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My thoughts:
I can't speak to this about Sigma specifically, so
I'll generalize it to all organizations.
The founders of most organizations were between 17-21
when they founded their respective organizations. I
think more of the reason some undergrad chapters (and
I think more than 1/5 chapters are functional) are the
way that they are is because they are indeed disconnected
from the larger organization--and this seems to be
encouraged. Some folks now use organization offices as
another resume point, and as such, really focus on a
successful "reign" (usually dealing with the growth of the general membership) rather than the health of chapters as
a whole.
We seem to WANT our undergrads to have bake sales,
parties, stepshows, a few service projects and keep
their noses clean. And that's what we get, mediocrity
and sustainability from our undergrad chapters. We
forget sometimes that the lifeblood of the
organization comes from its undergrads and that they
bring an insight and a complement of new ideas and new
excitement to the organization. How many organizations
have an undergrad "model organization" where
undergrads operate as if THEY run the organization? I
think that most "powers that be" like to keep the
undergrads in the dark because their responses are
unpredictable. I will add that undergrads are not
entirely without blame either though. Undergrads seem
content to step, party and do little fundraisers.
Finally, many undergrad members I've met have little clue of what the "true" original mission of their organizations are. They know how to regurgitate history, but they don't actually understand what it was like in 1908, 1914, 1963. They don't understand how innovative their Founders REALLY were. But again, I also don't see leadership, from graduate on up, exactly focusing on history and background either.
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