Imagine a wristband that grants access to food and entertainment at social events in more than 40 different locations around Penn State.
Last year, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) gave that up for free, opening the doors of its fraternity houses to about 1,600 students interested in rushing a fraternity. Now, it wants to charge students $10 to participate in the recruitment process.
It's a smart move by the IFC and should generate funding for the informational sessions and recruitment events that last year included sumo wrestling suits, dunk tanks, concerts and enough hamburgers and hot dogs to feed every Big Ten football team.
The IFC says the funds will be placed in a student activities account and will be used for the wristbands, T-shirts and food distributed at informational sessions. This also seems like a wise decision and will help ensure the money is managed properly.
Some might say that joining a fraternity is already expensive enough and the extra $10 is an unnecessary fee, but as the IFC continues its quest to shed the "frat boy" stereotype, it needs focus its attention on bringing in the right kind of people.
The fee should weed out free loaders who are simply looking to stuff their face and brag about the cool friends they made at a fraternity house. It will probably cut out some of the students who are on the fence about joining a fraternity and likely won't survive the pledge process anyway.
Additionally, the cost is less than the $25 the Panhellenic Council charges women looking to join a sorority. For men who are serious about joining the greek community and are willing to pay their dues, an added $10 shouldn't be a problem and, in fact, seems like a worthy investment.
