Duke’s residential and non-residential social groups provide some of the most rewarding experiences at the University. They are also among the most expensive.
The high cost and attendant exclusivity of these social groups should give their members pause. If members of social groups are serious about the role their organizations play at this University, they need to give more consideration—and more elbow grease—to improving financial accessibility.
Socioeconomic division is the perennial gorilla in Duke’s room, but the recent Socioeconomic Diversity Initiative report, the product of two years of field research by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Office of Financial Aid, has given us facts to support our intuitions. The University’s highest profile social groups are neither socioeconomically diverse nor financially accessible. Right now, financially exclusive activities—like expensive social groups—are driving a wedge through Duke’s student population. The SDI explicitly confirms this: “Over time, these differences tend to divide students by socioeconomic status.”
This is no surprise. According to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity life, dues for Intrafraternity Council affiliated groups average $800 per year, and dues for Panhellenic sororities average $639 per year. These princely sums do not include the cash it takes to wear the clothes, have the stuff and do the activities that make up social group culture. These costs add up, and, according to the SDI, they deter lower income students from joining these groups.
Many social groups offer need-based scholarships, but the demand for this money far exceeds the supply. Likewise, the University’s hands are tied—federal law prohibits Duke from subsidizing greek dues with financial aid, and, even if no law existed, social dues are a poor use for aid money.
The onus, then, falls on members of these groups to give serious consideration to financial accessibility. If these groups were just private social clubs, maybe they could legitimately dodge this duty. After all, we do not usually pay for our hard-up friends to go to the movies with us—we do not have duties to pay for other people’s fun.
But Duke’s social groups are not private clubs—they are public ones. The University recognizes these social groups and grants them use of Duke’s residential space. As a result, they have tremendous influence on our campus. They are essential elements in Duke’s social scene.
If group members want to responsibly acknowledge the role of their organizations, they will work hard to make their groups more accessible. Do not misunderstand us: The University has no business forcing groups to put up more financial aid or to lower their dues. But groups themselves should care about pulling out the wedge that, right now, separates higher income students from lower income ones.
More need-based scholarship money could come from a lot of places. Residential groups have, collectively, a tremendous amount of fund raising capability. And, if groups cannot raise enough money, they should consider spending less of their current budgets on social activities and more on financial accessibility.
If these groups cannot successfully improve accessibility, this is just another reason to eliminate the residential component of selective living groups. Removing socioeconomically divisive groups from our residential halls is one way to make Duke’s social scene as inclusive as it should be.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.