[BigRedBeta]

This thread has some ridiculous arguments in it...

I think it's safe to say that the truly top-tier chapters are the ones that are doing everything well. They have good grades, their members are involved and leaders on campus, they benefit their community, they have fun, and the girls love them. They are the chapters that are producing our lawyers, doctors, and leading businessmen - not because of some "old boys' network" but because they're taking talent and molding it through brotherhood and high expectations into something better. The best chapters are those that are taking good men to begin with and making them shine.

To say that a great chapter can't have an active social life is ridiculous. But so is saying that national leadership programs aren't beneficial to individuals and chapters alike.

Really, balance is the key and should be what every chapter is striving for. If you get to far to the extreme in any direction, especially at the expense of other achievements, it's a recipe for disaster. Yes, if you're too "party-centric", you're only going to attract those guys who care more about getting drunk than going to class. If you only care about being number one in grades, you're going to get a bunch of nerds and the sororities aren't going to associate with you. But there are plenty of guys out there that want both and so it's up to the chapters to appeal to that ethos if they want to attract those guys.