What is up with the West? September 2013

What’s Up in the West?

September 2013

Hello and welcome to the First Edition of What is Up with the West? My goal here is to have chapters know what other chapters are currently up to. It is a short synopsis as well as some photos. Have a lovely and wonderful day!

Hillary Tung Western District Publisher 2013 - 2014

Gamma - KKPsi

While Gamma has been on summer break for quite some time (we don’t start school until September 25) we have had a very active and productive summer.

Several of our members attended SD4, we hosted Washington Weekend, and a number of brothers attended the National Convention. More recently, brothers were instrumental (no pun intended) in running Rookie Audition Day for the Husky Marching Band as well as helping with the HMB Sneak-Preview Fundraiser. Brothers even took time out of their vacation to travel to a local elementary school to encourage young students to get involved in music and to talk about all the benefits they might receive if they did. We’re getting geared up for an amazing school year and can’t wait to get started!

Theta - KKPsi

Volume 1 Issue 1

September was a month of preparations for the school year for Theta. September 5-6 was our fall retreat in Pacific City, Oregon. The purpose of retreat was to reconnect and have some discussions about the coming school year. Discussion topics included how to recruit effectively, both within the marching and concert bands, fundraise in new ways, and be “visually KKPsi” in our day-to-day lives. Social activities included board games and hanging out on the beach!

On the first night marching band camp, we hosted a social event after rehearsal. We provided food and showed past videos of the OSUMB’s performances.

It proved to be a fun, informative event as well as an opportunity for new marching band members to connect with returning members.

As we begin our fall term, we are excited to find creative new ways to serve Oregon State University band programs and strive for the highest!

Omicron - TBSigma Imagine a week where your skin burns to a crisp, invisible socks appear on your ankles, outlines of sunglasses cover your whole face, and you memorize more music you can count on your fingers. From this whole week, you realize that summer is beginning to fade, the days are growing shorter, and you have to carry yourself with an instrument in your arms.You have to focus on counting to eight while carrying an instrument on your back or in your arms or attached to your neck.Your sense of direction is thrown off because you cannot remember which way is left anymore. Then you have reached the first few stages of the marching Utes cycle. Therefore, these are the familiar traits of a new marching season at the University of Utah.

For Omicron, band camp begins early in the middle of August 2013. This year, a two-week intense regiment of work nonstop for the Marching Utes and Omicron was here to help. During band camp, Omicron ran its annual Mr. and Mrs. Band Camp and raised a profit of six hundred dollars in coins and dollars. This fundraiser helped raise three hundred dollars for the winning section, the Baritones, and allowed Omicron to have three hundred dollars for the chapter’s own funds for the band.

Along with the start of Chapter Meetings for the fall semester, Omicron already has a new class, Phi Class, with nine membership candidates: Bridger Snow, Alex Schaefer, Brandon Killian, Chloe Bolton, Mason Bolton, Bobby Brown, Aidan Tarufelli, Melissa Dawson, and Courtney McComas. These guys are awesome beyond belief and show a renewed sense of enthusiasm for TBS. Classes have been in full swing for three weeks and have shown excitement for their education classes taught by Vice President of Membership, Bryce Riley.

Omega - TBSigma Greetings from sunny Tucson, AZ! Tau Beta Sigma Omega has started this semester off to a great start. We have 11 candidates this semester, and they’re now on their 3rd week of process. They’re a wildly attractive bunch and we’re excited for what they’ll bring to our chapter. There are 37 active sisters this semester, so TBS Omega is getting pretty huge.

KKY Omega has 32 actives and 15 prospective members this semester.

Omega has big plans.

Just recently, TBS Omega went camping at Patagonia Lake, located about an hour sounth of Tucson. It was a great change from Tucson city life and we had a fantastic time camping, making s’mores, splashing around in the lake, and bonding. Our chapter has become even closer this semester, and it’s wonderful. Something exciting we’re planning on doing this month is colunteering at Slaughterhouse, our local (extremely terrifying) horror house. They will be providing us with costumes and makeup and we will be terrifying the attendees.

Omega - KKPsi We are now just a couple of weeks after Omega’s First Degree and we are, once again, starting the Process with a brand new class of Perspective Members. This coming semester is sure to be a memorable one as we put through one of the largest classes in our chapter’s history. Omega is proud to announce that we are starting with 15 Perspective Members in the Epsilon Omega (fall 2013) Class.

Alpha Chi - TBSigma Big things are happening at the Alpha Chi chapter from Northern Arizona University. Between service, socials, fundraisers, rituals, teaching Membership Candidates (MC’s) and having meetings we are certainly keeping busy. As far as service goes we have fitted and hemmed the entire Northern Arizona Marching Band’s uniforms, as one of our biggest projects of the year. We have also collected advertisements for NAU band day, which is coming up soon! Some of the socials we have done this semester include an ice cream social and a letter making social.

Fundraising efforts have been focused on selling water bottles at the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, profit shares, and the upcoming Rent-A-Puppy (one of the best fundraising events ever!!). We put twelve candidates through the First Degree, which is a great number for Alpha Chi. They are currently taking their MC classes, interviewing Actives, and looking forward to Second Degree which will be held on October 20th. These are just some of the many exciting things going on, it looks like it is going to be an amazing semester. MLITB from Alpha Chi!

Beta Omicron- KKPsi Greetings from Tempe, Arizona! With ASU starting band camp on August 14th and classes on the 22nd, Beta Omicron has been back into the swing of things for a while. Brothers have been busy providing water and ice for band camp rehearsals, helping with uniform fittings, and setting up the field for each marching band rehearsal. Other planned service events for this semester include volunteering with local high school bands, cleaning out our KKPsi Office and Band Offices, and cleaning the stadium after the upcoming USC game.

During band camp and the following weeks, we also began scoping out new band members, searching for those who could make good future Brothers. A few weeks ago, the Membership Committee held a week of Mixers. We had an Informational/Getto-Know-You Games Mixer on Monday, a Sports/Crafts Night on Wednesday, and a Movie Night on Friday. The Informational Mixer was especially successful, drawing 28 interested band members.

We are also revamping our Prospective Interview Process this year to adjust to the ever-increasing size of our chapter. PreProcess Interviews will take place this Sunday, September 29th, and First Degree will be on October 20th. We hope to see some Alumni and Brothers from others chapters there!

With the Notre Dame game in Dallas, Concert Receptions, weekly Bro-Dates and Music Buddies Pairings, and many more events planned in the near future, we’re looking forward to the start of a great year! Follow us on our new Twitter (Beta_ Omicron) or look for our monthly BOMAN newsletter to find out more about what we’re up to!

Gamma Kappa - KKPsi Gamma Kappa has been busy. We have been in school over a month already and have had first degree and planned second degree already for the semester. Gamma Kappa and our Sisters, Alpha Chi, are getting ready to host Arizona State Days this Spring! We are also preparing for a CFR visit and possibly DLC (we put in a bid). Everything has begun rolling and back in normal session.

Epsilon Kappa - TBSigma

Zeta Xi - TBSigma

Over the summer, some sisters went to a TV Taping as a fundraiser and a few spent time together at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Many members of EK spent the summer working, taking classes, traveling, or being a normal college student chilling at home for the summer.

Epsilon Kappa spent September enjoying the last few weeks of summer and then band camp. School has just begun and we are excited for recruitment and Football season!

Go Bruins!

Eta Omega - TBSigma

Over the summer, Zeta Xi hosted our 22nd SD4 which was very fun and successful. Band Camp at SDSU was August 19-23, we planned themes for spirit days and after-camp activities such as game night in the music building, capture the flag, and a tour of campus for new band members. We held our 1st Degree on Friday September 22nd, we put through 3 candidates! We found a 4-part version of SDSU’s Alma Mater so we’ve been practicing singing it, it sounds amazing!

On (9/15) we had our First Degree! We have 5 sister candidates!

On (9/20) Boise State’s band came down for the Fresno State vs Boise State Football game! (We won! Go Dogs!)

Then after the game we got to spend some time with Iota Kappa!

This past Sunday (9/29) Eta Omega revealed to our candidates their Big Brothers and Big Sisters!

This Sunday (10/6) we will be having another activity for our candidate class!

Iota Alpha - KKPsi The Iota Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi has been diligently working at improving their musicianship, leadership, and service projects. This summer has brought us all an opportunity to get closer as brothers and with our lovely sisters of Tau Beta Sigma. We have worked hard to raise funds and have successfully purchased a beautiful new conductor’s stand for the Music Department and are also in the works of hosting receptions for various concerts here at California State University, Fresno. We are continually searching for opportunities to serve our bands and hope that by doing so, we can further better our music department and musical community.

Iota Kappa- KKPsi September has been a busy and exciting month for Iota Kappa, as well as a month of firsts. This month usually marks the period of recruitment for the chapter and this year’s recruitment week was one to be proud of. Starting with a barbecue in the park, the chapter tried desperately to light a grill that the wind kept blowing out, while some members played frisbee and bonded with those interested in joining Kappa Kappa Psi. Other events included a Photo Guided Adventure across campus, a presentation from Western District President, Erik Marrs, and Western District Vice President, Alex Mclean, and a service project in which the chapter baked over 200 cookies to provide to the Boise State Marching Band for their trip to Fresno, California.

On September 19, the marching band travelled to Fresno, California for the Fresno State vs. Boise State game. As we arrived at our hotel, both Iota Alpha and Eta Omega were there to greet and welcome us to a new city. Despite an upsetting loss for Boise State the next day, Iota Kappa had a blast meeting up and creating life-long bonds with these chapters.

On September 27th, members from the chapter drove to Melba, Idaho to perform with the high school pep band. This was a fun service project in which we were able to perform with the band both in the stands, and during their halftime performance. We spoke with the high school students about music and how important it is to continue to perform and appreciate music throughout high school and beyond.

The focus of month for Iota Kappa was creating goals and a direction to work in.

Throughout the month, the members of chapter reevaluated its recruitment process and changed it to better fulfill our Five Purposes. At the end of the month, the chapter re-visited the Ritual and discussed how to apply its lessons into our everyday lives. That same night, we again looked at the fraternity purposes to set goals for ourselves, and for the chapter. For the first time ever, a Big Brother ceremony was performed to celebrate the new Big Brothers for our Rho candidate class.

Iota Pi- KKPsi Over the summer, Iota Pi had six brothers travel to Springfield, Massachusetts. We were awarded the Chapter Distance Award and the Chapter Delegate Distance Award. Since then Iota Pi has been busy with band camp and our first football game against Yale! We are on the Quarter system, so we have barely gotten back with the swing of classes. We already have many different projects in mind for fundraisers and service. We are already planning for our Second Annual Run For Music that will during late January!

Lambda Psi - KKPsi The Lambda Psi chapter at San Jose State University, chartered in 2007, is excited to have its largest candidate class in history. Our 15 candidates will begin their journey on September 21st. Our small but proud chapter is now steadily growing, through brotherhood and recruitment, and we continue to strive for the highest.

Mu Pi - KKPsi With the Oregon Marching Band just finishing up its second week of band camp and classes just beginning, Mu Pi is getting started with recruiting and already has some other projects underway. The marching band had a full band retreat between the two weeks of band camp, and Mu Pi volunteered to cook and serve BBQ to all 250 members of the band. Also with the Oregon v. Cal football game this past weekend, we met with a few Mu Pi alumni for breakfast meet and greet. And during the game, our chapter gave the visiting Cal band goody bags after halftime.

Western District at KKPsi and TBSigma National Convention at Springfield, Massachusetts