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Interesting seeing all the different dues/fees charged, even with some of them being rather dated. As Bama_Alumna said early on, it's sort of taboo to talk about money during recruitment here. I was unaware that the Green Book said costs must be disclosed. I'm going to research this some more.
Even though averages are disclosed by our Panhellenic, I don't think the PNM's or their parents pay too much attention. Our chapter tries very hard to be right in the middle of the pack. Still, I often see some pretty surprised new members when that first bill gets sent.
ADPi uses an all inclusive billing and at least the members I've worked with over the years like it that way. They want to know up front exactly how much it's going to cost for the entire semester and year. The only additional costs to them should be for t-shirts and such. This way they can budget their own money accordingly.
However, I understand the logic that some have pointed out that it can be unfair to charge members for a formal and then they aren't able to attend. That's one of the reasons why we try to plan these well in advance so that members can adjust their schedules accordingly. Of course we're not able to accomodate 150 members schedules. That's just the way it goes sometimes, but they all know it ahead of time.
But if we used that logic for social functions, in all fairness we'd have to apply it to everything. Major problems with meal plans come to mind. We charge all members for meals regardless of whether they eat at the house or not. We don't issue refunds if they don't eat.
Off on a tangent:
Speaking of meals, there's something that I found rather surprising when I first started here. The University of Alabama requires all women who pledge a sorority to cancel their University meal plan and sign up for the sorority's plan. I'm not sure if new fraternity members have to do the same thing because not all the men's houses have meal plans.
I don't know if the University is trying to cut down on potential overcrowding in the cafeterias or what. It's one of those things I've always meant to ask someone about, but keep forgetting. Perhaps some of the knowledgable Bama folks here have the answer.
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