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The article presents sociological analysis of social mobility upon the societal organizations and the institutions that serve both as social "ladders" or "staircases" for vertical circulation and as "sieves" or "sifters" which test and select, sort and grade the members of the population, and distribute and locate them in the strata where they function their obligations and rights. The processes of vertical mobility have never operated perfectly in the U.S. There have always been discriminations, unequal opportunity, and barriers to rising for various portions of the population and effectively artificed and maintained supports which enabled other portions to enjoy social altitudes for which they had not been fairly selected. The U.S. class system has been more "closed" than one is willing to admit on the basis of fondly fostered mobility ideology. Many of the old obstacles still exist. There are also "straws in the wind" that indicate that new blocks and gaps are appearing on the social staircase, that the sieves are not working so well or function only for portions of the population and that there is a discernible tendency for more and more positions to become established and fixed.

The article offers insights from sociology faculty members on what they think Alpha Kappa Delta means to the students. Alpha Kappa Delta gives a special status to scholarship students in sociology. It stimulates them to maintain scholarship standards. It arouses other worth while students in sociology to raise their scholarship to the level of admission to Alpha Kappa Delta or above the admission level. Alpha Kappa Delta has not only developed the idea of excellence in sociology, but has presented a goal for the superior student to achieve. As it is Alpha Kappa Delta, for the initiated, means an honor fraternity with real program, purpose and social vision, whose regular meetings are almost invariably challenging, and whose fellowship is a real inspiration to its membership.