From the President’s Corner by Kirk Randazzo

From the President’s Corner

by Kirk A. Randazzo ΚΚΨ National President

So far the 2002-2003 aca demic year has been extremely productive for Kappa Kappa Psi. I want to update you all on some of the exciting events and programs being developed. Probably one of the most important events involves the hiring of a new Chapter Field Representative. Please join me in welcoming Adam Cantley as our Sixth CFR. Adam is an alumnus from the Omicron Chapter at West Virginia University. He brings a wealth of experience, having served in several capacities, including Northeast District President. The National Council is excited about Adam joining our team, and I hope you all give him warm welcomes when he visits your schools.

Since the 2001 National Convention in Corpus Christi, Texas, strategic planning has become a fraternal “buzz word.” In aneffort to build upon the wonderful foundation developed in Corpus Christi, I created two task forces to research various aspects of Kappa Kappa Psi. The first chaired by Vice President for Student Affairs Tony Roscoe, examined how fraternal policies and programs impact students and focused on our efforts in colonization, membership education (including candidate education and continuing member education), and the Chapter Field Representative position. The second, chaired by Vice President for Professional Relations Rod Chesnutt, examined the Fraternity’s interaction with, and relationship to, college band directors. This group’s discussion focused on such topics as director participation and active involvement in Kappa Kappa Psi, the changing nature of collegiate band programs, fraternal relations with professional music associations, and student perceptions of college band directors.

I asked both Tony and Rod to submit a report to me in January, and the information they provided is extremely interesting and thought provoking. The National “strategic planning team,” which consists of the National Council, Board of Trustees and Executive Director, will discuss these reports and their recommendations at our strategic planning session in February. Several items from these reports will become topics of discussion for various strategic committees at the 2003 National Convention in Norfolk, VA.

This brings me to the National Convention in Norfolk. At the winter Council meeting in January, we met at the convention hotel and toured the facilities. Let me just say… WOW… this convention is shaping up to be one of the best, ever. Our meeting facilities are fantastic and we will be using all the space available. As such, the Council has several events planned for convention, including a reunion of Past National Presidents, a reunion of Chapter Field Representatives, and several musical experiences. Additionally, we are offering educational sessions on leadership development, the Ritual, strategic planning at the chapter level, and musicianship. Finally, we have built in “free time” so that everyone has an opportunity to tour the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. If you have not started making plans to attend the National Convention already, let me encourage you to do so now. The Council needs your help in developing our longterm strategic objectives, and the seminars will provide you an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge which you can bring back to your chapter. All in all, the convention in Norfolk will be dynamic and you certainly do not want to miss out. }

Boh Book

Reprinted

Bo - humil Makovsky: The Guiding Spirit of Kappa Kap- pa Psi, by Kappa Kappa Psi Life Members Steven C. Nelson and Richard C. Dugger, has been reprinted in a new, second edition. This new edition contains additional information and a complete list of citations. Copies will be available at District Conventions, but you can order yours directly from National Headquarters for only $10, which includes shipping and handling. Send check or money order for $10 to: Boh Book ΚΚΨ/ΤΒΣ National Headquarters P.O. Box 849 Stillwater, OK 74076-0849

CFR Lowdown

by Carolyn Steckel ΤΒΣ National Chapter Field Representative

As soon as you enroll in a college or university, you have opened yourself up to be asked one particular question. And you will continue to be asked this question until you graduate. And even after you graduate, you will be asked this question until you find a sensible job. The question, “So what’s your major?” This question, however, was a bit more excruciating for me then most people because of the question that would always follow.

I am proud to say that my major was popular culture. I am perhaps the only member of Tau Beta Sigma or Kappa Kappa Psi that has ever had that major, and I assure you that, YES, it IS a major.

My semesters were spent studying the cultural impacts of The Simpson’s, exactly how Barbie had managed to influence our fashion trends, the creation of juke joints and their inspiration on modern day music, discovering just how hokie Niagara Falls is, and the faults and downfalls of Disney.

I have studied graffiti, penny arcades, the impact the creation of the automobile had on the dating arena, apple butter festivals (Yes, the stuff you put on toast. In fact, without apple butter, I would not have graduated.), amusement parks, drag queens, fetishes, tattoos, piercings, women in popular music, and Disney films. To sum it all up, I studied culture.

Are you waiting for a “just kidding”? Well, you won’t get one. I honestly have studied all that stuff at one time or another and more. And ya’ll thought underwater basket weaving was a cool major!

But, I’m sure every single one of you is asking the same question which inevitably follows that first one, “What do you do with that major?” To be honest, I wanted to be the Tau Beta Sigma Chapter Field Representative. And my major was preparing me to do just that.

See, every chapter of Tau Beta Sigma has its own distinct culture. Each has its own form of interaction, their own signifying items, and their own traditions. By talking to members of a chapter and by studying them, you are able to learn what unifies them and makes them unique. You are able to discover how chapters overcome challenges and how it brings them together. This information can be shared with other chapters in the hope that they too can benefit. Through these shared interactions, all of us come together to make our own unique culture, one dedicated to serving the bands and ensuring the longevity of music and music education.

And so it will be my mission, as the Tau Beta Sigma Chapter Field Representative, to find out exactly what makes every chapter unique. For instance, I’ve already discovered that Alpha Mu takes off their shoes for degrees and Delta Xi, well, they are just Delta Xi and that’s a good thing. I assure you there will be many more to follow.

So while it may seem that I graduated with a degree and did nothing with it, that could not be farther from the truth. I went to school to study culture and I have just been thrown into the best case study I could dream

Kappa Kappa Psi Announces its Biennial Keynote Address Contest

Are you an active member of ΚΚΨ? Are you interested in being a part of Fraternal history as well as an inspiration to the National Chapter assembled in Norfolk?

If so, Kappa Kappa Psi is looking for that one Brother who will be selected to lead the opening session of the 2003 National Convention with an original keynote address. Not only does the winner of this competition get to deliver his/her speech, but he/she also will receive an honorarium to cover convention registration costs! If you think you could be this Brother, please submit either a cassette or video taped version of your speech as well as a typewritten copy to National Headquarters by April 1, 2003. Send submissions to:

ΚΚΨ/ΤΒΣ National Headquarters ATTN: ΚΚΨ Keynote Address P.O. Box 849 Stillwater, OK 74076-0849 For more information please contact: Mike Osborn National VP for Colonization/Membership, ΚΚΨ 4089 Hampton Ridge Blvd Howell, MI 48843 (810) 229-2997 osbornmi@msu.edu OR

Debra M. Eakins National VP for Programs, ΚΚΨ 437 Western Ave Morgantown, WV26505 (304) 293-5700 x2239 eakinsd@mail.wvnet.edu