I certainly did not mean to ruffle any feathers with my post. One of my very best friends is from Theta chapter which has closed. I am of the opinion that women from struggling chapters are sometimes the best AOIIs because they really appreciate the fraternity values. If they didn't, they wouldn't have stuck it out when things were rough. I was just concerned that we seem to close chapters somewhat frequently.
From my own experience, I moved far away from my collegiate chapter, and I would NEVER have guessed that it would EVER run into problems because it was one of the tops on campus (by the typical "outsider" ideas - we had big numbers and very successful, popular girls - please don't take that to mean that I think this is all that matters...) Anyway, one of my pledge sisters has a younger sister who pledged several years after us and she was there for the "trouble." If she hadn't told us, I would never have known that apparently we came close to going off campus. I wish I had been notified that there was trouble because I would have certainly tried to assist in any way I could, and considering I live hundreds of miles away, that would have been financially...
Anyway, I am just saying that maybe things should be more up front. The only way we really know that a chapter has closed (or is having its charter held in trust) is that it falls off the directory listing the next year. I think alumnae might be willing to help aid an ailing chapter if they knew about it before it is too late. Maybe that is wishful thinking... if they really cared the chapter probably wouldn't be in trouble to begin with!
I guess the fraternity doesn't want to advertise any problems it is having, but I just feel awful for women whose chapters have closed. I was just hoping there was a way to avoid it as much as possible.