...Or what the future holds for me...

This semester has been a whirlwind of stress, adventure, happiness, and sorrow. I feel that more has happened from August to now than it has the past four years at Southeastern and as a member of KKΨ. I've had personal hardship, my chapter is going through this constant overturn, classes seem to keep adding projects upon projects, and the organization has gone through some major life altering events. Though the madness and the struggle, the love and bond of the brotherhood has flourished and continued to stay strong and I am so proud to be able to have seen it all. Though everything I've gone through so far this semester, I've had my brothers by my side. So, I guess my point of this post is for us as members of this great organization is to stay strong and persevere. We will get through anything, especially with the support of our brothers. I know I'm not the only person to be happy that 2014 is close than ever and excited for the new beginnings to come, but I'll never forget the ones who've gotten me here. 

Forever Striving, 

Helen

It Has Been A While...

Brothers,

I apologize for my long leave from the blog! This semester has sped by me. Since my last post, there is a long list of things that have come and gone. Here are a few highlights:

The weekend of September 28th, I traveled to The University of Arkansas with my sister, Emily Murphree, TBSigma SWD Sec/Treas. We woke up early Saturday morning and journeyed to Fayetteville to watch the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Texas A&M Aggies and, of course, listen to the band perform! Though the day was a little rainy, the game was a blast and the Psi and Lambda chapters were fantastic hosts!! :)

After the game, Emily and I began our drive back to stay in Durant, OK. We owe a big thank you to Andi Gregory and Taylor Walker from the Eta Nu chapter for housing is for the night.

Unloading the HPU Band Trailer with some brothers.

The next weekend was Howard Payne University Homecoming!! As we all know, homecoming is a band members craziest weekend. We had a choir concert at 9AM, a parade at 11AM, and exhibition at 12PM, then we had the game. We played Louisiana College, an undefeated ranked team at the time. For those who do not know, football at HPU has had a hard time the past few years. We haven't had the best seasons. However, this year, HPU began to show promise. We played this team all the way to the last play. LC lead by three and we were lined up for our last play. It was a long field goal and the wind was for us. Once we kicked, however, it was clear we had lost. Though it was a bummer, that was the best HPU football game I have ever been to. 

During our homecoming halftime performance!
I am the furthest in the back.

After homecoming, Zeta Beta and Delta Upsilon worked the next two Saturdays on a large service project. We were asked to run an help host a marching festival and the UIL Region Marching Contest held at Early High School. We were guides for the band, helped with concessions, supplied water for the bands, and tended to the judges in the press box. These events helped us bond and serve together. We had a wonderful time! Besides that, Zeta Beta has hosted three rush events and has been actively recruiting new members! We will host our last and formal rush on the 25th of November. 

Outside of the fraternity, I have been slaving away to prepare for my senior recital. My hearing was on November 1st and went very well!! I passed and will perform my recital in two days!!!!! It is scheduled for November 16th at 2:30. If you are free, come hear some great music on Howard Payne Campus.

Workshop season in coming up soon and I hope to see a lot of brothers representing their chapters. Keep striving and never settle for mediocrity. Finish out the semester strong!

AEA,

Allen Andrus

SWD VP

October Report

Hello SWD!

I hope you are all having a productive and fun semester so far! I know that as our university band programs start to get busier and our personal work loads also increase, that this is always a good time for a pep talk to get you through to the end - KEEP GOING! Whenever you start to complain or remember that you are tired, just keep in mind that someone is always watching! We truly set the example for not only our chapter as a whole, but for our bands. As always, remember that school is your first priority. Study hard and succeed like champions today! I hope that you can just keep these few things in mind as you prepare for academic and service excellence in the remaining months of the semester!

This fall I have been given several opportunities to visit with brothers and sisters from around the SWD. Though my personal travel has not picked up yet, I will be traveling to THREE different chapters in the month of November.

Last month, Helen, Allen, and Vanessa (along with Erika Pope) came to Norman for the OU v. Tulsa football game and we had a great time getting to catch up! A couple of weeks ago, Meridith and Scott joined the Delta TBSigma chapter for the OU v. TCU game. Not only did they get to go to the game, but they also stayed over night with us and we got a surprise visit form none other than heather McGowan!

So far I have been able to visit with brothers from TCU, UT, and West Virginia. I am traveling to the University of Kansas this weekend and will then get to see brothers from Alpha Omicron the following weekend!

In addition to visits, I have skyped with numerous chapters and will continue to do so this semester! Please feel free to e-mail me if you would like to set up a Skype chat! As a council we have been working on several projects including a new musical endeavor at District Convention, a district YouTube page, area workshops and more. Keep an eye out for the New Alto which will be released on November 15th by the chapters at Texas A&M Commerce!

With that, I hope you all have a great day!

AEA,

Josh

Starting on the Left Foot

Well, its back to the ol' grind! A month of school has already past like the speed of light. After CLC, I rapidly prepared to work the Ozona High School band camp in west texas. It was a small school with a band of about fifty people. I love getting the chance to help out high school kids and help give a glimpse of what music is like. Plus, I am a complete marching band freak!

After I taught the camp, I had two days to pack all of my stuff and head back to start summer band camp for the Howard Payne University Yellow Jacket Band. We gained almost twenty new band members to hold our band at around seventy people (which is pretty good for a university of our size). Marching fundamentals, early mornings, stand tunes, and show music ran my life once again. Oh, how I missed it! Once our band camp ended, we had a few days of relaxation and then school began on the 19th of August.

This semester, for me, will be one heck of a ride. With my senior recital, being president of the Zeta Beta chapter, and a full load of classes, I am pretty busy. Plus, I have the multitude of certification examinations this semester and next semester. However, things are not as bad as I would have suspected. I am having a great time thus far and am so happy to be where I am.

Here is a picture of me in the first performance of our DCI Hits show for the 2013 season.

Yesterday, September 14th, I had a fantastic opportunity to experience. After being invited by Josh Stickney, Helen Moore, Vanessa Delgado, Erika Pope, and I all traveled to Norman, OK to experience what it is like to be in the Pride of Oklahoma. We were their guests for Game Day and I cannot express how much fun I had. This was my first Division 1 football game, first large college band performance to watch, and I had an amazing time in fellowship with my brothers and sisters. You can't really ask for more. Both Delta Chapters were welcoming and very hospitable. I have now become a sooner fan. :)

I hope you all are off to a great start to the year. Keep remembering what our fraternity stands for and hold yourself accountable! Hope to see you all soon. 

AEA,

Allen Andrus

SWD Vice President

What you missed from NatCon2013

From California to Connecticut, brothers from all over the United States joined hands in an amazing event, National Convention 2013. This biennial event is one of the greatest moments of fellowship offered to brothers of the fraternity. As you engage in workshops, leadership development, the occasional Red Sox game, and interaction with your fellow brothers, you become a better person and brother for your chapter. If you were unable to join the revolution this year, we want to bring you up to speed on the various changes and new additions to the fraternity.

National Council:

Here are your newly elected national officers for Kappa Kappa Psi.

President - Christine Beason

Vice President of Colonization and Membership - Jack Lee

Vice President of Programs - Adam Bates

Vice President of Student Affairs - Kelly Nellis

Vice President of Professional Relations - Travis Cross

Board of Trustees - Rod Chesnutt, Eric Morson, and Daniel George

Congratulations brothers!!

Honorary Membership:

As the highest honor you can bestow upon someone from this fraternity, honorary membership has had a few changes to increase its value. The reasons behind these changes are that some chapters have been handing out honorary membership to individuals or inanimate objects to replace active membership. 

Honorary membership is no longer allowed to be given to undergraduate students.

Honorary membership cost has been raised to $50 from $35.

Style Guide and Brand:

How many variations of the crest, flag, or other fraternity symbols have you seen floating around the Internet or on t-shirts? We are one fraternity and should all be using the same designs. To ensure this, a committee of brothers were assembled to create the brand and style guide for Kappa Kappa Psi. They narrowed down the variations to the crest, created a new brand, and a new way of presenting our letters!

National Convention 2015 will be held in Lexington, Kentucky!! Begin planning for your trip now. The rewards are countless when your chapter attends National Convention. If you want a better chapter, here is a place to help you get there. Fundraise and get as many brothers there as possible. 

Here is a video presented to the brothers during a separate session. It is very strong and is something we all need to pay attention to. Where do our values come from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNF-_JdaLtA

Have a great time in your various band camps and enjoy the start of school. Love you, brothers.

AEA,

Allen

Thriving and Striving: A glimpse of Steph

Hello Brothers, Sisters, and miscellaneous!

My newest Littles!

I'm Stephanie McCullough, 2013-2014 SWD Secretary/Treasurer. I'm a Brother of Lambda at the University of Arkansas and will graduate in May 2014 with a B.A. in both Music and Psychology. I rock the glorious trombone and fool around on ukulele. I love Jesus, sports, crafts, games, cooking, learning, camp, reading, dancing, hammocking, biking, and bright colors... among many other things. I consider myself a person of intense passion and drive, and I'm incredibly thankful for all in my life that has blossomed that within me. For a bit more about me, click here to go to my personal blog.

Strive is one of my favorite words. Envisioning it paints a picture of an individual pushing relentlessly up a muddy mountain, in a huge thunderstorm, while carrying a heavy pack of necessities for those waiting at the top. I see this person gazing with much focus on the road ahead, eyes constantly upward, not wincing in pain but set firmly in determination.

Though graphic, such versions of striving are not common in my daily life, KPsi or otherwise. For me, striving is necessity. It's important to move onward and upward with much purpose, even when lacking specific direction. Now, at the end of my undergraduate career, I face a certain and heavy lack of clarity when it comes to future things. I don't know if I'm going to grad school and if I do, to which one. I don't know if I want to apply for some major national awards to do international things. Honestly, I have no dream career, just a mix bag of things that all sound awesome. I'm at a point where many college kids begin to worry and freak and lose it beneath the dark cloud of uncertainty.

But me? No. I refuse.
And instead I choose.
I choose to strive.

The lack of a 5 year plan does not affect my ability to work, to do, to make a difference. We're often told otherwise, but that is all wrong. I love the definition Josh posted earlier about strive meaning to "struggle vigorously". It truly is a struggle to swim through the unknown, but it's one I deem worthwhile.

It's worthwhile to strive. To push. To go. To keep on keepin' on.

My own little sub-definition of strive is to give. To give oneself, as others have done for us. For me, it's strongly tied to my faith and the example Christ made by serving others with complete humility. It's so beautiful. To give all of oneself: time, resources, abilities, love, everything. Giving is tops because it is something meant to be outside of ourselves. We strive for bands. We strive within this fraternity. We strive as we serve that about which we care deeply. We strive when we're at our best. We strive for greatness in our commitments.

And just so you all know, I'm committed. I want to better the SWD in my own small way, whatever it may be, in the coming year. There's a lot going on in life right now, but I'm dedicated to making it all amazing. With dependence His strength and assistance from the rest of council and the wonderful Brothers and Sisters at home, I'm confident it'll be great.

Nah, not great. Excellent.

Preparing for CLC

Kappa Kappa Hi!

I know for many of us, things are starting to pick up for both school and our chapters. If you are preparing for Chapter Leadership Conference tomorrow, I just want to say "thank you"!

(Don't know what I'm talking about? Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/events/141226959394998/)

 CLC will give us a unique opportunity to come together as existing and future leaders in our chapters and share our ideas with each other. As you are traveling to Stephenville, keep some of these things in mind and I'm sure you will have a beneficial day!

1. Be open-minded. We all come from different backgrounds and we all certainly have different ways of leading. Be open to both listening to others and sharing what you've found beneficial to your chapters.
2. Take notes. 'nuff said. We're human and we forget things. Some hand outs will be provided, but we often internalize things better if we see them in our own handwriting. Not required, but just a thought.
3. Engage. There will be opportunities for both hands on and verbal interaction. Remember, you are now the LEADERS of your own chapter. Don't be afraid of "Branching Out". (Thanks Beta Alpha and Iota!)
4. Meet. I challenge you to meet atleast 5 brothers/sisters that you don't already know. The people in attendance will be leaders that you can use to network and share ideas with long past our workshop. Make connections and friendships and I guarantee you will grow from them.

And with that, I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow in Stephenville! Feel free to contact any of your district officers if you have questions about CLC.

Josh Stickney
SWD Co M@L
405-315-4151
SWDCoMAL1@kkpsi.org