One of the reasons I chose the Capstone over other institutions of higher learning was my awareness and appreciation of the socioeconomic variety composed in its student body. I came to Tuscaloosa from a small town in rural Alabama where nearly half of my secondary school classmates were eligible for free or reduced lunch prices. Although I was not included in this category, I cheered, played soccer, ran track and learned alongside many funny, intelligent and inspiring people who lived far outside the one percent. Even among my more middle-class friends and siblings, almost everyone I knew worked at least a summer job, if not a part-time job during the school year.
However, I have been dismayed over the course of my three semesters at The University of Alabama by how few interclass interactions I have on a monthly basis. This stark contrast from my pre-college days is most striking among my friends and acquaintances in the greek community.
It is no secret that sorority and fraternity dues are expensive. According to the UA National Panhellenic Conference website, the average sorority member (not living in-house) paid $3,300.25 per semester during the 2012-2013 academic year. That adds up to more than $26,000 – equal to 64 percent of the cost of four years of in-state tuition – over the course of a member’s four years in Tuscaloosa.
To be clear, I am not arguing that greek organizations should lower their dues. I pay them myself, and I know that ship has long since sailed in our ever-expanding system.
Rather, I would like to see each greek organization create opportunities to accept a few members per year to enjoy and contribute to the bonds of sisterhood or brotherhood through an active scholarship program. I know of a few organizations whose local or national chapters already have small scholarships to reward current members for outstanding academic achievement or assist in the event of critical financial crisis, but more could certainly be done.
I propose that a formal application process be created that would allow for incoming freshmen and sophomores with outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements to apply for half-to-full dues scholarships with the greek conference they are interested in joining. For NPC sororities, this could be accomplished simply by adding a check box to the online recruitment registration process stating, “I would like to be considered for a dues scholarship and allow the Office of Greek Affairs to verify my financial aid status with the University.” How simple is that?
Both potential new members and greek organizations stand to gain from this solution. Many greek members and officers view membership in their organizations as both a great opportunity for personal growth and lifelong friendships and as an obligation to contribute to the reputation of their chapters through exceptional scholarship and service.
A healthy scholarship program would provide eager new students the opportunity to participate in the joys of sisterhood or brotherhood as well as the chapters the opportunity to gain members who bring to their chapter diverse talents, accomplishments and individual experiences.
Gaining perspective starts with surrounding oneself with people with differing ones. We have made great strides in this direction over the past six months. Why not more?
