(Provides Visibility to the HC & an Inspection Opportunity)
At least once a year the HC meeting should be held at the house. The purpose of the group, after all, is to oversee that asset and the connection with the chapter house is imperative to effectively oversee it. The meeting may start with a “walk-around” so that everyone can see first-hand the conditions and where improvements need to be made. Issues may become very apparent that would not even be considered at an off-site location. Such a meeting could be scheduled to coincide (beforehand) with another fraternity function such as Homecoming or Pig Dinner. This scheduling may lead to enhanced attendance and would be a good way to invite potential new HC recruits to attend the meeting as they may already be planning to attend the corresponding function.
As a house corporation board, you are the fiduciaries, acting on behalf of all graduate members of the chapter. A great way to think about your role on the HC is the board of directors for the corporation and the graduate members of the chapter are your shareholders. As the HC relies of the graduate members for fundraising support, it is critically important that we engage our shareholders and regularly report to them on the activities of the house corporation.
Note: the purpose of the annual meeting is information sharing (and possibly information gathering). While it is up to your board, we do not recommend that the agenda at annual meeting be similar to your working meetings. We suggest that this be a “reporting” meeting.
Tools:
Sample Meeting Agenda:
- Call meeting to order - President
- Introduce house corporation members - President
- Financial report - treasurer
- Report on house occupancy
- Report on house corporation operations (activities performed by the HC over the past 12 months)
- Report on planned maintenance/renovations/improvements
- Report on next graduate event
- Discussion on “finding” lost brothers (circulate a list)
- Q&A session - allow your “shareholders” to ask questions
- Adjourn
(For Chapters That Have at Least 50 Men Living in the House)
Here is a modified example of a posting for a House Director. This gives a good overview of what such a person can bring to the chapter house experience and it outlines the qualifications that should be expected. This may be quite beneficial, especially in larger houses, which are also the ones that are most likely to be able to afford to hire for the position.
Summary:
The house director (HD) plays a vital role in the living, learning and leading environment of the collegiate member of Phi Gamma Delta. He/she works with the House Corporation to provide a safe, secure and comfortable environment for both resident and non-resident members of the chapter. Job responsibilities are site specific and may range from directly managing the chapter facility, assisting chapter officers with chapter operations as needed, providing emergency support, serving as host of the chapter facility, performing administrative work directly related to the general business operations of the chapter facility, and offering moral and logistical support for chapter priorities, programs and initiatives.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of related experience
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university preferred
- Possesses project management, housing staff relations, customer service and safety standards skills
- Ability to operate a computer, including web browsing, email and Microsoft Office products
- Meets specified physical requirements of lifting no more than 35 lbs, standing, walking and climbing stairs daily
- Ability to speak and read English
- Ability to use proper discretion and independent judgment in carrying out the primary responsibilities below
Primary Roles:
- Promote a healthy and safe living environment by promoting and supporting all policies and procedures, as set forth by Phi Gamma Delta, chapter housing policies, university and federal, state and local regulations.
- Reside in the chapter facility full-time and as needed during breaks.
- Manage the daily operations of the chapter facility by maintaining a safe, clean and pleasant living environment for resident and non-resident members.
- Supervise chapter contractors and promote positive vendor relations, including food operations, housekeeping service, general maintenance and any other regular service.
- Supervise facility employees, contractor and vendors.
- Provide emergency support for chapter members, guests and property.
- Collaborate with chapter officers - specifically the House Manager (HM), as well as the chapter’s advisory team to support the overall goals of the house corporation and the specific collegiate chapter.
- Work with the house corporation to manage housing-related budget items, including contractor bids, household supplies, food service, cleaning and general maintenance and repair costs.
- Coordinate opening and closing events.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Follow all Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and chapter policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Successfully manage the daily operations of the facility by performing administrative work directly related to the general business operations of the facility and establishing and maintaining a rapport with the chapter.
- Report violations of chapter facility rules to the house corporation, house manager and/or advisor.
- The house director is not expected to nor permitted to discipline chapter members.
- Open and close the chapter facility in collaboration with the HM before and after each vacation period at the hours and dates specified by the house corporation and resident contracts.
- Establish an orderly environment through proper supervision of the staff, structure and grounds.
- Ensure that the chapter facility is clean, orderly and free from unnecessary hazards and dangers.
- Offer logistical support for chapter priorities, programs and initiatives.
- Establish and maintain vendor relationships for the procurement of all goods and services necessary for the efficient operation of the facility.
- Work with the house corporation to respond in a timely manner to all maintenance requests submitted by chapter members.
- Report to the house corporation any action necessary to properly maintain the chapter facility, its furnishings and equipment and grounds; advise when items or supplies need to be replaced and/or repaired and recommend capital improvements as needed throughout the year and when requested by the house corporation.
- Oversee the cleaning of the facility and all furnishings as needed during vacation periods and prior to the opening of the house. This includes the proper storage of facility supplies and equipment.
- Reconcile and report all expenditures as outlined by the chapter and/or house corporation.
- Follow expense approval and expense reporting processes and procedures.
- Recruit, hire, train, schedule and supervise chapter facility employees including kitchen staff and housekeeping staff. Report wages and hours as well.
- Submit hours and payroll through an online payroll system for all facility employees.
- Oversee the operation of dining services, including menu preparation, purchasing and special events.
- In collaboration with the chapter and house corporation, establish kitchen and dining operations policies and procedures, and clearly communicate to all facility employees.
(If It Is the Desire of the House Corporation - However, Many Exceptions Apply)
Many leases contain a provision such as the following and you may want to include something similar for members living in the house:
For health and safety reasons, no pets of any kind shall be kept in or about the premises without the prior written consent of the House Corporation.
However, you should know that service and support animals are exempt from such provisions, and it is increasingly difficult to enforce a “no pets” policy. (Service animals can include miniature horses!) State laws vary and you should consult an attorney before drafting such a clause as you may also be required to alert the renter to the exceptions. For more information, review the ADA's Requirements for Service Animals.
The Different Types of Assistance Animals
Because there are so many different types of assistance animals, the best way to start off is to define them:
Service Animals:
First, let's start with the animal that has the most amount of rights. A service animal can be either a dog or, more recently, a miniature horse. This is how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal: "Service animals are defined as dogs [or miniature horses] that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” Both the ADA and Fair Housing Act protect service animals.
Emotional Support Animals:
Second, the animal that that has provided the most amount of controversy and…variety. There are many news stories regarding these comfort creatures. You will find stories like a sorority not accepting a rabbit, guinea pigs in dorms and a duck on a plane. A legal definition does not exist to govern an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), so there are no rules regarding the animal’s breed, type, demeanor, training or size. This is why you have people with peacocks, snakes and turkeys as ESA's. ESA's are covered under the Fair Housing Act.
It is important to note that when it comes to rental housing, an emotional support animal has the same rights as a service animal.
Therapy Animals:
Next are therapy animals. These animals are trained to provide support to people other than their handler. While they are usually well behaved, highly trained and socialized animals, they are not protected under the ADA or Fair Housing laws.
Pets:
Finally, the animals that most people can relate to…pets! Although you may consider your pet to be a member of the family, they do not have the same rights as a human. To define a pet: any animal that isn’t a service or emotional support animal. Pets are not covered under either the ADA or Fair Housing Laws (with the exception in the next paragraph).
A landlord can choose to allow or not allow a pet. They can choose certain types, sizes, or breeds of pets to allow or reject. However, you must treat every applicant the same during the entire leasing period. So if a landlord allows dogs and cats during one leasing period, they can choose to change their pet policy the next time the rental becomes available, but not during the same rental period.
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA is specifically for government services, and public and commercial facilities. This act says that these entities must (generally) permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where the public is allowed to go. It gives some other regulations about service animals, but this is not the act that applies specifically to rental units. The ADA does NOT cover comfort or emotional support animals (ESA).
Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act is the act to pay attention to in relation to rental housing. The whole act is extremely important to understand when you are a landlord, but only a part of it applies to assistance animals. The purpose of the Fair Housing Act is to protect people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, familial status and disability. In this post, we will talk specifically about how it governs the protection of disabled people and assistance animals.
Fair Housing & Animals
The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to allow reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability. In the case of an assistance animal, the animal is not considered a “pet.” A landlord MUST allow a service or emotional support animal in a rental unit and cannot charge a pet deposit or pet rent for the pet. Under this act, service animals AND emotional support animals have the same rights. One thing to note is the tenant still has certain responsibilities in regards to the animal.
In order for an applicant to have a reasonable accommodation, they must do the following:
- Provide a note from doctor stating that the person has a disability and the animal is needed to help with this disability.
- Still follow the pet policy. (The animal must still be vaccinated, spayed or neutered and adhere to other cleanliness rules.)
- Pay for pet damages at the end of the lease period.
Under this Act, a person with an assistance animal may not be charged:
- Pet application fees
- Pet deposits
- Pet rent
Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act
The government sees allowing service and emotional support animals and not charging pet fees as reasonable accommodation for a disabled person. The following may also be considered as reasonable accommodations under the Act:
- Allowing an animal in a “No Pet” unit.
- Allowing a breed of dog that would normally be rejected (many guide dogs are German Shepherds).
- Installing a poop bag dispenser.
Not all requests are reasonable. Allowing an emotional support horse is NOT a reasonable accommodation in an apartment unit, but may be on a house with land and a barn. If you have any questions about whether a request is reasonable or not, make sure you reach out to your attorney quickly and early. You may not intentionally be discriminating, but a person covered under the fair housing act could see it as so.
To Wrap It Up
These are important things to know when you are a house corporation dealing with assistance animals at your chapter house property. As a landlord, you cannot be ignorant. Know the law and make sure you have your screening process down! Don’t be accused of discrimination or be taken advantage of by someone.