Befriending 50 women can seem to be a daunting task to most men, but not for the daring men who become houseboys.

Senior Tim Laughlin became a houseboy for Zeta Tau Alpha sorority after hearing about the position from his girlfriend, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. Freshman Rick Rosas, another Zeta Tau Alpha houseboy, also heard about the job through his girlfriend.

While there are other ways to learn about openings, most communication is done through word-of-mouth. Rosas said that the women primarily tell people they know about the positions.

“Anyone the girls knew, they would just say ‘hey, we’re looking for a houseboy,’” Rosas said.

The responsibilities of a houseboy vary from house to house, but the basic duties are the same. House boys are in charge of putting out food and dishes for the women, cleaning up the tables after dinner and general maintenance of the kitchen.

“It’s a good college job,” junior Ben Sobek, a house boy for Alpha Chi Omega sorority, said.

There are perks to being a house boy, both monetary and otherwise. The benefits are what drew in Laughlin, Rosas and Sobek.

Houseboys get paid per meals they work, and can earn anywhere from $60-100 a month. They also get to eat at every meal they work. Rosas enjoys the food the most.

Sobek and Laughlin’s favorite part of the job is the social aspect. They have become friends with the women at the respective sororities where they work.

Sobek credits Alpha Chi Omega for bringing a new perspective to his life, which he tries to bring back to his own fraternity. Sobek is the chapter president of Zeta Chi, so being a houseboy adds “variety” to the people he sees. He said that if he didn’t work at Alpha Chi Omega, he would eat meals, live and have meetings with the same people.

Laughlin said he never had a sister growing up, so seeing and interacting with the women every day is like having 50.

“I kind of feel like, when I go over there, they are like my sisters in a sense,” Laughlin said. “I kind of kid around with them. We talk like brother and sister(s).”

Although it is a job, Laughlin likes the work.

“It’s fun, but it’s work, too,” Laughlin said, “I mean, you know, I’m getting paid, too. I have to do the dishes and things like that.”

Sobek said interacting with the women is fun, but working alongside the other houseboys is also enjoyable.

“It can (be) fun,” Sobek said. “It can have some highlights when you are working with the right people.”