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This topic of expansion has been debated - sometimes quite ludicrously - for a very long time.
One of things you ought to bear in mind is that it USED TO BE the active chapters which concerned themselves over expansion.
It is the same reasoning as the idea of initiation. The active chapter (note the singular) selects her own members; the active chapters (note the plural) selects the schools where we are to grow our new chapters. That is why the alumni do NOT have a vote on granting/revoking charters! (Unless that was changed; I have not seen any recent versions of the Code, if such still exists.) It is a good and right thing.
Another interesting point: it was the first duty of the "assistant general secretaries" which we now call "district chiefs" to assist their chapters by doing the preliminary chores in preparation for the consideration of a new chapter. (Without examining the current methodology in detail I cannot comment whether such chores are useful or pointless; broadly, I think that far too much can be made of numerical measures. But this is going too far into details for my purposes now.)
I think it is a good thing to consider our inactive chapters, and try to restore them to life. It is also a good thing to look for other places... that is what our original founders did, and they went to Cincinnati, and if they hadn't we would not be here to talk about it (remember the snowfall in 1848!!!)
In any case it is most important that we seek those who will be good brothers. And I would let the other "frats" argue, and brag, about their counts. Better that we are good, according to our ancient lore.
(Please note that this is not an argument to be small - it is definitely an argument to be GOOD.)
And what do I mean by good? I often write it "3&7"... but this is where the hard questions come in.
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