Quote: from grief at 9:55 pm on June 14, 2007
too much, dont try and buy your friends. you may get laid and have the biggest parties, wait then again yeah join a fraternity damn the costs and blows to your reputation 
Buying friends? That is utterly absurd. You are mainly paying for liability insurance, housing, and other normal organizational expenses. I suppose by that logic, joining a high school sports team is also buying friends, since you pay a nominal fee to cover uniforms and transportation.
As for cost, VertHorizon outlined them fairly accurately, though obviously it varies quite a bit by the frat and the school. At some, such as at SEC schools, the cost can, from what I've read, be quite a bit higher. But at alot of schools, the aforementioned estimates are pretty accurate. I can honestly say that at my school, frats are cheaper than standard housing and food plans. So, just in terms of financial considerations, it is sounder in some cases.
As for the reputation issue, you must be the type of person who cannot separate reality from film. Animal House may represent the state of fratdom at some large public universities. But go to private universities with reputations for solid academics like Case Western, and you'll see that frats are a part of campus life, and not something that damages a person's reputation. In fact, it is helpful to it. Consider the fact that networking is one of the primary advantages to it. Look at the facts:
* 71% of those listed in "Who's Who in America" belong to a fraternity.
* Of the nation's 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by fraternity men.
* 40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were fraternity men.
* 76% of all Congressmen and Senators belong to a fraternity.
* 63% of the U.S. President's Cabinet members since 1900 have been Greek.
* All but two presidents since 1825 have been Greek.
-------
When the state is most corrupt, then the laws are most multiplied.
-- Tacitus
Patron
