[SWTXBelle]

Please don't misunderstand - I know far too well how easy it is to get a reputation as the sorority that pledges "fat" girls, or "party" girls, etc. My comments were addressed specifically to the vague statements EW put out as being the reason a chapter is struggling on his campus.

My point is that you can't say it is determined by, for example, the length of time the sorority has been on the campus, or even the number of alumnae in the area. I don't know every chapter on every campus, but I would be very surprised if all 26 of the NPCs didn't have at least one chapter somewhere that struggles - no matter how strong nationally, or regionally. (All of them have had chapters close.) Many of us have seen a chapter go from being a top one to being in the middle or below in the space of 5 years or so. I think often there is a "perfect storm" - a lack of alumnae leadership, a bad pledge class or two, actives who give up - and you've got low numbers. Once you have low numbers, it is MUCH harder to compete against other chapters, simply because when pnms walk in the room they wonder why this chapter is smaller. Combine that with tent talk, and you have a chapter in the death spiral.