There is no one-size-fits-all description of “sorority housing.” Every sorority chapter will offer different facility options to its members based on many factors, including size of the chapter and campus, campus culture, availability and campus housing policies.
Sorority chapters that offer members the opportunity to stay in more traditional chapter facilities (a “sorority house”) or a dorm-like structure might have policies that require members to live in the chapter facility for a certain period of time during their membership. These specific guidelines will be laid out for members to ensure they understand expectations.
If a sorority does have a chapter facility and a live-in requirement you would most likely pay room and board to live in the house, just like you would to live on campus in a dormitory. However, these costs also vary for different chapters and different campuses. Some chapters may have room for all of their members in their facilities while others only have room for certain officers.
Other campuses might have a designated campus facility for sorority chapters, such as space reserved a specific dormitory, so sorority members can share living space in that way.
On campuses with no official chapter facility, members may live in other on-campus housing or off-campus, depending on campus policies. All chapter activities will likely be held in various campus spaces depending on the college/university.
Also, even if you don’t live directly in the chapter facility, some chapters may charge a usage fee to members to help cover costs for the upkeep of common areas used by all sorority chapter members. This charge has many names, including a parlor fee or live-out fee.
Chapter facilities vary from campus to campus and sorority to sorority. You can check with the office of fraternity and sorority life to get more information about your school specifically. You also should ask about chapter facilities during recruitment.
Some questions to ask during recruitment:
Alyssa works at National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) as the digital marketing specialist. She is a member of the Theta Zeta chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha. She attended IUPUI, where she earned degrees in public relations and English. Alyssa is a dog lover and podcast enthusiast.
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There were two major things that I was looking to get out of college.
I often reflect on my life and separate my experiences as before and after.
BY NAOMI MATHEW, MEMBER OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT Going.
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12730 Meeting House Road,Made up of 26 women’s-only inter/national member organizations, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is the world’s largest trade association specifically charged with advancing the sorority experience. Through its advocacy, programs and initiatives, NPC ensures the sorority experience continues to meet the needs of today’s collegiate women.
