Can a fraternity/sorority collect dues if you withdraw?

[mom2boys]

No fee contract was signed.

 

[MickeySP]

If he pledged, probably. If he was made a full brother, I would think yes for the year he joined

 

[tvguy]

If they are truly just dues.....I would say no. My Fraternity never charged dues. Not sure how they could compel someone who withdraws to pay dues anyway. We did charge room and board for living in the house, and if the money owed is for that, and the person did live in the house, then they could collect the money. But I would expect that to be pro-rated. If you lived in the house for a month, you should not have to pay for a full semester room and board.

 

[mom2boys]

If they are truly just dues.....I would say no. My Fraternity never charged dues. Not sure how they could compel someone who withdraws to pay dues anyway. We did charge room and board for living in the house, and if the money owed is for that, and the person did live in the house, then they could collect the money. But I would expect that to be pro-rated. If you lived in the house for a month, you should not have to pay for a full semester room and board.

They don't have a house so no room & board - just membership fees.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

To be an 'active' member, a student usually has to be enrolled the school. Otherwise the student would be considered 'inactive', which I would think dues would not be paid. I have heard of students who take a break but plan to enroll may pay all or partial dues as a 'sustainer' of sorts. Kind of like a placeholder fee until they return and enroll in school. I would encourage him/her to look into the bylaws of the fraternity/sorority and see if its addressed there. It may be a part of an agreement when he/she was initiated.

 

[NewRVLady]

did he JUST sign up and is having 2nd thoughts?
is it automatic withdrawal? Then I would call bank and change it

 

[cabanafrau]

I'd take a good hard look at any paperwork that was signed. If it is enforceable it's likely buried somewhere in a document that doesn't look like a fee contract.

 

[PlutoPony]

The answer may vary by school and is likely governed by the school's IFC (Inter-Fraternity Council) or Panhellenic Council (for sororities). When you pledge a fraternity/sorority, you do sign a formal document that is set forth by IFC/Panhel. That document probably establishes the financial guidelines, with the amount set by the individual fraternity.

That said, most frats/schools assess and pay dues by semester. So if you formally resigned the fraternity, I would assume that means you're out the dues for the current semester but nothing going forward. Not sure how the money would be handled if you quit during pledging but I would guess it's a similar scenario.

 

[Disney Dynamite]

The answer may vary by school and is likely governed by the school's IFC (Inter-Fraternity Council) or Panhellenic Council (for sororities). When you pledge a fraternity/sorority, you do sign a formal document that is set forth by IFC/Panhel. That document probably establishes the financial guidelines, with the amount set by the individual fraternity.

That said, most frats/schools assess and pay dues by semester. So if you formally resigned the fraternity, I would assume that means you're out the dues for the current semester but nothing going forward. Not sure how the money would be handled if you quit during pledging but I would guess it's a similar scenario.

I know this was the case in my sorority. Any time someone resigned from the sorority, she was still expected to pay any dues or other fees (t-shirts, fundraising, events, etc.) she owed up until that point. If I remember correctly, my sorority claimed they could place a hold on the woman's account at the university (meaning, she could potentially be blocked from registering for the following semester's classes until she paid) or turned over to collections if she was no longer enrolled at the school.

Several months after I graduated college and was no longer an active member, I got a certified letter, informing me I owed money from a fundraiser. The letter stated they would turn me over to a collections agency if I didn't pay. I was able to send them a copy of my cancelled check to prove I had paid, so it wasn't a big deal. However, I shared that to say that I wouldn't be surprised if they try to come after any dues/other money owed up until the point your son formally resigned.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Did they receive a bill through greekbill
My son decided to be inactive this year and received a 120 plus bill this August. In the end the treasurer of Frat had to go on the website and put him as inactive. The bill about turned 0. Took a couple times talking to frat guy to fix. The people at Greek bill were very nice also, told him exactly what needed to be done.

 

[tvguy]

The answer may vary by school and is likely governed by the school's IFC (Inter-Fraternity Council) or Panhellenic Council (for sororities). When you pledge a fraternity/sorority, you do sign a formal document that is set forth by IFC/Panhel. That document probably establishes the financial guidelines, with the amount set by the individual fraternity.

That said, most frats/schools assess and pay dues by semester. So if you formally resigned the fraternity, I would assume that means you're out the dues for the current semester but nothing going forward. Not sure how the money would be handled if you quit during pledging but I would guess it's a similar scenario.

Must vary by school. At my College Fraternities and Sororities do have to have approval of the University to exist, but operate independently from the University. They would never allow a Fraternity or Sorority, or any other outside organization to prevent a student from registering for classes.

 

[Vernie822]

I was the treasurer for my sorority for two years. I hated that stuff!

Here is how we did it..
New members (aka pledges, so members that had not yet been initiated) had to pay a certain amount in order to be a new member. Kind of like new member dues. If a girl chose not to see the sorority membership through, I believe we refunded to her account (we used an online payment system) anything that she had paid.

If the girl were to be initiated, she would have to be paid in full in order to do so.

After becoming an active sister, monthly dues were to be paid. If a sister decided to drop, she would still owe for all monthly dues plus any additional fees that had been added on up to that point.

If a member were to drop and did not pay their dues, we could send them to "Collections". It had nothing to do with the university. It basically just looked like they were delinquent on a credit card or something, so it looked bad on their credit history. At that point they were no longer my problem but were sent to collections.