[bolingbaker]

a different angle. It's not about WHERE you rank in a given cycle, it's about KNOWING where the chapter ranks, and what that means to the marketing plan. Again, most members of most chapters never heard of Wilson Heller, never saw the results of his surveys, and couldn't care less about what he said. Those of us who did care used that information to create a better, more competitive chapter, and drive toward higher status. Why is this important? Well, it's important to ME. From the responses in the very small universe of this board, it appears to be important to others as well.
To understand the principals, to understand the value of rankings obtained in this manner (and so far none of us have discussed the mechanics of how he did it, although I'm sure Conard and others of us know), let's create a model. Let's look at a typical fraternity system of twenty chapters. Let's say the largest groups range in membership between 65 and 80, and the smallest run somewhere in the 20s. A typical survey will show that there are four, five at the most, chapters considered to be in the top circle of "power, prominence & prestige". It will also show that two or three chapters are among the perennial celler-dwellers. The rest of the chapters are in a large middle ground. It's not really important that a chapter rose from 15th to 8th. The rankings among the middle-level groups will fluctuate wildly because there's so little to distinguish among them.
What you'll find is that the top five will remain the Top Five, although the #1 ranked group may drop to #5 over a period of several years. But they're very likely to bounce back as their competitors cycle down. The trend is that they do not settle down into that middle level. The bottom groups likewise never seem to rise about their low status. The #20 ranked chapter may rise up to #18 in a year, but they are just as likely to drop back to the bottom.
What you'll find to be consistent is that the Top Five will very likely also be the five largest fraternities year in-year out. Reputations lag a few years behind, so they have the luxury of a year or two to recover from a bad year. The worst-ranked fraternities will nearly always be among the smallest.
If one of the Top Five ever drops into that middle level, then it is very difficult for them to rise back to the top circle. It's difficult because whatever caused them to lose membership and status for a long enough time to tumble them from the elite, is probably still afflicting them.
HERE'S HOW HELLER-TYPE RANKINGS CAN HELP: If you are a middle level chapter and you wish to elbow your way into the top circle, THAT CAN BE DONE. The trick is to know how. Heller was one of those who provided a road map. There were/are others as well.
WHO IS IT IMPORTANT TO STRIVE TO BE THE BEST? Life is always sweeter when you're a member of the winning team. Fraternities thrive on success and momentum. Years ago, my own fraternity had large numbers of chapters stuck in the middle level on their campusses. Today, we have many chapters in the top circle. We know how to do that now, and the benefits include enthusiasm, excitement and prosperity of the national organization.
Justamom, I think you have the impression that these rankings are a tool to be used to impress rushees. I'm sure that's been done, but that's not an effective use. Rushees don't understand, and certainly don't care even as much as the members. It's the leaders and the visionaries who use these rankings to succeed.
ONE LAST POINT: I don't agree with every one of Heller's principles. I have my own way of working the system. But Heller was correct in all his fundamental views.