Preparing for law school is now a little bit cheaper.

Due to the recent economic crisis the Vanderbilt chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, the only pre-law fraternity in the nation, will no longer charge its members. Senior John Baunach, president of the Vanderbilt chapter, said the elimination of dues will allow PAD to realize its full potential on campus.

“In past years, PAD has tended more towards resume building than a proactive, educational resource,” Baunach said. “This year the board was seeking to really move away from this, and canceling dues was one of the small initiatives we discussed in the goal of making PAD better. … Vanderbilt has a lot of resources on campus, and making use of those, we can do a lot of things cheaply or for free.”

The canceling of dues has led to adjustments to the organization’s activities, with more of a focus on lower costs.

“We are seeking to be more of an educational resource. Law school is a major step, and by hosting various speakers, preparing for the LSAT working on writing resumes and the like, we are trying to help our members make that important decision,” Baunach said.
Future boards will have the option to reinstate dues, but Baunach said he does not envision this happening.

“PAD has some reserve funds that we are planning on tapping into when we canceled dues,” Baunach said. “So far, however, we haven't needed to touch it. Being on the campus of the nation's 20th best law school is a major asset, and we are learning to make full use of this advantage that other PAD chapters may not have.”

Although PAD has canceled its dues for the foreseeable future, it remains unknown whether other honor societies and fraternities will follow in its footsteps.

Baunach said money is not needed to make a successful fraternity with quality events.
“You can find what you need to if you want to,” he said. “Especially when you have an excited group of people who want to make the organization great.”