Sanctions/Consequences
 

I'm looking for some "creative" sanctions/consequences to use when a chapter or an individual has violated policy. Give me all sorts of ideas....for when people violate an alcohol policy, an event policy, missing too many meetings or required events, etc.

I'm thinking something other than $$$ fines or probation, etc. Something "out of the box".

Brainstorm here! Thanks!

PsychTau

If someone violates the alcohol policy, send them to an AA meeting. Also, make them write and read aloud a letter to the chapter, apologizing to the chapter for their behavior.

You can also make them volunteer with the university's alcohol safe driver programs (IE: if the university PD has a cab pick up dispatch, or something).

If someone is repeatedly missing meetings, call them to a standards meeting and find out why. Maybe they're not feeling connected to the chapter anymore. Assign buddies to write notes to that member, invite them out, and do special things. If that person still isn't coming around, call them to another meeting. See what you can do together to make them happy. Maybe the person is struggling with 2 parttime jobs to get through school, just went through a break-up, etc.

If someone violates an event policy, make them part of risk management for the next event, meaning they have to stay dry. Also make them put on a workshop for the chapter that emphasizes the importance of the policy and why it is important.

Set deadlines for the attainment of these goals and stick to them. If members fail to meet them, then set in with fines, standards procedure, and ultimately in a worst-case scenario, if they are repeat offenders and not getting anything from or contributing to the organization, consider with your exec board if this is someone who should be a member at all.

In all instances, please do talk to your advisers, fellow exec board members and get things passed in your bylaws and make sure they are in accordance with your org's way of doing things before you put your plans in motion.

I think not. AA meetings are for people who have real problems and issues with alcohol, not someone who drank a beer at a fraternity house when she wasn't supposed to. It's supposed to be a safe, confidential environment for recovering alcoholics - not something to be used as a sorority punishment.

I respect your opinion, but there's nothing wrong with someone observing a self-help meeting. I'm offering suggestions to someone who asked for ideas.

It also depends on what it is lol, if an advisor had tried to send me to an AA meeting for not drinking in a way that they found appropriate I would have told them to "Fuck off and die."

Keep in mind that you can only punish people that want to work with you anyway, so maybe think twice about most punishments.

During my terms as chapter president we spent a lot of our time focusing on these types of problems, but to be honest, they mostly weren't problems and often the solutions we thought up, such as sanctions, actually made things worse.

I would spend time reconsidering what constitutes a problem, if it is a problem is it something that the chapter NEEDs to be concerned with, and then what has to be done.

There is if the person isn't really an alcoholic, or if they are uninformed about the rules of confidentiality that are so much a part of AA. You can hardly expect someone to follow that when they're being forced to be there.

That would be kind of like if I was having a breast augmentation and people other than medical personnel or interns were watching the surgery. It's not a movie theater.

Personally, I think it's disrespectful to force someone who more likely than not doesn't even have a drinking problem to go to AA. If I ever participated in any type of "self help" group I would be terribly offended if someone came in to observe -- the people attending meetings are not there for the benefit of some college kid who had a beer when she wasn't supposed to be drinking.

I do agree with what adpiucf said about people who miss meetings -- trying to find out why something is happening and doing something constructive to fix the situation is more likely to have a good outcome than just sanctioning people.

What is an "event policy" anyway?

forcing people to go to an AA meeting when they don't have a drinking problem is incredibly disrespectful for those who actually do have a problem and need the help. They're there to get help, not to be a freak show to "scare straight" some college kid.

And this is a rare occasion, I agree with james on something!

Not letting them go to events with the frat boys works wonders.

I agree with those who've said the AA might not be the way to go. If the member(s) violated the alcohol policy let them be responsible for presenting a lecture to educate other members on the effects of alcohol poisoning.

I agree. Or make them go to the ER and find out what they do with alcohol poisioning/OD patients and then report back. We went as a class back in Grade 7 and I still remember it! Eeeek!

I think it is hard to punish someone when they drink when they are not suppose to. WHen I was active I was put on probation for drinking and was told I couldn't drink even in my own apartment if another sister was there. Of course this just pissed me off and I drank anyway. I think if someone would have calmly talked to me and not punished me (I was 21) then I would have worked it out better. I might have had a small drinking problem being when I was active but I didn't feel my sisters wanted to help me I felt they wanted to punish me so I just rebelled.

ETA I went on a rant sorry ... anyway a merit system works if they dont come to meeting yadda yadda yadda they can't go to socials bc they wont have enough point.

Do a merits system of sorts. You assign a certain number of points to each event/meeting/ritual/workshop/etc. In order to be allowed to attend formals or semiformal or any "fun" events, a sister has to have a certain number of points. We haven't implemented that yet, but a sorority on my campus has, and they say it works great for them 'cuz no one wants to not be allowed to go to formal.

LOL coincidentally, the sorority on my campus that I was talking about is Tri Sigma. :)