It's Time to Recharge the Brotherhood

by Hunter Harris

Epsilon - ΚΚΨ Mississippi State University

When COVID-19 infiltrated the band world, it felt like we were led into the midst of the unknown. Nobody knew what the future had in store for us, whether we ever set foot into the football stadium again or even having a marching band in general. Band students across the country started to feel hopeless because COVID-19 interrupted our daily routines. For me, this all began when the Men’s SEC Basketball Pep Bands weren’t allowed to attend the 2020 Men’s SEC Basketball Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. I just crossed the state line back into Mississippi when I got a text from Dr. Aarhus, Associate Director of Bands at Mississippi State University, stating that our Nashville trip got canceled because COVID-19 cases were starting to soar in multiple states. I did understand why the trip got canceled because we needed to protect the health and wellbeing of the fans and band members around the conference. Weeks after the trip got canceled, Mississippi State started to transition to online asynchronous and synchronous classes, which meant that I had to sit in front of a computer most days and learn.

Classes moved online also meant all concert ensembles were canceled, and our chapter meetings were also online. The whole online situation wasn’t ideal for any of my peers and me. Like I usually do, I had to take advantage of the opportunity and keep grinding to the finish line. During this time, I missed my KKΨ brothers due to no more in-person meetings or get-togethers. Some of us miss in-person interactions, whether we went to Cookout for food, go to basketball games with the pep bands, or even hang out at someone’s apartment and play games. In our chapter, our sense of brotherhood is one of the most vital elements that continues to flourish daily. So not having this interaction, we settled with online video conferences instead, such as using Webex. During this time as well, the Southeast District Convention was canceled.

Fast forward a couple of months, and it’s almost time for band camp. Everybody in the Famous Maroon Band was excited to come back to campus and finally see all their friends they hadn’t seen since March. It was during this time when COVID-19 cases started to soar again within our state and community. Sadly, band camp was canceled so we could protect all our band members. With band camp canceled, it hit everybody hard once again because it felt like we couldn’t catch a break from COVID-19. COVID-19 was taking a hit on our education, extracurriculars, and so much more. For the entirety of the Fall 2020 semester, our marching band was split into two groups consisting of 200 people each. One group practiced on Monday and Wednesday, while the other group practiced on Tuesday and Thursday. The rehearsal schedule for the

semester felt like it was the new normal until COVID-19 cases started dying down. Also, during this time, our chapter and committee meetings were still being held over Webex. Our chapter found various ways to connect, whether that is Webex calls, meeting up in multiple brothers’ apartments (while following all COVID-19 protocols), and being there for each other like a counselor would be. Fast forward to the Fall of 2021, the members of Epsilon can finally have marching band without being split into groups, in-person meetings to embrace the brotherhood we strive to have, plus we had a 14 member MC Class that brought so much energy to our chapter. Through the last year and a half, we have come to find out that we can’t take everything for granted. We all learned that we all need to be there for each other no matter the circumstances.

Brothers and sisters, we need to uplift everyone in our chapters ranging from our new brothers to older brothers. COVID-19 has affected everyone’s life differently. We have lost loved ones; some are still in the hospital due to their health worsening, and people can have lifelong effects. We should use this semester as a reflection point to recharge this brotherhood for the future, as our Madam President Jessica Lee said during her campaign. Let’s be compassionate, empathetic, and open-minded as we navigate these trying times so we can uphold our values as a fraternity and grow as individuals.