While all but one sorority closes down for the summer, fraternities stay open and active year-round in order to recruit new members.

Fraternities do this by opening up vacant rooms to tenants looking for summer housing at low rates. These rates range on average from $300-400 for the whole summer.

But it’s not an offer that is available to just anyone; this is an offer reserved exclusively for women.

“Any girl who is interested can go through the application process,” said sophomore Brent Kerr, a former rush chair at Zeta Psi fraternity. “You don’t have to be a sorority girl or even a UW student.”

“Opening up the rooms really isn’t about making money,” Kerr said. “It helps with recruitment a lot, and it’s also just a lot of fun.”

“Living in,” as it is called, has become a cultural staple in the Greek community, and is something that tenants look forward to each year.

“One of the main reasons is that it’s a lot cheaper,” said Sara Simmers, a sophomore from Alpha Xi Delta sorority. “I’ve also heard that it’s a lot of fun and that it’s just something that you have to experience during your college years.”

Even though Alpha Xi Delta is the only sorority open during the summer, Simmers chose to live in Delta Upsilon fraternity instead.

Although the main attraction of the fraternities is the convenient location and low prices, many girls apply to live in the houses simply to experience a new living situation.

“It’s a new opportunity to live in a co-ed environment, since all year long I’ve been living with only sorority girls,” said Kelly Thoma, a freshman at Delta Delta Delta sorority. “It’s also a great way to meet new people.”

Although girls moving in for the summer aren’t required to participate in recruitment events, most of them apply knowing that they are expected to do so.

“I think the whole point about wanting to live in is to be social and active,” Simmers said.

In fact, many fraternity members reviewing applications specifically look for girls who will be socially active in the house.

“There’s always a lot going on, and it helps to have the girls excited to be there and participate,” Kerr said.

Fraternities have also been stereotyped as messy, but so far the girls haven’t added any “feminine touches” that were previously missing.

“A lot of times the girls rooms are actually the messiest in the house, but I guess it really depends on the girl,” Kerr said.