I'm not a section chair, but I play one on TV.
Will National History & Archives Committee do?
The letters are assigned to the institution, if a chapter comes back at that institution, then the letters are given to the new group. In fact in one case (Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville), the chapter letters at a school that went out of business were assigned to a chapter at the public school that bought the campus.
I'm not sure this is directly related but, what *has* happened is the following. APO is trying to have rechartering efforts refered to by the school name rather than by the letters they would get back at chartering *until* they charter. For example: If there was a rechartering effort at Notre Dame, the group *should* be refered to as the University of Notre Dame Petitioning Group, *not* the Sigma Phi Petitioning Group. But they would be Sigma Phi chapter when they finish the process and recharter.
Among the reasons this is done...
1) Fairness with non-rechartering extension efforts.
2) Continued *push*. If the group can't use its chapter letters until it charters, it will be less likely to stall out as a PG, thinking that its already Sigma Phi, why finish the process...
3) Less pressure on certain rechartering efforts (coming back at Lafayette will be touch enough without them being thought of as *Alpha* PG.
The original questioner and the responder who knows the situation are at TennSt. Is this about Fisk U.?
I'll be happy to answer specific questions individually or in public, I'm curious...
YiLFS
Randy Finder