Does a shorter associate program lead to more drop-outs?

[WTH]

As an advisor of many years both to my own chapter and the local chapter of my fraternity, I've noticed a phenomenon that is troubling me, and I'm hoping to get some input from others.

Back in my days as an active (mid to late 70s), it was implicitly understood in our chapter that membership was a lifetime commitment. Dropping out as an active was almost unheard of. Accordingly, we had a long pledge program (or associate membership program, to use the modern term), with initiation taking place in the first week after Christmas break. In my mind, this was good from two points of view: (1) we had the fall grades in hand, and (2) the Christmas break gave some of the pledges a chance to think over if they -really- wanted to make that commitment. Some guys came back from break and decided to drop, and in my mind that was a good thing. Not everyone was cut out to take a lifetime oath, and it was better for them to go their own way.

However, today our national HQ is strongly pushing a six-week associate membership program for all chapters, with initiation taking place before Thanksgiving. I've seen this program applied at the local chapter, and I've also noticed that the initiated brothers seem to think nothing of turning in their pins and dropping out whenever it suits them. The local chapter has lost maybe a dozen brothers over the past year and a half, mostly with excuses of "I don't have time" or "It's too expensive". I can't help but think that this behavior is strongly correlated with the abbreviated associate member program; the percentage of guys that drop seems to be equivalent to the percentage that used to drop at the start of spring semester back in my day, except that today these guys have paid the initiation fee and gone through the ritual. My concern is that this "brotherhood is no big deal" behavior is affecting the entire chapter as a consequence. When brothers see members walk out the door without shame or concern, it undermines the entire concept of "a lifetime of brotherhood".

For years my own chapter resisted this trend of an abbreviated associate member program, but now our national office has threatened to pull our insurance unless we comply. My concern is that my own chapter will now begin to see the same trend of drop-outs after initiation that the local chapter is dealing with. I've talked to the BOG chairman for my home chapter, and he says that our national officers have noticed this trend in many chapters, and that they are concerned about it. On the other hand, the push for a 6 to 8 week program coupled with fall semester initiation is, as I understand, an idea that many other national fraternities are pursuing with equal fervor.

My personal opinion is that our national HQ pushed for this change because they noticed how fewer men paid the initiation fee than the association fee. They wanted that extra money, and forcing a quick initiation was the best way to improve the percentage. On the other hand, it seems that two years later you've lost just as many members, but (in my mind) in a manner that is much more demoralizing to the chapter. The whole point of the pledge program was for everyone to figure out who was, or was not, a good fit for the chapter. Now it seems the entire process is being short-circuited for the sake of short-term financial gain.

So my question is this: has anyone else noticed a similar trend of "quitting the brotherhood is no big deal" in correlation with a shortened associate membership program? Or has this always been an issue in other fraternity chapters? Any thoughts on ways to turn this trend around?