Social work sophomore Faith Volpi transferred to LSU in the fall of 2022 with plans to rush Greek Life. Many of her friends were in sororities, and she believed rushing would be a good way to make friends as a transfer student.

But after learning about the cost of joining Greek Life, Volpi realized she couldn’t afford to join.

“With all the new member fees and everything like that, it was a lot all at once,” Volpi said. “I actually did apply for one of the scholarships that they offered, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get it. So just the financial situation was kind of rough with the new member fees and everything.”

According to LSU’s Greek Life website, average Panhellenic Council new member fees are $590.88 and average semester expenses are $1,921.68. 

The Interfraternity Council’s average new member fees cost $364.67, and average semester expenses cost $3,722.43. 

Volpi knew she’d have to pay chapter dues but was surprised by how expensive the cost was. While she believes some other girls pay for expenses through scholarships and their parents, Volpi didn’t have financial support.

“My parents don’t pay for my schooling, so I had to go take out loans and stuff. I’m currently working to pay that off and pay rent, so that’s why it was so hard for me to be able to afford these things,” she said.

For other students considering rushing, Volpi encourages them to do their research so they aren’t caught by surprise like she was.

“I feel like [sororities were] trying to work with me as far as payment plans and stuff like that, but it just wasn’t accessible to me, I was just still kind of struggling a little bit,” she said. “Definitely do the research and make sure you’re paying attention to those fees because they will catch up to you.”

Public relations sophomore Macy McDade wanted to join Greek Life her freshman year, but like Volpi, the cost of monthly dues prevented her from joining. McDade said she was aware of new member fees but didn’t know she’d have to continue paying each semester.

“I had heard that the first semester of Greek life was the most expensive but…I thought you paid the dues once and then you were in it,” McDade said.

Even with the cost of dues made public on the Greek Life website, McDade said there are other expenses members have to pay for that aren’t accounted for in the overall cost.

“[A sorority] told [my friend] ‘you have to have all white attire for the initiation.’ She had these shoes that were all white with a black tab on the back, and [the sorority] said she couldn’t wear them and it’s like, well, she doesn’t have any all white shoes,” McDade said. “So she was supposed to go out and drop $50 on a pair of white shoes just for this one singular initiation event…Things like that add up.”

McDade also heard from another sorority member about extra fees incurred if a member misses their weekly chapter meeting.

“It’s like, why would I have to pay a fee if I miss [a meeting?]…Why do I have to pay a fee if I miss an event when I’m paying to be in this thing?” McDade said.

McDade said she knew some scholarships were offered to offset the cost, but she didn’t feel they were advertised as much as they could be.

“I had no idea how you would find the scholarships. Like, who would you have to talk to to figure out the scholarships? How can you apply for them? I had no idea how to do that,” McDade said.

Graphic design senior Olivia Christopher served as the Panhellenic Council President for the spring and fall 2022 semesters. As President, Christopher helped create the Sierra Frazier Scholarship, which covers new member fees and chapter dues for a year.

The Sierra Frazier Scholarship is currently the only scholarship the Panhellenic Council offers. The scholarship is open to all Panhellenic Council sororities, and recipients are chosen by the Panhellenic Council officers through a blind selection process.

In its first year, Christopher said the Council received 142 applicants, with nine people selected to receive the scholarship.

“I hate whenever I hear about people that have to drop because they can’t afford it. So definitely the need is there, and we want to be able to continue to expand [the scholarship and] just drop those barriers for the community,” she said. 

According to Christopher, different sorority chapters offer other scholarships to their members through their own application process. Most of these are academic scholarships that cover tuition and not chapter dues. 

Christopher said her sorority is transparent about their costs, and they have a financial officer speak to new members about the breakdown of all expenses. For girls who are struggling with paying dues, Christopher said they should reach out to their chapter leadership for support.

“I think the best thing you can do is just be honest with your chapter, whenever you do join…I would definitely encourage girls, if they’re surprised by [the cost], to go to their chapter to talk about it, and then also definitely apply for the scholarship,” Christopher said.

While Christopher said being in a sorority has benefited her, she said potential new members who are struggling financially should consider if rushing is worth the cost.

“If you’re having to work three jobs to pay for it…and you’re working so many hours that you can’t go to the events that you’re paying for, that’s one of those where extra scholarships extra, payment plans come in and are helpful,” Christopher said. “I have friends who really want to…live in the house because [they] want to spend more time here, but [they] have to get more hours of work. So it’s something that is a very personal experience for everybody.”

LSU Greek Life did not respond to multiple interview requests.