.
All sororities’ financial representatives were contacted and either did not respond or declined to share any financial information with the Emerald. Fraternities with contacts made available did not respond to requests for information.
There are additional expenses sorority members pay, including purchasing sorority merchandise, fees for additional events, fees to bring guests to events and other miscellaneous expenses.
These extra payments go toward international or national fees, chapter operating expenses, philanthropy events, social functions, lodge expenses and more. In some cases, financial aid and scholarships may apply to membership and housing costs, but these opportunities are limited according to Fraternity and Sorority Life.
All members of Greek organizations are required to pay a Fraternity and Sorority Life fee at the start of the school year.
According to the Fraternity and Social Life blog site, the fee’s purpose is to “provide the members of fraternities and sororities with a sustainable advising and programming model to create a membership experience that is congruent with both the university’s and the organization’s mission, purpose and values.” This fee is reassessed each year.
Fraternity dues are much less expensive than sorority dues. While members still have to pay extra fees that are chapter-specific, most fraternities charge about the same amount per term.
New member fees for fraternity members range from $200 to $875 per member, with an average cost of $636, according to the Interfraternity Council website.
Sorority recruitment took place from Oct. 5 until Oct. 15. Fraternity recruitment varies by chapter, but takes place this year from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20.
Javier Sparkman, a UO freshman, said that it is less expensive to live in a fraternity than it is to live in the dorms. This was part of his motivation to go through recruitment.
“I think that’s one of the benefits of rushing… is that dues are cheaper than staying on campus. Generally, the dues are all similar. They’re all kind of around $500 [per term],” Sparkman said.
Hunter Handel, a UO freshman, said that some fraternities are “waiving application fees” this year.
“They’re actually charging no money for pledges. I think it’s pretty interesting because they just want members,” Handle said. “You have to pay to pledge for any frat, but not for Alpha Tau Omega. The only thing you have to pay for is functions.”
According to the IFC, “Recruitment is free for all participants.” Only if a potential new member decides to accept a bid and join a fraternity will they have to pay any dues or fees.
Women going through sorority recruitment had to pay a fee to sign up, whether they ended up in a chapter or not. They discussed the cost of becoming a member of a Greek organization with the Daily Emerald.
Hailee Nordstrom, a UO freshman, shared what she had heard from other students going through sorority recruitment.
“For a lot of the girls I’ve been talking to, the cost does affect how they rank the sororities. Some of the girls I’m friends with are paying for it themselves, so it does affect the way they rank [chapters] when we do our preferences,” Nordstrom said.
Nordstrom said she will rely on her parents to pay her dues if she ends up joining a sorority on campus.
Other students said they would use their savings to pay for dues.
Macy Gusinow, a UO freshman, said she will be relying on her own savings and help from a parent to pay for her future membership.
“A lot of it is coming out of my savings, as well as tuition. I’m lucky to have my mom helping with most of the expenses,” Gusinow said.
Gusinow said she is willing to pay however much is necessary to experience sorority life.
“I feel like overall, the money that I’m going to spend on [a sorority] can always be made back. Experiences can’t be. I think that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Experience over cost is definitely my mindset here,” Gusinow said.
Some potential new members said they were not aware that prices can change depending on what chapter they are in.
“I didn’t really realize that different houses cost different amounts. I’m a little worried about the money I’ll have to pay when I’m really in it, like on merch, big and little stuff and whatever,” Gusinow said.
