A Look at the Past

NATIONAL CONVENTION GIVES

ORGANIZATION NEW LIFE (Editor's Note: The following article and letter appeared in the December 1949 PODIUM. Throughout the history of Tau Beta Sigma, National Officers have relied upon membership feedback. As an active member in today' s organization, you have this same privilege to communicate with National Officers.)

The Third National Convention of Tau Beta Sigma will long be remembered by every delegate present as the most outstanding meeting, so far, in the history of the sorority .. The Gamma Chapter of the University of Colorado, the host chapter, had made every preparation possible to give the delegates a hearty welcome when the convention opened on Friday, August 19, 1949.

The first meeting of Tau Beta Sigma was held as a joint meeting with Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity in the ballroom of the Student Union Building. Each delegate had been furnished with her chapter's name on a large card with a handle, which made it possible to hold the card high. Grand President Mitchell of Kappa Kappa Psi, introduced Miss Suzanne Wetmore, National Officers and Delegates.

The business sessions started Saturday, and were directed by the National President, Miss Wetmore (Gamma) . The following national officers were present: Dorothy Allen Nichols (Delta), National First Vice-President; Frances E. Martin (Alpha), National Second Vice-President; Frances Brockman (Epsilon), National Treasurer. Out of the sixteen active chapters of Tau Beta Sigma, eleven had one or more delegates attending the convention.

Dear Sisters:

As I returned from our wonderful convention in Boulder last August, I kept thinking how wonderful it would be if time and distance would allow me to visit with each of the chapters of Tau Beta Sigma. I hope that you have had nothing but success in getting your chapter reorganized since the beginning of the fall term but I know that certain problems are always presenting themselves. For this reason, I hope that you will help me make the next two years successful for us all by writing me as often as possible and by sending me any suggestions you might have for the betterment of the sorority. Please be sure that any suggestions will be welcomed as I feel that, since you are in close daily contact with the members of your chapter, you are much better qualified than I to know what is needed to make our sorority oustanding nationally as well as locally.

Our first interest now is, of course, expansion. I hope that you are considering the possibility of getting a chapter installed on a nearby campus. I would be very pleased if we could double our present number of chapters before our next convention.

By now you should have a copy of the national constitution. I wish that you would take one of your next meetings to study it carefully and discuss the major points. If there are any questions or suggestions I would like to hear about them so that we can make plans for remedying any errors or omissions.

I should like to express my sincere appreciation of the trust placed in me by selecting me as the national president of this grand organization and please be sure that I will do everything in my power to further the interest of our sorority.

Fraternally yours, (Mrs.) Dorothy A. Nichols National President

(Continued from Page 11) we are proud of the fact that many directors feel it is beneficial for their bands.

Beta participated in several other projects in the fall. Members served as ushers and sold tickets for several events, including a concert by the famous Russian trumpet player Timofei Dokshutzer on November 9. In October we met with our sisters in Xi chapter from West Texas State for a time of fun and sharing ideas. With help from our brothers in Alpha Omicron, Beta sang Christmas carols in the children's wing of Health Sciences Hospital in Lubbock.

Even after such a successful fall we feel that we are moving into one of our best semesters ever. With rush over we have a new group of eighteen enthusiastic pledges who are ready to give their all for bands at Tech. In conjunction with one of our formal rush functions we held a tea honoring our sponsors, who have given us so much advice and encouragement over the years.

The big event slated for Beta in the spring was our first annual Jr. High Solo and Ensemble Contest. The contest, partially funded by grants from the Lubbock Cultural Affairs Council and the Texas Tech Student Association, gave Jr. High musicians the opportunity to compete and receive criticism from qualified judges. The contest was held on the Tech campus, February 23, 1980. Ratings were given and medals were awarded for outstanding performances.

Another major project for the spring will be awarding scholarships for tuition for the 1980 Texas Tech Band Camp to needy students in Lubbock schools. We feel that this project will open up new opportunities for us to serve as well as extend the reach of the excellent band camp here at Tech.

In the same vein, Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma sponsored Tech Band Weekend, February 29 and March 1. During two days high school seniors were given the opportunity to see Tech and the band program we offer, as well as the opportunity to audition for scholarships and become acquainted with our chapters.

The sisters in Beta are excited about the semester to come. We believe that each new semester opens up more ways for us to serve our bands. We look forward to the 80's with the knowledge that the Tech band is growing and that Beta will grow along with it.

"High Hopes For the 80's"

by Leslie Loomis

After a decade of struggling to keep our chapter alive and vital, including deactivation in 1975-76, the sisters of Chi Chapter wish to announce that we are entering the 1980's as strong as we have ever been. We tripled our membership with a tremendous pledge class during the Autumn quarter. We participated as hostesses and helped with registration for Ohio State's annual Music Careers Day in November, and for the Band Reading Clinic on December 1, 1979. We sold marching band albums at every home football game this fall. We owe our success to the hard work and dedication of our Chapter President for two years, Wendy Kraft; and to our Advisor, Carla Robinson, who is this biennium's National Secretary.

Seven of our sisters who are members of the Ohio State University Marching Band traveled to Pasadena for Ohio State's first trip to the Rose Bowl in four years. They enjoyed visiting Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm and met some members of KK']f from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

There have been some excmng changes on our campus this year. Weigel Hall, our new facility for the performance division of the School of Music, was dedicated on November 7, 1979, with performances by the OSU Chorale, Symphony Orchestra, and Marching Band. Attached to Mershon Auditorium, the building houses the performance division offices, two rehearsal halls (choral and instrumental), studios for our performance faculty, practice rooms, a 750-seat recital hall, and the office of our new Director of Bands, Craig Kirchoff. Coming to us from Washington State University, Mr. Kirchoff has established a new Wind Ensemble in addition to the existing concert bands. Mr. Kirchoff takes the place of Dr. Donald E. McGinnis who retired last spring after devoting 28 years of his life to our great university, and serving as guest conductor of the NIB at the National Convention of 1979.

We are planning a busy spring quarter for this year, including a visitation to Bowling Green State University near Toledo, Ohio; participation in the 1980 Ohio Music Educators Association ( OMEA) District XV Solo & Ensemble Contest; and the compiling of a bid for the 1981 District 7 Convention to be held here.

Our most important event of the year will take place in April as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of our chapter on April 29, 1950 with a Founder's Day Banquet. It will be the culmination of our major project for the year, which has been to establish an alumni chapter to bring back past sisters of Chi Chapter another step in the revitalization of our organization.

In closing, we wish to extend to all chapters of Tau Beta Sigma our hopes for the continued success and strong sense of purpose that 1980 has brought to us.

Colorado University Boulder

CU- Service

Greetings to you all from the Alpha Iota chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Gamma chapter of Tau Beta Sigma in Boulder, Colorado. This school year has thus far been very busy for all of us, and with the election of officers last May, both chapters have been involved not only with the band program but with the entire music program at the university's College of Music. The year began with the chapters sponsoring a mini-band camp for incoming Freshmen and transfer students to give them a chance to perfect the fundamentals necessary to keep up with the proud tradition of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. CU' s 36th annual Band Day was a tremendous success, not only for the high school bands who par-

The Buff pep band at the Nebraska-CU football game.

ticipated, but also for our chapters, which were responsible for feeding some 3200 hungry high school bandsmen. (Though if I never see another hot dog again, that'll be OK by me .. . )

This year we sponsored the annual

Buff migration, in which a pep band travels to some unlucky campus to cheer at an away football game. While it is true that the team lost, we can safely say that Nebraska will never be the same again! !

The chapters are currently considering the possibilities of hosting another national convention at CU in the near future. By hosting this year" s District Convention we hope to "get our feet wet'' and be able to show off Colorado's famous hospitality, the excitement of Boulder and Denver, and the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

There was some sadness this semester also: Dr. Jack Foote, Associate Director of Bands at CU, will be leaving us at the end of this academic year. Jack's talents as an arranger, band director, and saxophonist are well known, and it is with deep regret that we see him leaving us. Good luck, Jack! ! !

One of our greatest contributions was to the College of Music. Alpha Iota and Gamma chapters were two of the primary forces behind the passage of a referendum sponsored by the Associated Students of the College of Music. This referendum, by adding a small amount to each student's fees each semester, guarantees the performing organizations at the university $40,000 (to be used for publicity) over the next four years. Thus, one can see that the chapters are working not only for the band program but for the College of Music; not only for the present, but for the future. Good luck to all our brothers and sisters, and best wishes for a productive 2nd semester. CU later.

Arkansas State University Jonesboro

Financial Difficulties

At Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the Gamma Xi chapter of Tau Beta Sigma has been busy at work. When the fall semester began, our chapter was $1,000 in debt. The sisters of our sorority were at a point where we were ready to give up, but because of our vast pride we immediately began fund-raising projects to replenish our money supply. Included were three consecutive car washes and doughnut sales. The most money came from our brothers in Kappa Kappa Psi upon our assistance at the annual marching band contest. We worked the concession stands and sold the T-shirts which caused us to be in debt in the first place. Also, after the contest we sold 8 x 10

color portraits of the massed band half-time show to the participating bandsmen. Because our projects were successful, we are now debt-free and the sisters of

Tau Beta Sigma are relieved and proud of how hard we worked.

While still in debt, we continued to serve the band by supplying water at marching band breaks, sponsoring dances and giving rush parties for our twelve fall pledges. Moreover, all the funding for these events willingly came out of the girls' pockets. Thus, we have coined a motto: "In the face of adversity, don't

QUIT;" hang in there and don't be afraid to ask for help. We probably couldn't have done it without the help from our dear brothers in the Delta Rho chapter of Kappa

Kappa Psi. This truly was a test of maintaining our emotional poise and sisterhood under all conditions, even in the face of great trial.

The University of Texas Austin

Fundraising,

Texas Style

by Brett L. Perroux

Fundraising can be a big problem for many chapters. Many people get very tired of bake sales, candy and light bulbs. So it was up to the Alpha Tau Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi to come up with an original idea for making money. The University of Texas Athletic Department was very nice in donating one of the footballs used during the 1979 Texas-Oklahoma game.

Now that we had the prize, we needed a contest. A raffle would be the first thing to enter anyone's mind, but since lotteries of any kind are illegal in Texas, a game of skill would have to be devised. After much thought, we found a most logical choice to be to estimate the weight of Big Bertha, the University's Texassized drum. Bertha is a very visible part of the Longhorn Band, since the drum itself is eight feet in diameter. The winning weight would include the drum itself and the trailer that it rides on. In other words, it would be weighed in the configuration as she appears on the field. The tie-breaker (just in case two or more people estimated the correct weight) would be how much the University of Texas paid for Big Bertha.

For months, the Chapter worked harder as a Brotherhod than ever before. We experienced a closer Chapter than any of us had ever seen. After much work, Big Bertha was to weigh 540 pounds and 8 ounces. Chuck Maatus, a Computer Science major here at the University, was the lucky winner with his estimate of 540 pounds even.

In the end, Alpha Tau realized more benefits than we had expected. Since this was a Chapter-wide project, it drew us much closer together. Along with the funds raised, we also learned some of the capacities and limitations of ourselves. There was also the suggestion of doing the same project again next year, but Bertha might have to gain some weight first.

That project consumed much of our time this past semester, but we still were striving for the highest. Along with providing visiting bands with barbeque for our home football games, we gave them Orange Crush and apples after their halftime performance. So until next time, HOOK 'EM HORNS! !