Nobody has ever accused the Greek system at USC of being too spartan. With most fraternities and sororities operating in a sphere of relative comfort, maintained only in part by organizational fees that can (but don’t always) exceed $1,000 per year, some students tend to believe that Greek Life is a haven for the wealthy and mostly barred to everyone else.
Of course, joining Greek Life is generally one of the more expensive decisions that anyone can make on campus, but the Greek system itself isn’t nearly as costly as many students believe it to be.
Housing rates for the Greek system tend to fall in the middle to upper $2,000s per semester, according to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, with fraternity housing being in general more expensive than the feminine counterpart.
Meal plans also seem to slightly favor the Greeks. A standard fraternity meal plan costs between $1,300 and $1,700 per semester and is mandatory, according to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. A sorority meal plan is somewhat less expensive, with only three plans exceeding $1,600. A University meal plan, on the other hand, can cost between $1,310, for a 10 meal plan, to $1,601 for a 16 plan, according to Carolina Dining Services.
But for some students, the biggest concern with Greek Life is the incremental costs that come with alongside membership in a fraternity or sorority.
Andrew Stewart, fourth-year finance student, Sigma Chi brother and President of the Fraternity Council, admitted that these costs could be significant.
“Each fraternity handles these things differently,” Stewart said. “There can be a lot of costs between things like formals and mountain weekends, but a lot of frats pay for these themselves from the member dues. Any other cost is up to you.”
As to the rumors that are often floated about fraternity pledges being forced to spend large amounts of additional money during their first semester due to driving costs or other expenses, Stewart was adamant that such practices are being stopped.
“I can’t 100 percent say that they’re completely gone,” Stewart said, “but I definitely think they’ve been significantly reduced. Since parents are now generally monitoring how much their kids spend while away, and with national organizations being strictly opposed to them, they’re definitely not as big as they used to be. If a parent sees that their kid has spent money on gas five times this month, they’re probably going to be suspicious or upset.”
Overall, Stewart said, the Greek system was well worth the cost, with networking and personal development being cited as two of the key tenets that provide success for Greek alumni.
But between the monetary considerations and the time constraints that result in, according to Stewart, some organizations taking upwards of two hours a day from hopeful initiates during their first semester, some students remain unconvinced.
“It seems like it could be fun, but it’s just too much time and money for me to be interested,” first year biochemistry student Emily Hattaway said. “The positives just don’t really outweigh the negatives for me.”