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Greek numbers down at UW following economic downturn
Coordinators look to keep life affordable despite tough times
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Due to hard economic times, university Greek systems across the nation are concerned participation in Greek life will decline.
According to Barbara Kautz, student involvement coordinator at the University of Wisconsin, the UW System saw a decrease in recruitment participants by about 100 from fall 2007 to fall 2008.
“Folks’ and families’ college budgets have shrunken because of the economic downturn that we’ve had, and I think maybe some folks have shied away from going through recruitment because it’s a high collegiate expense thanks to the cost of dues,” Kautz said.
Kautz added putting a child through college is challenging enough, and it’s reasonable that both parents and children are looking for ways to keep colleges as financially manageable as possible.
“Things aren’t working in our favor right now,” Kautz said. “I don’t think folks really realize how much they can get out of being in a fraternity or a sorority.”
Kautz added that the UW Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils are making a greater effort to maintain their levels of participation in the Greek system.
“A lot of people don’t realize that living in a sorority or fraternity house is comparable in price to living in an apartment on campus,” Kautz said.
Kautz added that the councils are working to better inform people about the benefits of joining the Greek community as well as financial specifics by sending a variety of pamphlets to incoming students and their parents throughout the summer.
According to Kautz, the councils raised funds at the 150th anniversary of UW Greek life in 2007 to go toward student scholarships as well.
“We set up accounts through UW to give scholarships to students that have financial burdens and that still want to be in a fraternity or sorority,” Kautz said.
Kautz added that the alumni Panhellenic group is looking to increase this scholarship program in the future.
Although the University of Michigan has not seen a notable change in recruitment numbers, Mary Beth Seiler, director of Greek life there, is concerned about the future of their recruitment participation.
“We really don’t know what to expect,” Seiler said. “Everyone is going to be watching very carefully.”
According to Seiler, while the number of rush participants increased 16 percent from fall 2006 to fall 2007, student participation in 2008 was stagnant.
“But things with the economy didn’t really get bad until after rush in September,” Seiler added. “We’re going to be doing an extra push to be sure that the numbers stay the same next year.”
Seiler added they will continue to publicize their Greek system as best they can in hopes to avoid a drop off in numbers.
“It’s something we really need to think about,” Seiler said. “We’ve got to find a way to stay relevant and affordable.”
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After becoming known around campus as the gay fraternity, when one gay pushed another gay off the roof in a lover’s dispute, Sigma Phi Epsilon had zero new recruits in 1982-83. Also this was a period of economic downturn. Later, the fraternity was so desperate it admitted a collection of rich drug addict slackers from Wisconsin Hall, most of whom were from out-of-state. For most of them, if they went to class at all, it was by taxi cab. These rich boys decided to not rent the vacant rooms to boarders, which had been the practice since the 1960s. Several of the members were sent to federal prison in major drug bust in 1986. When the fraternity had to sell the mansion at 12 Langdon in 1995, which had been owned “free and clear” they blamed it on the 1980s.
“I don’t think folks really realize how much they can get out of being in a fraternity or a sorority.”
That’s right, you can buy your grades with closets full of class notebooks and blue books. Want to know why those girls never really study or work hard and have time to surf jcrew in lecture? Because they have hundreds of classes and years worth of notes to go off of, and the poor schleps who actually put in their time to make a genuine effort are left with a cheapened education and degree. Congrats!
Anonymous, you are such an envious, clueless, loser. If you think fraternities and sororities have hundreds of classes and years worth of notes to go off of, then I have some moon property, snake oil, and a bridge to sell you. Doing some simple logical thinking could help you realize that even if fraternities and sororities kept a lot of old notes and blue books, which they don’t, these materials become of little value when professors and curriculums switch from semester to semester. Stay jealous and miserable.
Right. Most of the sorority girls are at UW for their MRS degree, yet their social life consists of hooking up with guys they barely know. They bitch about each other and the small town Madison home boy attitude. They do poorly in school because are not tuned in at class, or perform their homework assignments. Most of these young women would be better off going to cosmetology school, and troll for their husbands in suburban sports bars of big cities.
Dues might be comparable to living off campus elsewhere, but what about all the other mandatory expenses? One of my cousins was in a sorority for a year before she quit. All the girls had to buy new outfits for events and the girls in charge had to see the tags on to prove it.
Aftter being in a sorority for 4 years, I can say that the price of living in a sorority is comparable to living in an apartment. And I have/had good friends in 8 of the 11 sororities and none of us ever had to buy new outfits for events and show tags on the clothes. The only time you have to buy clothes are for recruitment and even then it’s usually only the t-shirts each house has to wear for 1st and 2nd rounds to keep a unified appearance.
Furthermore, just look at the badger herald, everyone at Madison hooks up with people they barely know. Unless the sorority girls are the only ones getting their shoutouts posted (which is highly unlikely). Lastly, the average gpa of all the sorority girls on campus is around a 3.3. Madison’s overall gpa is around a 3.0. The majority of us are not doing poorly.