And come hers is smaller? Shouldn't it be equal? Is her tuition somehow less?

Okay tj, what does the National HQ do to where THEY need that much money? Obviously you're paying locally for things like t-shirts, the house, etc. What the "top-dogs" of a fraternity need all that money for?

It's an academic based, not need based scholarship. It's actually a check made out to her that she can cash and spend on whatever she wants. Same for the guys. Some guys were rich and used it to buy more tv's. Some guys like me used it to pay rent/bills.

quote:

---

so would the benefits to me be, for paying that $125/month? That's a lot of money for a Poor like me.

---

like i said, mines was a smaller chapter with no house, so smaller dues, but that money mostly went to group events. i'd say the majority of it went to dinners or trips. we'd have something like 3-4 group dinners a year, and try for 3-4 trips.

see, there are schfourteen teen thousand universities in america

say we can get chapters in half of those
100 members a pop

thats like a gajillion dollars a semester

quote:

---

Okay tj, what does the National HQ do to where THEY need that much money? Obviously you're paying locally for things like t-shirts, the house, etc. What the "top-dogs" of a fraternity need all that money for?

---

Insurance

quote:

---

It's an academic based, not need based scholarship. It's actually a check made out to her that she can cash and spend on whatever she wants. Same for the guys. Some guys were rich and used it to buy more tv's.

---

this makes great sense

That's money well spent.

quote:

---

i'd say the majority of it went to dinners or trips. we'd have something like 3-4 group dinners a year, and try for 3-4 trips.

---

So... for $125/mo I get 4 dinners and 4 trips. Wouldn't it just be easier to save that $125 and go on trips with my friends?

quote:

---

What the "top-dogs" of a fraternity need all that money for?

---

1. this is their actual job
2. they organize/oversee things on a national scale. they have national events that the executive councils of the local chapters usually attend for free.

quote:

---

Okay tj, what does the National HQ do to where THEY need that much money? Obviously you're paying locally for things like t-shirts, the house, etc. What the "top-dogs" of a fraternity need all that money for?

---

Our national HQ used it to pay for field secretaries who would travel between all the chapters in their region. That meant paying for travel, food, lodging, etc. They also published a national magazine for all members, and hosted 2 national events per year.

Basically, it's a corporation. Insurance, yes, is one thing all joking aside. It's also for advertising as well as publications and the large events they sometimes put on. I don't pretend to know anything about nationals. It's like Washington. You really don't always know what is going on. Since IFC is here at A&M and closer to us, it's easier to keep in contact and it's also easier to keep in contact with the person who runs our district.

Kappa Sigma Fraternity- Est. 1869

[This message has been edited by tjsmith (edited 1/25/2010 11:42a).]

What's to advertise? "Join our frat and you'll get 4 dinners, 4 trips, and an opportunity to do some charity work?"

quote:

---

So... for $125/mo I get 4 dinners and 4 trips. Wouldn't it just be easier to save that $125 and go on trips with my friends?

---

you could, theoretically. my chapter was close though, and it was nice to have these events organized, where the money was already kind of budgeted. once i graduated, i could count on friends to follow through with trip plans. in college, not so much.

plus, again, my dues were way less than $125 a month. no house makes a big difference.

quote:

---

And come hers is smaller? Shouldn't it be equal? Is her tuition somehow less?

---

Becuase she is not a member, and should be thankful that she is getting a check made out to her from an organization to which she does not belong.

quote:

---

It's a like Washington.

---

Another great, great example on your behalf.

ok so for $125 per month (~$1,125 per academic year) you get:

4 group dinners
4 group trips
automatic bros
a sister sorority to provide girls for you to bang (probably worth the money)
a hassle-free trip to carneys/ptar/the tap
your own NEWSLETTER
a house that you don't live in
parties

neat...seems like a good investment.

not.

[This message has been edited by Flaith (edited 1/25/2010 11:47a).]

So you pay that kind of money so you can go on trips where you're insured that people won't bail?

laith plz see above for my genius business idea

eh, the people who are anti-greek will basically always be. i think it's weird that A&M as a whole is so much like that though, because we're constantly defending our school with "from the outside looking in..." type stuff which is also true for a lot of greeks. i've never regretted joining. i made a lot of lifelong friends that i probably would have never even come into contact with if not for joining. i had a lot of good times, and did a lot of good for the community. it's a personal choice. i've never tried to push it on anyone else, which is why rush week was always awkward for me.

"Join a frat. You'll get 4 dinners and 4 trips that your friends CAN'T BAIL ON OR THEY ARE KICKED OUT OF FRIEND LAND FOREVER"

bravnot, you're right about it being an "ouside looking in" thing. But think about it from the perspective of those who never did the greek life...can you name one movie about greek college life that depicted them as anything but 1) boozing idiots or 2) stuck up beetches and a-holes? That's pretty much how people gather their opinions on things. "If it wasn't that way, why would so many movies over the years tell us it is"?

quote:

---

So you pay that kind of money so you can go on trips where you're insured that people won't bail?

---

that's kind of simplifying it, but i guess. it's nice because the whole trip will be organized by one or two people, so there's virtually no hassle on your part. it's more or less show up at the bus packed and ready to go. all your dinners, etc are taken care of.

i don't know, i never really looked at paying dues as a regret, because i was on the e.c. and i saw where they went a lot of times.

it was just a fun time to get 15-20 guys and their dates, hop on a bus and spend a weekend in san antonio or something.

quote:

---

bravnot, you're right about it being an "ouside looking in" thing. But think about it from the perspective of those who never did the greek life...can you name one movie about greek college life that depicted them as anything but 1) boozing idiots or 2) stuck up beetches and a-holes? That's pretty much how people gather their opinions on things. "If it wasn't that way, why would so many movies over the years tell us it is"?

---

i agree, and i'm not saying that there aren't truths to a lot of those stereotypes. i'm just saying it's not ALWAYS true. i was never hazed, didn't have to do anything i didn't want to, etc. i was just lucky in the choice i made, but i would have had zero problem saying "f this" if i wasn't comfortable with the chapter.

this thread = trollerific

I appreciate your responses, brav, seriously. I was trolling a bit at first because I really couldn't give a **** less if someone wanted to be in a frat, but I seriously don't understand what the benefit is that you couldn't just as easily get from somewhere else.

Glad to see frat troll threads still work. For the love of God please tell me I can still get a million hits on a yell leaders vs cheerleaders thread.

To be SRS for a second, by gf was in a sorority and our only convo about her sorority went like this:

Her: It was the best decsion I ever made in my life.

Me: Really, why?

Her: I made so many friends and it provided so many valuable connections.

Me: The friends you now talk to once a year?

Her: Yeah.

Me: Didn't you get your job through a recruiter?

Her: Yeah.


For some people it may be a good decision, but it seems for many it's just a waste of time and money.

rocky were you a fiji?

quote:

---

but I seriously don't understand what the benefit is that you couldn't just as easily get from somewhere else.

---

honestly, for me, it was the whole experience. i just spent the weekend duck hunting with guys i would have probably never met if not for joining. people joke about "renting friends", but i went to high school in el paso and went to A&M knowing no one. i eventually made friends through work, school, etc, but it was also nice getting introduced to the guys in my chapter. as a freshman, it was a good experience having seniors and whatnot to give advice, been there done that type of stuff. serving on the e.c. i learned a lot about organzations in general and leadership.

i can't really encapsulate it all, but like i said, i have never regretted it. like i also said, it's a personal choice, and obviously it's not for everyone.

I understand that you make good friends yadda yadda. But guess what, I made some great friends in college as well NOT being in a sorority. And I'm sure if each and every one of the greeks would make just as good of friends if they weren't in those groups.

ok enough serious innernetting, besides, it's time for me to pop my 4 collars, put my boat shoes on, and drive my leased lexus to lunch.

I hate frats, sororities, fish camp, FLOs, carpool, northside dorms, southside dorms, the corps, the band, bonfire, Aggie glbt, sbisa food and freedom.

quote:

---

and freedom.

---

I laughed

Insurance is the single greatest cost associated with being in a Fraternity. Was told at one point that insurance for Fraternities was second only to Nuclear Power plants in cost.