AG Ferguson says sorority must refund UW housing fees

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced on July 6 that Alpha Omicron Pi, a national sorority, must refund or waive the housing fees it unlawfully charged dozens of University of Washington students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This sorority took advantage of students, charging them thousands of dollars for housing they could not access or use,” Ferguson said in the release. “Alpha Omicron Pi’s actions were clear violations of the protections put in place to protect Washingtonians from the spread of COVID-19. Thanks to the students who spoke up and brought this to our attention, the sorority must cancel or refund these unlawful fees.”

The release states the sorority charged thousands of dollars in housing fees and late fees in 2020 and 2021, even though COVID-19 prevented the students from accessing sorority housing — a violation of Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency eviction moratorium.

Alpha Omicron Pi charged at least 68 students the unlawful housing fees, according to the release. The sorority charged students a housing fee of $6,250 for the 2020–2021 school year and also charged members late fees, ranging from about $3 to $75, for each month they did not pay. The sorority’s invoices for the housing charges threatened students with suspension of their sorority membership and referral to debt collections — implying they could face lasting damage to their credit history if they did not pay.

The release states the Attorney General’s Office learned of the case after 13 UW students complained to Ferguson’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium enforcement team.

Under the consent decree, a legally enforceable document filed in King County Superior Court, the sorority must refund and/or waive the unlawful housing fees. The sorority must notify the students within 30 days that they no longer owe the sorority the unlawful housing fees charged during the 2020-2021 academic year.

If a student paid any amount of the unlawful charges, they will receive full reimbursement, the release states. The Attorney General’s Office will contact eligible students about their reimbursements. Students will receive full reimbursements and/or waivers for any unlawful housing fees the sorority assessed against them from spring quarter 2020 through the 2021 school year — a total of more than $500,000 in relief.

If you were charged unlawful housing fees and have questions about the reimbursement process, please email the Attorney General’s Office Civil Rights Division at AOIISettlement@atg.wa.gov.