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First, congratulations on being a successful chapter advisor. It is a demanding and frustrating position and the rewards are limited to personal satisfaction. There are several chapter advisors on this Pike board, and I'm sure they can offer good advice. I want to solicit advice from a man close to me who also serves as a chapter advisor and is without a doubt the best I've ever seen. I'll pass it along to you when he responds to me.
From my view, I think you should not allow the boys to draw too close a connection between the Smythe Award and their standing as a chapter. Yes, it's nice to get Smythe Awards and to be recognized for achievement, but the application process itself is very tedious and requires a tremendous amount of creativity just to get noticed. I think national has (what?) 180 chapters? Let's say that one third of them acrually apply. The applications are very detailed, and 60 documents each with all the associated materials and "splash" is a challenge to evaluate.
What I'm saying is that you can be a great chapter and not get a Smythe simply because whoever was in charge of the application might not have done a good enough sales job. The long term strength and stability of Rose-Hulman Pikes is not founded on a trophy from Memphis.
If you're really curious, I'd call memphis and ask for the Director of Chapter services and ask him: "Why, exactly, did we not get a Smythe?" Maybe you're right: it could be the rush numbers. The solution to that is to not depend on the whims of the campus. You TAKE what YOU want every year. I always tell our boys: "You initiate 50 men a year. Period. You can do more if you want, but never less." Long term strength and stability depend on consistent performance. Don't allow the campus to determine your rush numbers. A chapter with Rose-Hulman's history and record of achievement should be able to dtermine their own rush numbers in spite of whatever any other fraternity does.
Here's what I might do. I'd tell the chapter that they are unique (you can ake a good case because of the house and the academic standing of the school). I'd say that our goal is not to be the best at Rose-Hulman because that is too limiting. Our goal is to establish our reoutation as one of the rgeat college fraternity chapters in America. I'd promote the chapter's strength on the website. I'd make sure that the Shield & Diamond has chapter news in every issue and I'd make sure the news is spectacular: winning, winning, winning. You can create the IMASGE of a spectacular fraternity chapter - the image is actually better than th chapter - and the undergrads will buy in.
The best chapter advisor I've ever known says that chapters run on momentum and morale. That means pushing negativity aside and promoting success and winning. Everybody wants to stand with the winners.
Who's the best fraternity chapter in Indiana (by reputation)? Phi Psi at Indiana? Sigma Chi at Purdue? I don't know; I'm asking. Someone has the reputation as being the big dog in the state. You can tell your boys that their goal is to TAKE that title. You have a spectacular house and great potential for numbers on that campus. You can create a reputation and a legend. Make the Smythe come to YOU.
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