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Until fairly recently almost all chapters of fraternities & sororities came from local organizations -- some of considerable age. However, in almost every case it was the choice of the members, not an edict by the institution, which brought this about. The local members determined that there was much to gain from a national affiliation which was difficult to do as a local organization. In about every case I know, any alumnus of the local was eligible to join the national for a period of time (typically five years or less) and many did. Some at the time of installation and others each time the chapter held an initiation. My experience with my own national organization is that some of the original members of the local were a much harder sell for the very reasons several of you cited. Also, it has been difficult to break bad habits many locals had that were not tolerated by the national (and probably the main reason the institutions are turning an about-face and suddenly welcoming nationals). Ironically, back in the 1970s many institutions were urging chapters to leave the national organization!
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