I remember getting in an argument with a girl I considered a friend.
"At least I don't have to pay for my friends like you do," she hurled at me.
At first, I was very hurt by this. But then, I just began to pity her. She was just so ignorant. She had no concept of what Greek Life was really like.
I have been in a sorority for three semesters now and I can honestly say going Greek was the best decision I've made since coming to college.
The common misconception that being in a sorority is "paying for your friends" is completely ludicrous and has no basis in logic. Yes, sororities have dues that you have to pay. But you're not paying to be friends with people. If that was true sororities would just be a bunch of girls hanging out. But there's so much more than that.
The friendships we make are free. The reason we have dues is because the different events and opportunities we put on cost money.
In any given semester we will have a number of socials with venues that need booking and DJ's that need hired, sisterhood events with entrance fees that need to be covered, events involving rituals and ceremonies that need supplies provided, and plenty of t-shirts given to every sister that need to be paid for.
These sort of fees are not unique to Greek Life. In high school I was on a competitive dance team and we had to pay some pretty steep dues. I made tons of friends, but that's not what I was paying for, I was paying for competition entrance fees, costumes, instructor salaries, hotel costs, etc.
None of the money we pay in dues just disappears, it is all allocated to different budgets by our treasurer. I am sisterhood chair in my sorority and I was given a budget at the beginning of the semester. This week I planned an event for a group of sisters to go to an escape room. I was able to cover the cost of playing with my budget.
You could go to an escape room with a group of your friends that you "didn't have to pay for," but you would end up footing the bill. So in the end, you will be paying just like we do.
The benefit of being in a Greek organization is you pay a little bit each semester and end up getting to experience things you never could have afforded or organized on your own.
I've learned to ignore people who say that I'm "paying for my friends" because I realize they have no idea what they are saying. They haven't thought through the facts like I have. Event planning costs money. But lifelong friendship, that's priceless.
