From their very own private chef to their well-furnished common rooms, Northwestern’s Greek houses are enticing options for students who are looking to form tight-knit communities and enjoy top-notch amenities.
Medill sophomore Natalia Wornovitzky plans to move into Delta Delta Delta’s house in Fall Quarter. A current resident of Jones Hall, Wornovitzky said she feels a special sense of belonging at the house that she isn’t able to feel in her dorm.
“Jones has been weird for me this year after coming from Bobb (Hall), which is such a social dorm,” Wornovitzky said. “In Jones, I say ‘hi’ to someone, and they look at me like I’m crazy. The trade-off is so much better as someone who needs that sense of community where they’re living.”
However, she said she is going to miss one aspect of regular housing: the meal plan.
When chefs cook for a significantly smaller number of people in a Greek house, Wornovitzky said, the quality is always going to be better. However, she said this option offers less variety.
“The food is better in the house, but he makes one thing,” Wornovitzky said. “If we’re having lasagna for dinner, that’s all there is for dinner. If you’re not craving lasagna or you want to get your own food, there’s a little bit less choice.”
Menus vary between different Greek houses, along with the number of meals provided for Greek life members each week.
For example, Tri Delta’s chef cooks two meals a day. However, members have to “fend for themselves” during weekends, Wornovitzky said.
“If they want to use dining dollars or get into the dining halls at all, most of the girls get the cheapest school meal plan on top of it,” Wornovitzky said. “Especially for weekends, because if not, you’re eating out every meal every weekend, which can get expensive.”
Average quarterly housing costs for chapter facilities — the rate for a double room and board — are significantly lower than residential room and board, with the highest rate being Alpha Chi Omega at $5,950 and the lowest being Delta Gamma at $3,275. The estimated quarterly cost of residential housing and board is $7,042 per quarter.
The highly competitive housing rush for dorms allots random priority numbers for residents, determining their order in the process. However, living in Greek houses can offer an alternative to fighting tooth and nail for dorm housing.
Kappa Delta and Zeta Beta Tau’s room assignments are determined by a point system, in which attending philanthropy events and volunteering impact the order in which members can choose their rooms.
Once members move into their rooms — depending on the chapter — residential life in Greek houses can also be closely monitored, with specific rules affecting how those living in Greek life behave.
At Kappa Delta, alcohol is not permitted, even for members over 21, Bienen sophomore and Kappa Delta member Riley Musi said. At Tri Delta, Wornovitzsky said no men are allowed in the building after 2 a.m.
In Bienen sophomore and ZBT member Sean Jang’s experience, members of his fraternity adhere to “basic proper etiquette.” He said there are few explicit ground rules.
“I’d say the people in my fraternity are much cleaner than you would expect,” Jang said. “Technically, there are ground rules, but they’re unspoken.”
For all three Greek life members, the biggest incentive in choosing their chapter’s house is the sense of community they feel living in such close proximity to people they’ve already established relationships with.
Musi said recruitment weekend and Dillo Day were her highlights living in the Kappa Delta house this year.
“Being able to get ready with all the girls — there was a lot of bonding during those two weekends,” Musi said. “Also living with my friends — it’s fun to just be able to walk over and hang out. With our sorority littles, we invite them over to the house often.”
Jang said living in the ZBT house offered the chance to instantly befriend 30 new brothers.
“The odds of me saying ‘hi’ to a person when I was in Ayers (Hall) — very low, right?” Jang said. “It’s not that I dislike them. It’s just that I’d never have the opportunity to talk to them. It’s like they’re in one world, and I’m in mine. In the frat, it’s like an extended family.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of meals Tri Delta’s chef cooks each day. The chef cooks two meals each weekday. The Daily regrets this error.
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