NATCON 2019!

By Baylor Blair | Gamma, President

With this national convention not just being the first one I’ve been to since I became an active, it’s a celebration of 100 years of Kappa Kappa Psi and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss it. Travelling and experiencing KKPsi beyond the chapter is one of the most amazing parts about being a brother; I was thrilled to be able to attend NatCon and be a part of the centennial celebration.

NatCon was fascinating in terms of how the fraternity conducts business on a national scale. Serving as Gamma’s delegate made seeing how business was done even more interesting because it allowed me to serve on a committee and work with brothers from across the country. Gamma was seated on the Membership and Colonization committee, and most of the delegates on the committee were current or former Vice Presidents of Membership of their respective chapters. This gave us a wide array of perspectives and experiences to draw from, and it was really interesting to hear how things like the Road to Wisdom are being implemented and adapted across the country. I really felt like our work on this committee was valuable, and I’m hopeful that the changes we suggested will be for the better.

Meeting new people and strengthening our bonds as a district was another major highlight of the week. The committee had probably the most diverse group of people I spent time with during the week; there were brothers from Oregon to Ohio, and everywhere in between. Later in the week, Gamma’s delegation had lunch with some brothers from the Alpha Chapter at Oklahoma State and it was really great to share stories and talk about band with them. One of my favorite moments of meeting new folks came during one of the KKPsi sessions when the delegates were seated. I was right in front of the delegate from the Beta Alpha chapter at Baylor University, which was hilarious in itself and made it even better when Evan Thompson came over

to us during a break. He stared at our name tags for a second, looking a little confused, and said “So, you’re John from Baylor, and you’re Baylor from Gamma? Holy crap…”. And of course, getting to spend time with other brothers from the West was a wonderful time, and I was so proud to be a part of this district on banquet night when Iota Gamma received the chapter improvement award and Beta Omicron took home the Founder’s Trophy; the best are in the West!

The final day of the week was spent on the centennial celebration, and for me that was definitely the most impactful part of the week. It was mentioned in one speech that the Seretean Center, the building where all of the sessions were held, was built on the original site of Boh’s band room. This was a realization which really made me personally feel connected to our history. Later in the day, we got to visit the National Headquarter and see museum along with an array of artifacts from the fraternity’s history and tradition. Before convention, they’d opened a 25-year-old time capsule, and inside, there were some postcards sent by Gamma’s first class after we were rechartered in the early 90s, including the names of some alumni who still show up to our events. It was an incredible experience, and it gave me some ideas for next December when Gamma celebrates its 100th year.

Travelling to KKPsi events is always a special experience, but getting to celebrate a century’s worth of this fraternity with my brothers made it an even more incredible experience, one which I’ll never forget. I’m proud to be part of a brotherhood with such a long and rich history, and I’m excited to help ring in the next century of Kappa Kappa Psi!