When I was pursuing alumnae affiliation with this one sorority last year ("sorority #1" for those in the know), I had the opportunity to see their chapter room.
First off, there was definitely a difference between the various rooms in their house. They had a nice but relatively informal living room where they gathered a lot for stuff such as COB, socials etc. Then, there was a formal living room that had a piano, nice furniture, and composites. It was very nice and I imagine that it was only used for special occasions. Plus it wasn't that big.
Then there was the room that they specifically called the "chapter room." It was actually a garage which had been converted. It was big and had very little furniture. Their charter was on display as was: a map off all the chapters in the US and Canada, the display board they use at recruitment tables, scrapbooks, big/lil pillows and a shelving unit used for sorting mail. It was actually rather spartan. There were some folding chairs stacked against the wall, leading me to believe that meetings and such were held in there. I noticed that there was a big wooden frame painted in white which spelled out the letters. On it were places for candles. I imagine that it is used for a pref or initiation ceremony.
Now, they took me on a personal tour through there so I was indeed shown first hand. They also had the door wide open during a fraternity social I attended. At one point during the social, the informal living room got too crowded and the President tried to get a bunch of us to go into the chapter room to chat. So apparently it wasn't a big secret.
I guess what it boils down to is whether or not the national office and/or the chapter consider the chapter room to be sacred territory. Like most things, it varies from place to place. Where I was, they considered it to be OK for others to see it. That's why I was confused when some other people posted that a chapter being on a TV show is ok "...as long as cameras don't go into the chapter rooms".
......Kelly