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I don't think any one measure can adequately reflect chapter strength. It's a combination of numbers, retention, grades, intra-campus competitions like Greek Week, willingness of other chapters to mix with them, philanthropy hours, lack of hazing, etc. On my campus that is fairly well rated by the annual President's Cup competition.
I think the point about national strength is a good one. When your chapter is in trouble (something fixable like numbers), what resources can they bring to help you? If you need money for a house, can they give you a grant, loan or nothing? Any one chapter of any GLO may be weak or strong, and every GLO has some weak or strong chapters. But a strong national can prevent strong chapters from becoming weak and help weaker chapters strengthen themselves.
And no, it isn't just size or money at the national level - it's also the organization, values and commitment of the alumnae groups. Look how fast some of the new orgs like ONE and Phi Sigma Rho are growing, without 100 years of alums or huge endowments.
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Alpha Xi Delta
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