What do you do when a Brother makes a mistake?

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

$250 isn't that big of a deal. Spending a little money on himself is part of the benefit of being treasurer as long as it doesn't get out of control (no, I have never been treasurer, that's how a lot of houses I know treat it though). Occasionally drop the house card on a bar tab, no big deal, just buy me some drinks on it too!

I guess it may be different when you're dealing with a house whose semester budget is about $400k (like it is here) then with small chapters though. We have about 160 active with over $2,000 in dues a semester, so a few hundred here and there really doesn't hurt anything and it might as well be in the budget because you just kind of assume it will happen.

CrackerBarrel;
You seem to either be changing topic of OP or mis-understanding it.
Theft is stealing, not "business use".
OP seems, to me at least, stating that the person used monies for their own use rather than for the house or Brotherhood.

[CrackerBarrel]

I'm not saying that he used it for brothers stuff. The chapters I'm familiar with it's just kind of assumed that the treasurer uses a little bit of money for personal use. I was saying, not for socials or anything, just at the bar if he throws down the house card the brothers he's with will generally expect a drink or two off of it as well though.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by jaynu

I was wondering, theoretically....

What would your Chapter do to a brother/sister that has stole money? and lots of it?

I found out that a Sorority's treasurer stole $300 dollars and was pretty much kicked out. Is that the right thing to do? or is there a better alternative? In another situation, another Sorority treasurer spent over $10,000 on clothes and accessories. On my campus, a certain Frat's eboard was caught in a money laundering and drug trafficking case. What would your organization, chapter, or nationals do to the brother/sister? Please be specific, if possible? Thanks.

CrackerBarrel;
Do you see any major difference between the above OP and yours below?

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I'm not saying that he used it for brothers stuff. The chapters I'm familiar with it's just kind of assumed that the treasurer uses a little bit of money for personal use. I was saying, not for socials or anything, just at the bar if he throws down the house card the brothers he's with will generally expect a drink or two off of it as well though.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I'm not saying that he used it for brothers stuff. The chapters I'm familiar with it's just kind of assumed that the treasurer uses a little bit of money for personal use. I was saying, not for socials or anything, just at the bar if he throws down the house card the brothers he's with will generally expect a drink or two off of it as well though.

I really doubt this is true. Are there many members of elite chapters who don't have their parents picking up their bar tabs? Any members?

[CrackerBarrel]

I pay my own bar tabs. My parents pay the fraternity bill though, so I think I come out ahead on that one.


And Jon, I see the difference between houses that are buying drugs with the money, but other than that, no. I imagine our treasurer probably spends between $1,000 and $2,000 for personal stuff on the house card. We don't care as long as they don't spend a ridiculous amount. Treasurer is a horrible and hard job to have to do and if that perk motivates someone to do it, so be it. The only difference is in how we react compared to how the sororities in the OP reacted.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I pay my own bar tabs. My parents pay the fraternity bill though, so I think I come out ahead on that one.


And Jon, I see the difference between houses that are buying drugs with the money, but other than that, no. I imagine our treasurer probably spends between $1,000 and $2,000 for personal stuff on the house card. We don't care as long as they don't spend a ridiculous amount. Treasurer is a horrible and hard job to have to do and if that perk motivates someone to do it, so be it. The only difference is in how we react compared to how the sororities in the OP reacted.

Interesting POV.
From my experience: House business is/was always separate from personal.
In my experience: Once the two do get mixed, it turns into a down-ward slope.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

And Jon, I see the difference between houses that are buying drugs with the money, but other than that, no. I imagine our treasurer probably spends between $1,000 and $2,000 for personal stuff on the house card. We don't care as long as they don't spend a ridiculous amount. Treasurer is a horrible and hard job to have to do and if that perk motivates someone to do it, so be it. The only difference is in how we react compared to how the sororities in the OP reacted.

If you think treasurer is such a horrid job (and it is) why don't you put something in the bylaws that in effect pays him a salary?* Seriously man, just letting it go like that - sooner or later, you're going to get someone in that office who bleeds you dry.

*I am not saying this in a disparaging manner at all - I think we actually had a thread on here saying this was a good idea since it's such a time consuming and sucky job. Especially for a huge chapter. Especially a huge chapter with dudes.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If you think treasurer is such a horrid job (and it is) why don't you put something in the bylaws that in effect pays him a salary?* Seriously man, just letting it go like that - sooner or later, you're going to get someone in that office who bleeds you dry.

*I am not saying this in a disparaging manner at all - I think we actually had a thread on here saying this was a good idea since it's such a time consuming and sucky job. Especially for a huge chapter. Especially a huge chapter with dudes.

^^^Very good observation and point.

[CrackerBarrel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If you think treasurer is such a horrid job (and it is) why don't you put something in the bylaws that in effect pays him a salary?* Seriously man, just letting it go like that - sooner or later, you're going to get someone in that office who bleeds you dry.

*I am not saying this in a disparaging manner at all - I think we actually had a thread on here saying this was a good idea since it's such a time consuming and sucky job. Especially for a huge chapter. Especially a huge chapter with dudes.

I dunno what it is, but it's a salaried position as well. I think it pays the same as our president, but is a much harder job than president. I dunno, we always seem to have money to do whatever we're trying to do, so I don't worry about it. Probably not the smartest idea, but we know that we've paid the same for a while, we do the same things every semester, we've always been able to pay for them before, if we can't the problem is pretty easy to pinpoint.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I dunno what it is, but it's a salaried position as well. I think it pays the same as our president, but is a much harder job than president. I dunno, we always seem to have money to do whatever we're trying to do, so I don't worry about it. Probably not the smartest idea, but we know that we've paid the same for a while, we do the same things every semester, we've always been able to pay for them before, if we can't the problem is pretty easy to pinpoint.

So the treasurer not only gets paid but he gets to pocket some of the Brothers monies as well
Some places call that kind of action embezzlement.
Or, as pointed out in other posts, can lead to it.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by boz130

If someone's stealing from the chapter, they s/b prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and automatically bumped to alum-in-bad-standing status. There's no place for this sort of activity in a GLO (or any other organization, for that matter).

wouldnt that be WORSE than being expelled from the sorority? Its like you put your sister in the naughty corner and no one should talk to her until you deem it OK.

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I dunno what it is, but it's a salaried position as well. I think it pays the same as our president, but is a much harder job than president. I dunno, we always seem to have money to do whatever we're trying to do, so I don't worry about it. Probably not the smartest idea, but we know that we've paid the same for a while, we do the same things every semester, we've always been able to pay for them before, if we can't the problem is pretty easy to pinpoint.

interesting. so your nationals actually PAYS you to be treasurer? I would think that theyd rather have someone who is licensed (finance people, help me out here) to take care of chapter expenses. Especially if it is a paid position. At the very least have all your incoming treasurers fingerprinted (i guess from a legal standpoint).

While treasurer seems like a "hard/time consuming" job, so is "social chair" and "membership educator chair" (or whatever your respective organization calls it). so should THOSE positions also be salaried?

[nate2512]

Originally Posted by tld221

wouldnt that be WORSE than being expelled from the sorority? Its like you put your sister in the naughty corner and no one should talk to her until you deem it OK.



interesting. so your nationals actually PAYS you to be treasurer? I would think that theyd rather have someone who is licensed (finance people, help me out here) to take care of chapter expenses. Especially if it is a paid position. At the very least have all your incoming treasurers fingerprinted (i guess from a legal standpoint).

While treasurer seems like a "hard/time consuming" job, so is "social chair" and "membership educator chair" (or whatever your respective organization calls it). so should THOSE positions also be salaried?

I don't think he's saying that nationals pays, I think he's saying his chapter pays the president and treasurer. And a fraternity is a business and must be run accordingly. It doesnt take a CPA to run a fraternity budget, I would compare the treasurer of a fraternity that big to like an unsupervised internship. And about the whole drinking thing, in his chapter its basically equivalent to everyone in the chapter buying him a couple of drinks on a night out. That's less than 1% of his chapters budget. Obviously no one in the fraternity has too much of a problem with this or they would have obviously set things in stone. Lets remember here, that just because you're chapter runs a certain way doesn't mean it is true for everyone else.

[nittanyalum]

^^^No, it doesn't take a CPA, but it does take someone then who understands payroll, taxes, complying with state and federal laws, etc. Or do you just pay them as a contractor and they do a 1099?

[lucgreek]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't pay dues to have one member use part of that money just for himself. If I found out my Treasurer was doing that, I'd demand that money back and if the fraternity didn't get it back, I'd get Nationals involved. That's unfair to have one person take money on the side for themselves when every member is paying dues.

What kind of brotherhood is it when one person takes money from everyone to spend on personal expenses?

[tld221]

Originally Posted by nate2512

I don't think he's saying that nationals pays, I think he's saying his chapter pays the president and treasurer. And a fraternity is a business and must be run accordingly. It doesnt take a CPA to run a fraternity budget, I would compare the treasurer of a fraternity that big to like an unsupervised internship. And about the whole drinking thing, in his chapter its basically equivalent to everyone in the chapter buying him a couple of drinks on a night out. That's less than 1% of his chapters budget. Obviously no one in the fraternity has too much of a problem with this or they would have obviously set things in stone. Lets remember here, that just because you're chapter runs a certain way doesn't mean it is true for everyone else.

I've been treasurer of my UG chapter so umm... yeah. i just think with chapters with SO many members (or hey, with so much money), there needs to be a higher authority, or at least someone who has the confidence that they can effectively handle thousands of dollars. There's no 100% fool-proof method to not getting the shaft when it comes to chapter monies. Though it takes a special person to steal from a budget and cover it up effectively (apparently not effectively enough, but its kinda like a lawyer knowing how to bend the law in their favor).

and no, i dont think that every chapter should run the exact same way. i think thats a given.