Help with motivation

Techbuilder · #1 03-09-2008, 11:26 PM

I'm the house manager for my chapter and I have a problem with motivating a brother. He refuses to do any cleanups, even after reminding him 20 times every week, and he refuses to do any makeup work that is assign to him as part of the fine. The steward is having problems with him not doing meal sets or kitchen duty.

Currently, the fine for missing house cleanups is monetary fine that goes up every time he misses and a set amount of work he owes the house. Kitchen duty is a similar one.

I asked him today to make up his hours and he told me outright that he won't do it. Everyone else in the house already made up their hours and he is the only one who hasn't. I also know that he hasn't pays his house bills for the past 2 years and the army is paying for his housing, so the fines are not going to do any good there. (The past 2 treasurers have been too scared to send people to collection agency and therefore I believe he'll just get away free.)

So I'm asking if there's any other ways to get this one brother to do anything.

33girl · #2 03-10-2008, 09:52 AM

He sounds liike he needs to go to standards board (or whatever you call it) for possible termination. Either that, or kick him out of the house.

ree-Xi · #3 03-10-2008, 10:25 AM

Is he the only person? If there are other "stragglers", you may be able to address it at a general meeting, and let them know that they have to make up their hours/meet expectations by x date, and will then be brought to standards/face consequences, etc.

If you don't have a consequence, it might be very hard to enforce. But I think that a general warning to all, following up by a direct action, may be the best course.

Now, if this person has a lot of money and doesn't care about the fines, then you may be in for a fight, unless you have strict consequences. What he is doing is disrespectful - not only to the other brothers (residents and non), as well as visitors, but in general. Certainly, there will be neat-freaks and sloppy joes, but there is a line that one shouldn't cross.

Good luck, and let us know what happens.

RaggedyAnn · #4 03-10-2008, 11:04 AM

I would definitely send him to the standards board. I would also give him a date to shape up or ship out of the house...then he can be his own house keeper. Your bylaws should have something in them to address this. If not, you may need to add something to your bylaws first or housing contract and then you would have a course of action from that point forward. If not, you may be out of luck.

Techbuilder · #5 03-10-2008, 12:41 PM

This may sounds a little weird, but we don't have a housing contract or standards board. The house has been for the past years been pretty easy about stuff, which can explain why have so much problems like owed housing payment by brothers and alumni (that's another story.). The process is mostly informal until I bring it up at an executive meeting where the fines are normally approved on.

With that little explanation, there's no way that there's going to be a standard's board created, nor there will be a bylaw change that could help me with this. Exec board said they might help, only if I can come up with a solution. So pretty much I'm looking for a solution that is short of kicking him out because of the very lack of support of it.

My last choice option right now is to charge him a working rate per hour, like if someone else came in and cleaned for him, for the missing work if he doesn't do it by the end of the semester. However, like I said, someone else is paying for his housing, and therefore he wins with the thinking that he'll get away with it.

33girl · #6 03-10-2008, 12:51 PM

If he refused to go to rush functions or rituals, are you saying he couldn't be kicked out for that?

I mean, this guy sounds like a real butthead who doesn't deserve to be a brother. It doesn't matter who is paying (or not paying) for his housing...he's setting a horrible example. He's pretty much saying "yeah losers, go ahead and charge me, it isn't out of my pocket, what do I care?" That isn't someone who deserves to be a member.

nittanyalum · #7 03-10-2008, 12:55 PM

You said the Army is paying for his housing, but they don't pay for his fines, etc., correct? So take the step others have said they're "afraid" to (I don't know why), send him to collections. If he's accrued a significant amount of money he owes to the house that he's just refusing to pay (because he probably knows it's never REALLY collected), then take it to that level. Write up a formal letter, letting him know the money he owes is due by x date (or a payment plan agreed to, whatever) or his delinquent account will be turned over to xxx collection agency to make sure the chapter receives the funds it's owed. Remind him in the letter that the chapter would prefer not to take that step and you're sure he would prefer his credit rating not get dinged, so you hope he's able to meet his obligations responsibly in the given time period. But if he continues to disregard his responsibility, the chapter has no choice but to pursue collections. The letter alone might at least light a fire under his arse. Good luck.

Techbuilder · #8 03-11-2008, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

If he refused to go to rush functions or rituals, are you saying he couldn't be kicked out for that?

That has happen before where the person was just 'talked to' by the president about it.

Quote:

You said the Army is paying for his housing, but they don't pay for his fines, etc., correct? So take the step others have said they're "afraid" to (I don't know why), send him to collections. If he's accrued a significant amount of money he owes to the house that he's just refusing to pay (because he probably knows it's never REALLY collected), then take it to that level. Write up a formal letter, letting him know the money he owes is due by x date (or a payment plan agreed to, whatever) or his delinquent account will be turned over to xxx collection agency to make sure the chapter receives the funds it's owed. Remind him in the letter that the chapter would prefer not to take that step and you're sure he would prefer his credit rating not get dinged, so you hope he's able to meet his obligations responsibly in the given time period. But if he continues to disregard his responsibility, the chapter has no choice but to pursue collections. The letter alone might at least light a fire under his arse. Good luck.

Unfortunately, I don't have the power to do that, nor does the person (the treasurer) who does wants to/ or is willing to do that. So basically my hands are tied if I go this route.

Also, I believe the army does pay for the fines. The treasurer said we give the bill to the school contact and they pay it all, fines included.

Thanks for these suggestions, I will continue to convince the exec board to help get this situation under control, but so far, only the chair has said he'll consider it bringing it up. The others are plain refusing to talk about it. It's going to be an uphill battle.