I totally agree to the sentiment about how much it stinks when someone doesn't recognize your org. Or especially when they mention that the smaller orgs will go under in the next...what...20 years? I sincerely hope AST does not succumb to that.
I think at some point you have to realize that in order to get to the 'big schools' you need money. Say AST (or any 'smaller' NPC) colonized at a major university. You figure you need at about a million to purchase a house, then you need to furnish the house, create a marketing campaign, gifts for all your founders, plus the need to have a permanent rep on campus. The costs add up quickly and if that chapter goes under during those shakey first 10 years, it would seriously put the entire national org in jeapordy. I think that while it would be great to see my letters more, I don't want that dream expansion to put at risk my chapter and the 80 others that exist.
I'm so excited to see AST expanding (faster than any other NPC I believe), but I also trust that our NC made some very smart decisions.
What I'm trying to get at is that expansion is great, but not at the expense of the entire organization. I'd rather have letters rarely seen, than a defunt nat'l org.
On the upside, because we're smaller, we make less badges, so they are harder to buy on ebay.
