The Podium - Spring 2023

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 1

• National Intercollegiate Band auditions close

April 14 - 16

• 2023 Midwest District Convention, Overland Park, KS

STAFF

Publisher/National Executive Director

Office Manager & National Accountant

Membership Services Coordinator

Database & Membership System Coordinator

Membership & Expansion Coordinator

National Events Coordinator

Kappa Kappa Psi Chapter Support Coordinator

Kappa Kappa Psi Chapter Field Representative

Kappa Kappa Psi Chapter Field Representative

National Publications Manager

Steve Nelson

Di Spiva

Debbie Morris

Aaron Moore

TJ Tooley

Lisa Croston

Nicole Brooks

Kennedy Struck

Jake January

Thomas Bradford

MAILING ADDRESS

The PODIUM

National Headquarters Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma P.O. Box 849 Stillwater, OK 74076-0849

(405) 372-2333

www.kkytbs.org

e-mail: podium@kkytbs.org

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

Articles must be prepared using common word processing software or submitted by e-mail. Photographs must have captions attached with all individuals identified. Detailed author’s guidelines can be found on the NHQ web site at: podium.kkytbs.org

DEADLINES

May 1 December 1 Fall issue Spring issue

nelson@kkytbs.org

spiva@kkytbs.org

morris@kkytbs.org

moore@kkytbs.org

tooley@kkytbs.org

croston@kkytbs.org

brooks@kkytbs.org

cfrkky@kkpsi.org kkycfr@kkpsi.org podium@kkytbs.org

Holiday Inn & Suites Overland Park West

• 2023 Southwest District Convention, Lafayette, LA

Cajundome / Hilton Garden Inn

April 20 - 23

• 2023 Western District Convention, Park City, UT

DoubleTree Park City – The Yarrow

May 1

• Online deadline for articles being submitted to the Fall 2023 issue of The PODIUM

• Submission & postmark deadline for ΤΒΣ National Scholarship applications

May 15

• Deadline for all KKPsiAA Awards and Grants

• Submission Deadline for Biennial Solo Competition (which is for Active Brothers).

June 1

• On-time deadline for Chapter Summary Reports

July 1

• KKΨ Awards Deadline

July 11 - 14

• 2023 National Convention Orlando, FL

Caribe Royale Orlando

September 30 (October 15 for Quarter Schools)

• Submission & postmark deadline for KKΨ & TBΣ Chapter Personnel Reports, signed summary page and fees

On the Cover:

On the cover of this issue is downtown Orlando, Fl.; the site of the 2023 Biennial Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma National Convention. Look forward to seeing you there!

The PODIUM is produced at the National Headquarters of Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma in Stillwater, Okla., and printed and mailed by Modern Litho-Print, Jefferson City, Mo.

Writers Wanted!

The National Headquarters accepts the Podium submissions via e-mail at podium@kkytbs.org and online at podium.kkytbs.org. In order to make processing of articles easier please use the following format:

Remember that articles must be received by May 1 for the fall issue and December 1 for the spring issue. Within the subject line include "Podium Article for (your) Chapter."

Feature articles should be 1-2 pages, not including photos. You can figure 600 words per page, so a 2-page article would be about 1,200 words. Try to keep your article to a multiple of 300 words, with a 600 word/1-page minimum.

Fraternity/sorority-wide news items should be one-half page/300-word minimum, not including photo(s).

Chapter news items should be one-quarter page/150-word minimum, not including photo(s).

Articles may be submitted as an attachment to an e-mail message; save the article as either a Microsoft® Word document or in Rich Text Format.

Be sure to send photos illustrating your story. Photos must be 300dpi or higher and attached separately from the article, not embedded. We assume that the writer of the article has full rights to the photos and grants a license to us for publication purposes. Submissions containing photographs will receive priority for publication.

Every photo must have a caption! Be sure to include the photo captions within the e-mail for the article you send and be sure you identify everyone in the photo.

Original photos are preferred, either color or blackand-white.

Helpful Hints

- Make your article interesting and exciting to read. - Focus on one or two topics and expand upon it. -Try not to write a chapter summary report for your article.

-We like to hear about extraordinary things such as successful fundraisers, unique socials, or service projects.

FROM THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

With this issue of The Podium, we introduce the work of Thomas Bradford, the new Publications & Media Manager at the National Headquarters. Thomas comes to NHQ with 25 years of experience and an outside perspective to the work of our organizations. Welcome Thomas!

This summer we will once again meet in National Convention! If you have never experienced a national convention, I invite you to consider attending this July. Not only will you have opportunities to experience the fun-side of Orlando, but it will be another much needed gathering of brothers and sisters from across the country. It really is the best way to see how the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood join us together.

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma are making strides every day to overcome the affects of the pandemic. I have a great respect for those initiated in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. You have taken a leap of faith for organizations at a time of uncertainty. Thank you for helping to move us forward!

Many thanks to those who support the fraternity and sorority financially. I know there are many places people can donate their hard earned funds, so I appreciate what you are able to spare for the ongoing needs and the future of our Orders. Thank you!

If you are looking for officially licensed merchandise, you can find a searchable list of our licensed vendors at GreekLicensing.com. Look for us under the “Clients” tab.

I wish you all the best and I hope to see you in Orlando!

Steve Nelson (ΚΚΨ/Alpha, ’80)

Kappa Kappa Psi is welcoming back

KAPPA KAPPA PSI NEW PETITIONING GROUP

KAPPA KAPPA PSI NEW PETITIONING GROUP

TAU BETA SIGMA NEW PETITIONING GROUP

TAU BETA SIGMA NEW PETITIONING GROUP

The Marching Force Takes New York, Again!

by Myieka Gray Theta Phi - ΤΒΣ Hampton University

Being no strangers to New York, Hampton University’s Marching Force was given the opportunity to perform at the US Open Tennis Tournament in New York City, on August 31st. Previously, we performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 2021. We were originally invited to go to Macy’s in 2020, but it got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This US Open performance is the second time the band has traveled to New York City within only 2 years!

As we traveled down to New York, we stopped by many high schools: Western High School in Baltimore, MD, Charles Herbert Flower High School in Springdale, MD, Largo High School in Upper

Marlboro, MD, and Uniondale Senior High School in Uniondale, NY. While visiting the high schools, the band performed for the students then had time to meet the students as well. The students got to talk, mingle, and even play some of The Marching Force’s instruments. Seeing the students’ faces light up while the band is performing is enough to remind everyone around why they do what they do. It can be easy to get caught up in thoughts and feelings of exhaustion. But watching other people enjoy something you’ve been hearing and playing everyday can make you feel like it’s the first time performing the songs.

As we visited these schools, we had the chance to reconnect with one of our very own Theta Phi SisTaus, Indya Hairston (Spring ‘16). It was great to see her again, especially after hearing her speak at our Women in Music speaker series the semester prior. She graduated from Hampton and is now a music teacher at a high school in Maryland.

our outreach by traveling with the football team that changed conferences, going out the country to Rome, Italy for the New Year’s Parade, performing in NYC for both Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and the US Open, or just getting to perform at new places. We are so excited to see what can come next for the Hampton University Marching Force and the Theta Phi chapter of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Sorority Inc.!

Spring 2022 after their initiation into Tau Beta Sigma

Watching people enjoy the band for the first time takes you back to when you first enjoyed the band for the first time.

Service through Song:

Alpha Eta’s Weekly Singing at the University of Florida’s Historic Century Tower

by Alex Jenks, Southeast District Vice President of Programs Alpha Eta - ΚΚΨ University of Florida

The past three semesters have brought lots of exciting changes to the Brotherhood as COVID-19 guidelines endorse more social interaction in society. As chapters across the nation move back to in-person operations, there are a myriad of opportunities for our organizations to return to serving our bands and communities again. Alpha Eta was undoubtedly eager to get back to serving the University of Florida Bands and the Gainesville community. Starting in Fall 2021, our Music Director, Anna Held, (Spring 2021, 3FA) implemented a unique, accessible, and equitable way for our Brothers to serve the UF community through music. That service is through song, most notably, singing.

The return of in-person music service quickly reminded us of the logistical challenges which accompany having public performances and proper equipment distribution. In the fell clutch of circumstance, Alpha Eta turned to our most accessible instrument, the voice. Voice rehearsal is an integral part of many Alpha Eta chapter gatherings. We host a music rehearsal every chapter meeting as a part of the Music Director’s officer report and during each candidate lesson. These rehearsals reinforce the idealistic goals of our work and remind Brothers of the power which voice can spread music in the community. We have worked diligently to learn many beloved school songs and fraternity tunes, preparing us for such singing music service. To put these practices to use, Alpha Eta has started a recurring music service opportunity we affectionately call “Century Tower Singing.”

The University of Florida’s iconic Century Tower is a carillon tower in the center of campus. It was built in 1953 to commemorate the

University’s 100th anniversary and serves as a memorial to students and alumni who fought and died in WWI and WWII. This tower has deep importance to the UF and Gainesville community. Located just North of the music building, it serves as the perfect backdrop for Brothers to complete this musical service. Century Tower Singing currently occurs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during a class transition. Every semester, the Brotherhood votes on the desired time, enabling the greatest attendance. Recently, we have associated themes for the days including “Alma Mater Monday” and “We are the Boys Wednesday.” This service is voluntary, conducted by the chapter’s Music Director, and the ensembles that gather each session are unique. While the ensembles are ever changing, the songs we sing are consistent in our hearts and deeply cherished in our community.

The beauty of this service is seeing how a simple act like singing school songs brings immense joy to the community. Students, faculty, campus tourers, and Gainesville residents walking by extend smiles, Gator Chomps, applause, and some even stop to watch us perform. Brothers get to enhance musicianship, foster brotherhood, and serve the community through these intimate gatherings. Getting the Bros together to sing has brought Alpha Eta so much more success than we could’ve imagined. Our Brothers are excited to sing and spread music in the community. Century Tower Singing constantly reminds us of our core values and why we do what we do. It reminds us of the love we have for our school, our bands, and most importantly our Brothers!

I hope this story inspires chapters of KKY and TBS across the nation to adopt a similar music service opportunity, affording members the opportunity to experience similar joy and success as we’ve had.

AH Music Director (Anna Held) conducts a group of Brothers for Century Tower singing.

Brothers Pictured (Left to Right): Olivia Megrath, Shannon Clark, Derek Nirenberg, Seth Yeager, Nico Andrade, Alexander Jenks, Graham Beckstein, Trevor Richardson, Levi Stevenson, Zoe Fang, Sydney Kaufman, Lena Hammond, Meg Haley, Rebekah Mahusay.

Student

by By Justin T. Breeze, Vice-President & Dr. Darius M. Cureton, Sponsor Kappa Lambda - ΚΚΨ Winston-Salem State University

For many Black males growing up, one of the sources of “Black Boy Joy” was the barbershop. Not only is it a place to improve our looks and “get fresh” for various events that we attend, but they function as places for men to connect, reestablish community, speak freely and receive feedback about family, current events, inequalities, and the state of our culture. These are truly places to get more than just a haircut, they are places where access to capital, status, or wealth is not necessary or required to be valued among its patrons. The barbershop serves a pivotal role in the development of Black men.

The art of barbering has been around for decades, even centuries with some of the earliest historical contexts dating back to Egypt and Egyptian civilization (Chen, 2022). The subculture of barbering as we know it today started during Jim Crow - when those laws were still being heavily enforced in the U.S. (Chen, 2022). After the mid-1860s, barber shops offered financial solvency to many Black

of white male students but those of women of color” (Condition of Education, 2019). “Men of color represented 17.5% of all postsecondary enrollment and 43.9% of all male student enrollment in 2019” (American Council on Education, 2019). Along with these stats, in the 2019-2020 school year, there were approximately 3,900 female students and right at “1,244” male students at WSSU - with 44 of that number being in the band (College Factual, 2022). It was these statistics that created the call for a program such as this.

Since 2019, this program has evolved a bit to offer the aforementioned safe space as well as a form of professional development for band students (now to all gender identities) who, because of band practice, do not get the opportunity to participate in university-sponsored events & forums. Barber Shop TalKK is meant to engage the band community to speak, but also encourage others to listen to one another in an effort to work against negative perceptions within our community. In addition to these conversations benefiting our entire campus community, the program promotes our fraternal purpose #5 by “providing a pleasant and helpful social experience to all engaged in college band work…” and “to cooperate with..” others by partaking in college-related activities/discussions.

Many students in leadership used this platform to help identify many different perspectives on campus. Topics of conversations have varied from mental/social health, healthy eating habits, women in politics, leadership skills, and more! During the discussion, we always allow our guests to share personal experiences that relate to the subject at that time. Many of the students who attended said they appreciated the “raw and authentic” space to open up and relate to others.

Psi &

As previously mentioned, one of our main goals for this series is to get students to engage with each other in hopes of better understanding the various perspectives we all have to learn to live with. Whether it is in the workplace or a community setting. This is why we have many interactive sessions that allow our students to engage with others. For example, during our social health workshop, we played an icebreaker game called “Find Someone Who…”. This game challenged the students to find something in common with another person in the room that they didn’t know. By doing this, the participants not only have to share information about themselves but be able to actively listen to their partner as well. By the end of our social health/skills workshop, not only did students leave knowing more people through interpersonal networking with peers but also left with a clear and effective elevator pitch to use when needing to make a

Many students have stated they love the fact that they can use these lessons from our TalKKs in their everyday life moving forward. ‘This makes me feel like we are making changes in students' lives around campus one talk at a time!’ (Breeze)

The Black barbershop was one of the spheres of influence that built the culture we know and identify with now. It has proven to strengthen communities and improve the mental, social, and emotional condition of people who have long been (and still feel) oppressed (Dawson, 2020). “Barbershop talk is unfiltered and, alas, often fueled by barbershop logic. And barbershop logic is…polarizing enough to reel you in” (Kimble, 2020). The barbershop is more than a place to get a “fly cut”, it is a place that positively affects the identities and lived experiences of all the members of its community. The program that our chapter has started at WSSU hopes to do the exact same thing for the members of the Ram community.

Fall 2022 in Houston with the GHAA

KKΨ & ΤΒΣ Greater Houston Alumni Association

by Ron Adolph, KKPsi (Co-Chair) Millennia Ridout, TBS (Co-Chair)

The Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma Greater Houston Alumni Association (GHAA) resumed its work of “Alumni continuing service towards building greater bands through community service and networking”.

GHAA’s fall season began with a member gathering during the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands in Houston, Texas on Saturday, August 27, 2022. The member gathering took place at the Elite Lounge.

We continued our bi-monthly meetings on the first and third Thursdays via ZOOM. As we transition into future in-person meetings, the membership had a GHAA social on September 30, 2022, at Sambuca-Houston, a dinner and live music restaurant.

GHAA sponsored a water drive for area band programs. This years’ recipients were Aldine HS Mustang Marching Band, the C.E. King HS Panther Marching Band, Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band, and the University of Houston Cougar Marching Band. The Band Director and their students were very grateful.

GHAA continued our community service projects of the Thanksgiving Food Drive and the Adopt-a-Family Holiday event. This year GHAA partnered with St. James Episcopal Church, Houston for a Thanksgiving Food drive on November 10th, 2022. Our members donated 15 food boxes – which included all the fixings for

a thanksgiving meal (minus the Turkey) and stood alongside other community partners of St. James, Houston to distribute 300 boxes to families as they drove and walked by the church parking lot.

For the GHAA Adopt-A-Family event, we have partnered with Houston Child Protective Services and adopted a family of seven. Our members are purchasing and donating clothes, toys, gift cards, and miscellaneous items for this family to have a wonderful holiday experience. GHAA will gather on December 10, 2022, for our annual Holiday Social where members will bring our Adopt-a-Family gifts and celebrate all our work and accomplishments for 2022.

For more information or to join GHAA, email: kkytbs.greaterhoustonalumni@gmail.com.

Time to Lace ‘em Up for Music Education

Register now for the 2023 For Greater Bands 5K!

By Jessica Smith, Programs Director, Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association

Organized by the TBSAA Special Projects Committee under the leadership of Tamara Henry, the first For Greater Bands 5k was held on May 3, 2015 at the Symphony Woods/Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The event brought together several dozen people to raise money for music education. Finding it difficult to determine a physical location, the first virtual race was held on October 15, 2016. Runners and walkers from across the country helped raise $3,000 for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, sharing their involvement over social media to raise awareness. Subsequent virtual races were held November 4, 2017 and November 10, 2018 raising funds that were donated to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

Upon a request from the TBSAA membership the virtual race was moved to the spring in the hopes of slightly warmer weather across the country. The 2020 virtual race was held on April 25th with over 80 participants raising $2,500 donated to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Since COVID-19 protocols suggested social distancing and exercising outside while some parts of the country were still under lockdown this event became a great success. We don’t know if you participated because raising money for music education is a high priority, or to get out of the house and away from watching COVID reports on the news, but we thank you for your participation and support! The 2021 race was held on May 1st with 80 participants and $2,000 donated to MHOF.

The For Greater Bands 5K has become one of the hallmark programs of the Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association. Through this program we are able to raise funds for music education programs across the country. We encourage you to visit www.mhopus.org to learn about how they use the money to continue the future of music in our schools. TBSAA is celebrating 15 years as an organization and we

look forward to more philanthropy opportunities in the future. Join us for this year’s event on May 13, 2023.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/2023-4Gr8rBands5k to register or make a donation. Contact Jessica Smith, TBSAA Programs Director, at tbsaa-programs@tbsigma.org with any questions or for assistance with organizing your own local event.

Lets Go Wildcats! Marching In Harmony

by Gia Kirk Theta Alpha - TBΣ Bethune-Cookman University

Greetings and Salutations from the Theta Alpha chapter at the illustrious Fayetteville State University. Our chapter has participated in a handful of fundraisers and service projects this past semester. There were four successful projects that were very successful from this semester. Those projects were Splash a Turtle, The MBX Holiday Social, the MBX Skate night, and lastly Service to the high school bands. These events have allowed our chapter and members of the band to really get to know each other and make an impact to those around us in and within the community. These services allow us to network while providing a meaningful experience for the band.

First, I would like to start with the Splash a Turtle fundraiser. With this event members of the Marching Bronco Express had the opportunity to splash buckets of water on a Chapter member of their choice. This event created so much joy and laughter to so many to provide a fun and engaging atmosphere after a successful preseason drill.

The next event was the MBX Skate night which brought about the friendly competition of those who are great skaters and even those who were learning the basics. There was no lack of laughter and cheer as we all indulged in the night of good fun. We had people show off their skating skills by skating backwards, dancing and skating, creating trains and even teaching some of us how to become a little more intermediate. We did have a few falls here and there, but at the end of the night everyone had a great time laughing and enjoying a nice family outing.

Theta Alpha and Theta Tau assisting at the Cumberland County Marching Band Showcase.

Left to Right: Soror Shanice Taylor, Soror Jimya Dancy, Soror Yasmeen Oliver and Bro. Shawn McNeill

One of our service projects that we have done as a chapter when being rechartered is our MBX Holiday Social. This event has been such a success that we made it an annual event. This allows us to be able to provide an environment filled with love, and holiday cheer before winter break which is an honor. The members of the band get to socialize in a common area and enjoy music, food, and games. We also give out silly superlatives to keep the atmosphere nice and light.

Finally, a project that we do constantly is assisting and recruiting at the local high school bands. We have been aided multiple time this semester and hope to continue to be of assists when needed. Our most recent was being able to help E.E. Smith Magnificent Marching Machine alongside our brothers from the Theta Tau chapter with concessions as they hosted the Cumberland County Marching Band Showcase. This semester has been an experience and we can’t wait to see what else is in store on our chapter journey!

Members of the Marching Bronco Express having a great night during the MBX Skate Night.

Theta Alpha and Theta Tau with a little holiday cheer at the MBX Holiday Social! Left to Right: Bro. Antini Richardson, Soror Sarah Burden, Soror Adrianna Tellez and Soror Jaliyah Godfrey.

Soror Aaliyah Williams assisting with recruitment at the Cumberland County Marching Band Showcase.

The ladies of Theta Alpha after the Splash a Turtle event. Left to right: Sorors T’Niya Williams, Aaliyah Williams, Adrianna Tellez, De’ Ja Barkley, Sarah Burden, Jaliyah Godfrey, Yasmeen Oliver, Jimya Dancy and Shanice Taylor.

The lovely ladies of Theta Rho chapter of Tau Beta Sigma pose together before rehearsal for the National Battle of the Bands!

My experience at an HBCU

By Jesse Jackson

SED President, Iota Zeta Chapter - KKΨ

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

For the past 3 years I’ve had the privilege of attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, the largest Historically Black University in the country. NC A&T is home to over 13,000 students and has the highest graduation rate of black engineers and agricultural students than any other school in the nation. It is also home to the award winning university marching band, the “Blue and Gold Marching Machine.” The band has an average of about 200 members which includes wind players, percussion, and an auxiliary group. The band program started in 1918 as a 50 piece ensemble and would grow to the over 250 piece band it is today. The BGMM is ran by director of bands Dr. Kenneth G. Ruff, and assistant directors Thomas Warner, Lamon Lawhorn, and Aaron Campbell.

I joined the band program on July 27th, 2019, which was the first day of band camp for the 2019-2020 marching season. Right away I was greeted with welcomes and support from my fellow freshmen peers as well as the veteran marchers of the band. This didn’t last long though as throughout band camp I had to deal with intense morning workouts to get in shape for the year, long hours of marching and learning music, and lots of rules I had to follow as a first year marcher. Once the school year actually started, I began to get a hang of things as my body adjusted to the rigorous practice schedule; practice everyday, 4 or 5 o’clock PM until about 10 P.M. This began to be a lot for me as I also had to wake up every morning for my 8 AM class and find time to do my school work. I would often show signs of weakness in front of my freshmen peers and the “old

heads” but they always gave me good advice on how to carry on through the tough times. Every day I was reminded why I joined the band program and I still take the lessons I learned back then, today.

Unfortunately our time in the program would be cut short as the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread all over the world and everyone at A&T was forced to move out and stay at home for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t too fun not being able to play my saxophone in the band for such a long time but eventually we would return in the fall of 2020. The band spent the fall semester creating a virtual “halftime show” since the football season would not be occurring. In the spring, I was lucky enough to have been chosen for the Kappa Kappa Psi virtual intake process for the Iota Zeta Chapter. Through this time I was able to learn so much not only from the members that came before me but from my fellow intake brothers as well. Being a white person joining a black chapter seemed strange at first as I did not think they would accept me like their own, but I was very wrong. Nobody cared that I looked different or came from a different background than they did. I was accepted into the fraternity and have managed to build a great relationship with every brother that I encounter.

Since joining the Iota Zeta chapter, I started to gain a lot of recognition on campus, especially with my name being very recognizable. People would ask me all sorts of questions, mainly why I came to A&T or if I liked it there. I’m very fortunate to have a good reputation on campus and people seem to recognize the

The Mighty Iota Zeta Chapter at the 2022 Southeast District Convention in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

service I do for the community. As I’m now halfway through my senior year, I often reflect on my time at North Carolina A&T. I’ve gotten to meet a ton of amazing and wonderful people, be exposed to all sorts of new music and artists that I never thought I’d hear, learn about people and their upbringings and why things are the way they are today, but most importantly; I’ve gotten the opportunity to serve. I would’ve only accomplished the things I have, if it wasn’t for my willingness to serve and learn, and try to help people as much as I can. I appreciate everything North Carolina A&T State University, Kappa Kappa Psi, and the Blue and Gold Marching Machine have done for me, and hopefully someday I can return the favor. Aggie Pride!

(above) Brothers Jordan Halliday (Spr. 18), Jesse Jackson (Spr. 21), and Brandon Smith (Spr. 21) receiving the Williams A Scroggs Founders Trophy at the 2021 National Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (right) Jesse marching during pregame NCAT vs. Edward Waters College.

Spring 2021 initiates of the Iota Zeta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and Theta Zeta Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma

America’s Band Strikes Again

The Incomparable Marching “100” has done it once more.

By Lawrence Goss Delta Iota - KKΨ Florida A&M University

When looking at the past 76 years, the success of the band is second to none. It is no coincidence that FAMU is home to the ONLY HBCU band that is a Sudler Trophy recipient. From multiple Presidential Inaugurations, Super Bowl performances, NBA All-Star Performances, the list can go on and on. This time around is no different. Over the summer, the band got a call and was invited to travel to Paris, for the second time in the history of the Marching “100”.

The band was enjoying their summer break and preparing for a great summer band camp and season when they got a call from Louis Vuitton, who extended the offer. Head Band Director Dr. Shelby Chipman broke the news to the band while announcing their newly appointed leaders for the upcoming Fall 2022 marching band season. This time it wasn’t an invitation to perform in France’s

Bastille Day celebration, but rather an invitation to perform at the Louis Vuitton men’s fashion show. The Marching “100” took 35 students and 10 members of band staff on the once in a lifetime trip. The trip was all paid for by Louis Vuitton. The band got to spend 5 days overseas, where they not only got to perform but got to visit worldwide landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the world famous, Louvre Museum.

The band got to perform in front of many well-known celebrities such as, Naomi Campbell, Russell Westbrook, and even FAMU alum/Fear of God streetwear creator Jerry Lorenzo. But the biggest celebrity during the event was none other than Grammy-winning artist, Kendrick Lamar. Not only was Lamar there but the Marching “100” got the honor to perform with him, while he was performing songs from his most

recent album, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Though Kendrick was a highlight on the runway, the “100” still brought some of their school spirit songs to the runway. They played “Rattler to the Bone” and their most famous rendition of “S.O.S.”

Though the Incomparable Marching “100” is used to big-time performances, the students know that going to Paris again since the band first went in 1989 is nothing to forget about. Head Drum Major and Delta Iota Bro. Jadon Roberts said, “This is a once in a lifetime experience and I was glad to be able to be a part of something so grand that will be remembered in history forever.” Sousaphone player Dean Verret said, “Going to Paris was so much fun, and I made memories with the band that I will never forget.

Members of the Marching “100” in Paris.

Transferring Chapters A frightening journey made easier through brotherhood

By Savanna Perry Alpha Sigma & Gamma Nu - KKΨ Florida A&M University

When I was first initiated as a brother of the Alpha Sigma chapter back in Fall 2018, grad school wasn’t even a thought on my mind, let alone going to a completely new school and chapter. Now sitting in the thick of it, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way. When I decided to go to grad school for my Master’s in Higher Education, one of the most important things to me was that I could continue playing in ensembles and being an active brother of this fraternity. I knew I wasn’t ready to give up Kappa Kappa Psi. This brotherhood got me through some of the toughest times and was there for me in the happiest moments of my life. Many were ready to move on, but I was not. Thankfully, Florida State University was able to offer me all of those things, and thus began my second journey as a brother in the Gamma Nu chapter.

Months go by over the end of my senior year and into the summer of me lurking in the chapter slack, liking messages here and there, but staying silent besides my first introductory message. I remember finally

moving to Tallahassee in July and brother’s constantly sending messages about pool hangouts or cook-outs and wanting to go but being so terrified to step out. I had only met one brother of my new chapter at the Southeast District Convention last year as I advised the committee she was chair of and the thought of hanging out with all of these new people scared me. So I stayed home, alone, for the first couple of months living here.

Finally, it comes time for our first committee and chapter meetings. I got to the college of music super early and just sat in my car freaking out. I had no idea why I was so nervous, they were all brothers after all, but I was shaking. Just a couple of minutes before the meeting starts, I head over. My first few times with the brotherhood were spent talking to pretty much everyone, trying to remember 30+ names, and sharing my background story with psi over and over again. I was still a little nervous, but after that I knew I would be okay. The biggest help with my transition was thanks to my new big and family. They helped me figure out how Gamma Nu worked (even though we

have the same foundations, Alpha Sigma and Gamma Nu run very differently) and helped me build a connection with the brotherhood.

Looking back at this time now feels crazy to me. Just a few months ago I was terrified to even talk to any of these people. Now, I can’t imagine my life without them. We have inside jokes (I’m a national spy), we tease each other, we’ve gone on road trips to visit my old chapter, stayed up way too late just talking about the most random things, gone camping, and so much more. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t interact with one of my new brothers. I genuinely don’t know if I would make it through grad school if it wasn’t for my brother’s here.

If anyone reading this is considering going to grad school and debating whether to stay active, I encourage you to do so. I have learned so much about myself and this fraternity through my new chapter and have been able to teach them with my knowledge from Alpha Sigma. This was by far one of the scariest, but most rewarding

Recruitment Week photo after chapter! Top to bottom left to right: Brady McMeans, Sammy Waganer, Jacob Rivera, Cale Richardson, Sarah Hernandez, Sam Hoehn, Sierra Levine, Elizabeth Stone, Brooklynn Briles, Hunter Olden, Emily Rose Williams, Sarah Narum, J Badillo, Sam Creighton, Helena Walker, Jack Swearingen, Angela Paganoni

Eta Sigma Takes on the Big Apple!

By Sooin Cho

Eta Sigma - TBΣ Towson University

On November 11, 2022, the Towson University Marching Band marched down the streets of

the trips, not only did it mean service to help alongside the band, but it was also a trip where we could bond and share our love for music all together.

The day started with a stroll in Central Park, one where the beautiful landscape of New York City can be taken in and bits of history can be learned. Upon arrival, we made a coffee stop and took a stroll into the park, where we admired the fallen leaves, the smell of fresh air, and the sounds of the city. From Strawberry Fields, where John Lennon’s memorial is located, to the bridge where Home Alone was filmed, there was just so much to explore! Of course, we couldn’t forget to complete our service to help serve lunch after a long stroll in the park. A nice sandwich to eat while sitting on a bench in Central Park in NYC definitely was a memorable experience.

As our time to perform drew near, the excitement and thrill among the band members was growing. Slowly changing into our classic uniform and preparing ourselves for the one and only parade ahead, it was hard to predict what was to come. Certainly not the rain. If anything, we made sure to prepare ourselves to not let anything rain on our parade. As the sprinkling rain started to let thick droplets fall onto the streets, we pulled out our emergency ponchos to pull

over our slightly drenched uniforms. With the waiting time growing longer, our staff escorted us under a roof in front of the building, where other bands and participants complimented us and showed us their love. Perhaps this was the start of our Tiger spirit warming us up on the inside.

Especially with the rain and various factors affecting the start of the parade, the waiting time lengthened. However, being a band of passionate musicians, we were not going to stand there and wait any longer. Soon enough, the proud and clear sound of the band was resonating into the streets, where heads of spectators turned to look at us. Slowly, but surely, our Tiger spirit was sneaking its way out, yearning for the band to show why we were “World Famous”. From excerpts of our battery’s warm-up sequence to the winds’ playing parts of our season’s show, “Timeless”, our colors were gleaming with pride. After playing and waiting some more, it was finally time for our grand performance in the parade.

As we made a turn into the street of the parade’s start, it almost felt like we were at the top of the rollercoaster awaiting the big drop. Soon, members of our band, including our Sisters, got into the zone and performed our military medley, where wind members played their instruments and color guard members spun their flags. We were greeted by warm smiles of veterans, spectators, some of which included our Alumni and supporters from Towson University. Occasionally gusts of wind and rain did greet us, and we greeted back with our playing and smiles.

“Band, halt!” Our band director commanded. We all came to a halt and were told to look and face our left. In front of us stood the Empire State Building. We all marveled at the tall, powerful presence of the building. Something about standing together in front of the building felt unique, but special. Perhaps it was the idea of being in the midst of a moment together and supporting each other as we fulfilled our moment. After our sweet break to admire the historic building, we were soon back on our path. However, the aura was different. Everywhere, all the band members were gleaming with pride and living up to the “World Famous'' title. The gold buttons and black sequins shined brightly more than ever before, and the charisma sparked from our determined eyes as we marched on.

They always say that the most significant and happiest moments fly, which was the case for our performance. After reaching three–quarters into the season, we had accomplished something that seemed so unreal. As part of the TUMB, we always strive to achieve greatness, as well as an accomplishment that would leave a unique mark in our legacy. After fighting through a day of obstacles and unideal challenges, we had successfully and proudly marched together on the streets of New York.

Especially as Sisters of the Eta Sigma chapter, we couldn’t have been more proud to support and be a part of such a unique,

yet powerful ensemble. More than any other event, we felt more united and more strongly bonded. For some, it was their first time in the Big Apple, while for some, it was their second to last performance with the ensemble. Even as there were a variety of emotions ranging, from ecstatic to bittersweet, our love for music and performing made our bonds even stronger than before. Aside from the service to be completed and the long journey we still had ahead, performing at the Veteran’s Day Parade marked a meaningful milestone for us.

Rebuilding Brotherhood

By Helena Walker Historian, Delta Chapter - KKΨ University of Oklahoma

Hello from the Delta chapter at the University of Oklahoma! Like everywhere else, COVID-19 was a devastating blow to the brothers of the Delta chapter. The phrase “these are unprecedented times” got ironically repetitive. Like many chapters, the Delta chapter hit a bit of a lull during the 2020-21 school year. Everyone struggled from virtual fatigue, and to many brothers, virtual chapters during this time felt like a mere impression of what it was before. Some experiences like the degrees were explained virtually and never experienced by member candidates that year. Service opportunities were limited and requirements all around were lessened to accommodate the strain of a global pandemic (rightfully so). At the Delta chapter, we experienced a lull in brotherhood. The incoming class of that year especially had some difficulty connecting, initially.

But the pandemic wouldn’t last forever. We were faced with questions moving forward: How do we get back in the swing? How do we incorporate members who had never experienced KKY before the pandemic? How do we maintain, excel at, and improve traditions that have taken a two-year hiatus? How do we gain the connection and brotherhood that we all sorely missed during the 2020-21 school year?

The chapter agreed that a focus on the brotherhood pillar would help all aspects the chapter wanted to improve. Vice President of Service Brooklynn Briles draws a strong connection between brotherhood and service, “brotherhood relationships are the building blocks for having an organized and loving chapter. When you take those relationships and you pair them with service opportunities to better our experiences then the outcome is pure joy from creating lifelong memories with your brothers.” Many brothers were drawn to KKY for its welcoming community. Community is a fundamental human need! The great thing about KKY is it combines our need for community with action-oriented ideals like service and musicianship that will increase our capacity as brothers and as people. If the pandemic showed us anything, it is that people don’t like to be alone. Brooklynn closed her comments on this question by drawing a parallel to that idea. “Brothers don’t enjoy working in isolation, so we need to work together. It is the people in our chapter that push us to reach our goals.”

Improving brotherhood within the chapter naturally has consequences on the community around us and on the recruitment process, both for the better. Brooklynn reflects on the ways that the

chapter has changed throughout the years: “It was nerve-wracking to think about how I would fit in with the different cliques and subgroups in our chapter. However, over the years I feel as though I and many other brothers have consistently tried to make newly inducted classes feel welcomed in such a loving chaotic environment by providing a special place in all of our hearts for every brother.” The key to brotherhood is empathy. It is essential that brothers meet brothers where they are at. As Brooklynn shares, applying empathy at the chapter level has changed her experience and opened up the chapter to recruiting diverse quality membership candidates.

The key to recruitment is a chapter that is bought into the values of KKY. Jack has noticed that after the pandemic, members are eager to reconnect with one another and excited to be at chapter in person again. It is simply a matter of involving members in the recruitment process that makes the difference. This recruitment season (2022-23), Vice President of Membership J Badillo (yes, that is his full first name) implemented chapter involvement in the recruitment process and in roundtable. The executive committee made a point of tying the eligibility of our potential candidates very closely to the values of our organization, which led to a greater emphasis and regard towards these values by active brothers. With an outlet for their energy, chapter members were great advocates and ambassadors for the Delta chapter. Jack agreed with this sentiment, stating that he believes a key aspect of the process is, “encouraging fellow members to help recruit… people. [You] can’t do it on your own.” J, Jack, and the rest of the executive committee have worked hard to emphasize effective

Recruitment Week photo after chapter! Top to bottom left to right: Brady McMeans, Sammy Waganer, Jacob Rivera, Cale Richardson, Sarah Hernandez, Sam Hoehn, Sierra Levine, Elizabeth Stone, Brooklynn Briles, Hunter Olden, Emily Rose Williams, Sarah Narum, J Badillo, Sam Creighton, Helena Walker, Jack Swearingen, Angela Paganoni

communication, and this emphasis has led to greater success in the realm of recruitment. The brothers want to help, so providing them with outlets to do so results in an enriched recruitment process. By improving our brotherhood, the Delta chapter was able to extend that brotherhood to the community and was then able to draw in a quality class of new membership candidates.

Jack also wanted to emphasize the importance of recruiting in a diverse manner. It is critical that chapters expand their horizons and actively seek to recruit brothers unlike themselves. Jack wanted to ensure “we are not recruiting the same type of person over and over. Each recruitment season, [we need to] focus on diversity within the chapter and the new membership class.” When brothers are openminded during recruitment, it allows the chapter to recruit members with untapped potential—potential that may not have initially been interpreted as valuable, but after exposure, proved to be so.

Thanks to our focus on recruitment, we have sixty-eight active brothers and thirty-nine membership candidates. The size of our chapter has led to a lot of unique factors. Discussions can be long sometimes, but having a diverse scope of opinions in the room is valuable in a manner that outweighs the alternative. That said, we are not recruiting for numbers or a high score. It is true that managing many brothers comes with unique challenges, but

as president Jack Swearingen puts forward, we are looking for candidates that exhibit the pillars of Kappa Kappa Psi. We look for quality candidates, and quality has no specific quantity attached. Jack has expressed that he never wants to cap membership potential because too many quality candidates should not be the only thing holding a quality candidate back.

Brotherhood is a tricky pillar to address because the path to improvement is different for every chapter, but all three members of the executive committee that we interviewed had some advice that has helped our chapter. J put forward that “commitment trickles down.” It is imperative that committed brothers and executive team members set the tone for the chapter. Members must step up and embody the traits they want the chapter to gain. Jack suggested that one way to promote brotherhood was to allow space for fun. Even as president, he proposes that it is important to balance business with pure fun brotherhood. Brooklynn reminded us that it was not a perfectly smooth road to work on brotherhood. “I believe that patience is a fundamental virtue for cultivating growth within your brotherhood relationships. Patience often requires that we persist despite failure.” It took a lot of committed consistent effort and sometimes, failure in that aspect to get where we are today. It was sometimes a tedious process, but it was worth it.

Greek Life Welcome Collaborating With Other Music Organizations

By Kiersten Benson

Zeta Nu - TBΣ University of Northern Iowa

At the beginning of the fall semester, the members of the Zeta Nu chapter of Tau Beta Sigma collaborated with the other music fraternities and sororities on campus, Kappa Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, to welcome students on campus. The event was held in Russell Hall, where many music classes and events take place. Each organization held different events and games in each room, such as Super Smash Bros., Jackbox, and Just Dance. Any new students on campus who were interested in these organizations could travel to each room and participate in all of the activities, while getting to learn more about what each organization does!

It was an excellent turnout, with lots of delicious food and socializing. This event was a great way to get together with other music organizations on campus as well as getting to know one’s fellow music students. It created a sense of bonding with other organizations who had similar purposes and values, as well as strengthening the relationships with our own sisters. Overall, we were extremely satisfied with how the event turned out, and we will surely look forward to holding it in the years to come!

Front: Lizzy Richardson, Lindsay Davison

Back: Bri Berthiaume, Michala Miller, Akela Salter, Logan Green

Pie’d by the Illini

by Laurel Hart, Scott Jung, and Matt Kelley Nu Xi- ΚΚΨ

University of Illinois

The University of Illinois collegiate band program is one of the oldest in the nation, formally established in 1905, with roots decades earlier. For more than a century, Illinois Bands have cultivated a rich culture of musicianship, history, and excellence. The Nu Xi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, in comparison, is quite young. Established in 2016, the chapter had modest early growth, culminating in a 2019 fundraiser dubbed “Pie’d of the Illini,” a play on one of the staple pieces of the Marching Illini “Three-In-One”. Our young chapter had only a handful of years before the world was wracked by a pandemic, dampening our growth, togetherness, and outreach capabilities behind isolated computer screens.

Despite this new “normal,” Nu Xi’s brotherhood persisted. With meetings moved from Harding Band Building to Zoom rooms, business and camaraderie were conducted as normally as possible. The endurance paid off, welcoming the two largest classes of brothers in our history in spring of 2021 and 2022. As togetherness returned to normalcy safely, so too did opportunities to serve and fundraise, allowing at last for the return of “Pie’d” in October of this year.

The event took place on the lawn of the Harding Band Building in Champaign. Friends, family or passers by had the opportunity to pay for a plate full of whipped or shaving cream to throw into any of our Brothers’ faces! A total of 25 Brothers were on the hot seat over the duration of the event. To close the festivities, tickets were sold to raffle the opportunity to ‘pie’ Section Leaders of the Marching Illini, Graduate Staff and even our Chapter Sponsor - and director of The Marching Illini - Professor Barry Houser.

“Pie’d” was coordinated primarily by Nu Xi’s Finance Committee which consists of a sixth of our active membership. Outside of that committee, which handled payments, timing and many logistical items (including acquiring five pairs of lab goggles), we had much help from other facets of our chapter with pulling this together. One example of this would include our Tech committee, who

In the chaos caused by COVID, records of the previous "Pie'd" event were lost. This meant that going into the fundraiser, our chapter did not have a starting point to build upon. It was a learning experience for everyone. We had to figure out how many supplies to buy, how much to charge for a ticket to ‘pie’ someone, and even how much this event would cost. To let future "Pie'd" fundraisers go more smoothly, we made a special effort to record every step of the process in a way that future classes could easily reference.

Another consequence of not having a basis for the event was that a lot of pieces came together at the last minute. This added a lot of unnecessary stress during the week leading up to "Pie'd". One of our Brothers having to run around buying whipped cream the day of the event is something we all look back and laugh at, but it is not something we want to repeat next year. The earlier things are acted upon after planning them, the better.

The big surprise of this event was that it turned out to be massive for recruitment. Because our chapter is still fairly new, we have not yet fully integrated into the band program at the University of Illinois. Due to the involvement of many Marching Illini staff and section leaders, many people who otherwise might not have been interested in KKY showed up to the event. "Pie'd" was a great opportunity to show our peers what KKY is, and how fun it can be. People want to be a part of an organization that does big, fun events like "Pie'd".

It took everyone in the Nu Xi chapter to make "Pie'd'' of the Illini come together. Whether it was planning the details of the event, or volunteering to get pied in the face (some of us over 10 times), everyone did their part. Seeing this event come to life after all the hard work we put into it was truly gratifying, and was a great demonstration of what brotherhood can accomplish. "Pie'd" was a big return for us, and we are certain that it portends bigger and better events in the years to come.

Top: Brothers of the Nu Xi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and Pie’d of the Illini attendees.

Right: The aftermath of the main event. Prof. Barry L. Hoser, Director of the Marching Illini and sponsor of the Nu Xi chapter, is jubilant after taking several pies in the face in the name of brotherhood.

Below: Left to right, Brothers Scott Jung and Kathryn Currey, and Marching Illini trombones section leader Ben Kossack.

Seeking Success through Passion

Brothers set their sights to be North East District’s Top Chapter

By Michael Stinson Jr., Secretary

Iota Xi - KKΨ Norfolk State University

“Winner.” It’s an interesting term, isn’t it?

In life, a lot of times, there is an astounding presence around what it means to be victorious. Everyone eventually wants to be the winner of something, but not everyone is willing to put in the work behind actually being a winner. As a new member of the Iota Xi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Norfolk State University, the goal to reach new heights as a collective has never been more present. Winning the top chapter of the Northeast District taught me a lot about what it means to achieve, or to win. Music, Service, Leadership and Brotherhood, - are four things that contribute to the greatness that the brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi uphold. The glory doesn’t start once you’ve attained the prize, the glory begins when those who have goals come together to start something new, a journey to better days.

As members of the Spartan “Legion”, there is a lot that goes into being a normal member of

the band program. One of those things is musicality, and in this band it goes a long way. Within the band program, most of the brothers contribute greatly as we are all capable and dedicated to our crafts, so much so that a lot of the brothers in the chapter are section leaders. Even those that are not, still add on to the success of this band program’s sound, look, and overall feeling when around the band members. A good band can not and will not survive without adequate musicality, and we take that seriously here at Norfolk State.

In between balancing what it means to uphold musicality, we still do what we signed up for - service. Service is an interesting notion in this fraternity because we are a fraternity whose purpose is to serve the band the best way possible. We don't take a halt at Music. As bandsmen a part of this fraternity in Iota Xi, this starts with simple things like cleaning the band room, handing out water to the band, and helping out the band directors, to things like having

events where students can connect, making people feel welcomed around us, to becoming mentors to those within the band.

Speaking in terms of brotherhood, We have bled this pillar during our process to be the top chapter of the Northeast District. During the fall season of 2020, it was an awkward time throughout the band. Coming off of quarantine, the marching band (being that mass organization that it is) went through trials and tribulations. During this time, Like every group, there were natural times where there was discourse between the brothers of the chapter. In order to thrive and reach our goals, we rose above the circumstances that the band community was going through. Overall, we can definitely say that we have achieved progression by upholding our organizations four pillars. As a unit, we were seeking something more, and it could absolutely be described in one word.

“For the Iota Xi Chapter it took heart and hard work to become the NED’s Top Chapter. I think all 18 of us collectively wanted to achieve this goal not only for the greater good of our fraternity, or our chapter but for all of the brothers that have come before us that paved the way. To become Top Chapter sometimes our ideas may have fell through but we always found another way to pick it back up and do more. It takes heart to be a busy student, a busy bandsman and to be busy every weekend with Events for our chapter, it takes passion. We collectively Strive for the Highest and put in our time and dedication to serve our band, campus and community in the best way that we could. It took early mornings some days and late nights on the other days but as a brotherhood we made the best out of every circumstance even when we faced obstacles. Becoming the Northeast Districts Top Chapter took Passion.” And that’s it, similar to what Brother Lashaun Ruffin said, the word is passion. We found what we needed through our passion and love for the band, driving us to success.

“In the summer of 2021 , I had the pleasure of attending our National Convention with 4 other chapter brothers of mine in Grand Rapids , Michigan. We had an amazing time , but one thing stuck out to the 5 of us as we reflected on our time at NATCON. We noticed that many chapters from all over the nation received awards and accolades that we could have obtained if we applied for them or even knew about them. More importantly , the Brothers of the Iota Zeta chapter at NCAT won the National Top Chapter Award , being the first HBCU chapter to win the award. My Brothers and I who attended were proud of their achievements , but something told us that we wanted that for ourselves too. That was the moment we decided we wanted to earn a national award, aiming for Top Chapter.

Our first chapter meeting when we returned to school , the brothers who attended NATCON made our own statements about it , but one thing we all said was ‘if they can do it, we can too!’. We continued our duties as a chapter as usual, but we started doing different things, accepting any opportunity we got. From mentoring at schools, to helping with rituals at other chapters, to our COVID-1919 Sanitation plan. We did new and unique things to set the standard

for our chapter to earn such an award. We also made sure to reach out to District Governors, Alumni Brothers, and other district officers to see what we as a chapter can do to make our chapter stand out. Earning Top Chapter in the Northeast District was a defining moment for myself as a member in the chapter , but even more of a moment for my chapter brothers. Top Chapter is something we aimed for , and eventually earned through hard-work and dedication.” Brother President Vinze Laurden states, expressing how we as brothers executed our drive for what we do and take it to another level. Overall, I believe that top chapter isn’t just a title. Everyone can be top chapter with the passion.

Kappa Kappa Psi Lifetime Donors

Kappa Kappa Psi would not be the fraternity it is today without the leadership, vision, and loyal support of our alumni and friends. Please accept our sincere thanks for your ongoing and loyal support. We want to make you aware that the donation lists you will see below are based on the last 15 years of computerized records. We value your contributions to the Fraternity and wish to have you recognized here accurately. If you have additions or corrections to this list, please contact Aaron Moore at moore@kkytbs.org.

Celebrating our 1946 Club and Century Club donors!

Being a monthly donor to the Tau Beta Sigma Trust Fund is one of the best ways to ensure the continued legacy and success of our organization.

The Century Club is aimed at helping individuals begin a monthly giving journey. With a $9 per month contribution, individuals will reach $100 total in contributions to Tau Beta Sigma within one calendar year.

Through the 1946 Club, individuals contribute $19.46 monthly to sustain their support of the mission and ideals of Tau Beta Sigma.

On November 29th, 2022 Tau Beta Sigma members, family, and friends celebrated #GivingTuesday, a global day of kindness and giving. Throughout the day alongside our giving efforts, we saw stories about the impact of Tau Beta Sigma on our band programs on our member’s lives, and to promote women in music.

We are incredibly grateful to the following donors and their dedication to Tau Beta Sigma. They have helped to create and continue to ensure the support our Women in Music Speaker Series, our Scholarships, the National Intercollegiate Band, and many of our long-term goals.

Jen DiBenedetto

Katie Dukes

Dr. Dawn Farmer

Daniel George

Greater Houston

Alumni Association

David & Karon

Hammond

Tamara L. Henry

Justina Iwegbu

Marco Krcatovich, II

Misty Lovejoy

Misty Lovejoy

Jonathan L. Markowski

Rosalyn McDonald

Christopher Miller

Devan Moore

Dr. Thea Murphy

Jean Newman

Lindsay Pfannenstiel

Theresa Powell

Mellinna P. Ridout

Vanessa Rogers

Ann Sheets

Kimbi Sigle

Kelly Sipko

Southwest District

Alumni Association

Thee 1976 Club

Kris Wright

thrives and continues to grow thanks to the loyalty and passion of all who have financially supported the organization. On behalf of the Tau

Sigma Board of

we wish to extend our sincerest gratitude to the following individuals for their total contributions across the years.

Tau Beta Sigma's New Vision Statement

From Jamboard(s) to Action: The Crafting of

By Erika Pope, Tau Beta Sigma National President

In 2010 the National Leadership Team for Tau Beta Sigma embarked on the journey of strategic planning for the next ten years of the organization and what came out of that planning was the Sorority’s first ever Vision Statement:

Tau Beta Sigma is a highly recognized and respected music organization that creates an equitable and inclusive environment for all musicians where they grow through leadership, musicianship, and service. A robust and engaged membership base provides the Sorority opportunities for musical pursuits and community involvement. Through the maintenance of our shared values, members feel empowered to continue their journey beyond their collegiate career in all areas musical, professional, and philanthropic. We are committed to fostering connections and creating a meaningful experience for our members, band directors, college campuses, and the band world.

That original statement is just four sentences, 92 words in length, and understandably ignored by the average Active Member of the Sorority when one actually thinks about what a vision statement is. According to lucidmeetings.com, “An organizational vision statement is an image of the future you want to create.

The vision is important because it:

• Communicates your big aspirations and long-term goals

• Rallies excitement

• Focuses energy

• Reinforces your brand

• Conveys the reason your organization exists

Our vision statement has helped shape the work of the organization over the past 11 years, but upon reaching the milestone of 75 years as a Sisterhood and working our way through a major global event, it was clear that the 2010 statement and strategic plan were due for major upgrades to prepare for the next phase of the Sorority.

In December 2021, as the ΤΒΣ National Leadership Team was gearing up to host our annual Winter Council Meetings in person for the first time since January 2020, we began our work by asking individual team members, steered by the leaders of each governing group (National Council, Board of Trustees, and TBSAA EC), to share their thoughts on where they would like to see the Sorority by the year 2031. As you can imagine, with so many diverse ideas being shared, the ideal situation would be to get everyone into a room at our National Headquarters Annex in Stillwater, Oklahoma during MLK Weekend 2022, have an abundance of snacks on the ready to refuel after lots of stimulating conversation, and have breakout groups of team members huddled together under large blank pieces of paper stuck to walls, ready to be filled with notes of collaboration and ideas…

Except…the Sorority, much like the rest of the world, was still working to navigate the rapid continued movement of both the original and subsequent variant of Covid-19. Our agenda was quite ambitious, however, the health and safety of our team members was at the forefront of our planning and it became evident that it would be safer to stay home and meet virtually for one more winter meeting. I share this because it could have been easy for us to throw in the towel and not engage in this work, but if we have learned nothing else from the past 3 years, it is that “pivoting” in a different direction is always an option and sometimes even necessary.

On January 15, 2022 our strategic plan pivot began, when the three groups came together over Zoom, laid out the ground rules for what we wanted to accomplish, traded out those large pieces of paper on walls, for Google Jamboards and Zoom breakout rooms and we began throwing our “spaghetti at the wall.” In our great organizational spaghetti toss, we asked each group to use the guiding phrases of:

We strive for…

We believe that…

We are committed to…

These guiding phrases helped to ensure that conversations were able to stay on track, while still giving participants the opportunity to allow their thoughts to wander in a constructive way to produce meaningful ideas that could be helpful in crafting the new Vision Statement. After lots of group brainstorming, sifting through all the many ideas for common themes, and having a great facilitator and sounding board in the person of Mr. Tim Greenwell (Past National President for Kappa Kappa Psi), just as our leadership did in 2010, we were able to cultivate and adopt a new Vision Statement during the summer of 2022:

The adoption of this new Vision Statement is just the beginning and will be the vehicle that drives us to set goals and markers for growth. Some of the goals that have already been established include creating more partnerships with other music organizations, setting intentional fundraising goals, ensuring that our DEIA efforts connect with our values, creating recognition opportunities for alumni members who are making societal impacts, and putting more emphasis on musicianship at the chapter level. While these goals are being formed by the National Leadership, it will truly be a collaborative effort across every level of the organization from Active to Life Member. I encourage each of you to take time as a chapter to review our new Vision Statement and begin to ideate how you all will be a part of helping to transform these visions into reality!

Tau Beta Sigma is a highly respected music organization that creates an equitable and inclusive environment where all band members grow through leadership, musicianship, and service. Through shared values across an engaged membership base, we are empowered to flourish beyond our collegiate careers in all areas musical, professional, and philanthropic. We are committed to fostering connections and creating a meaningful experience for our members, band directors, college communities, and the band world.

Embracing Challenges and Building Leaders in Fraternity

Greg Boike Chair, Alumni Association Board of Directors – KKΨ

In the spring of 2014, I celebrated my fifth and final year as an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi. As is a rite of passage for impending graduates, I hopped in my car and drove down the road to interview for my first professional job. It was an intense interview that lasted for nearly two hours, but only one question remains in my mind nine years later. Near the end of the interview, the big boss looked across the table and asked, “how did the band prepare you for this job?” I was an unprepared interviewee, but in the spirit of a saxophonist, I improvised through an answer about teamwork and the importance of listening to one another. Sometimes you have to play louder or softer depending on what others in the ensemble are doing. Even if you hit your dot perfectly on the field, you are the one who looks out of place if everyone else is aligned two steps off. Apparently my answer was good enough, and I’ve been working there ever since. What I did not recognize at the time, though, was that my answer was the real key to any future professional success.

Today, as a new generation enters the workforce, I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the other side of the table and hire some other band members and even a fraternity brother of mine. Band members (and especially brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi) can easily stand out in professional workplaces because of the work we have done, the challenges we’ve endured, and the leadership lessons we’ve learned. The reason for this is that soft skills now matter to employers more than ever before. The U.S. Department of Labor calls soft skills the “competitive edge” for young workers in the 21st century workplace. A 2021 op-ed in Forbes Magazine also stated that, “emotionally intelligent teams have a competitive advantage, and … empathy is one of the most important skills to hire for.” If I were to translate those business quotes into our fraternal language, I’d say that the workplace advice for brothers is to, “heed the tale.” With that in mind, it’s worth pausing to note that being a highlyfunctioning band member is challenging. Not everyone is willing to do what we do to make our performances meaningful. Being a Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi is inordinately difficult! There are social fraternities that are likewise charged with loving each other member of the order as a brother or sister, without reservation. There are campus nonprofits and service organizations that do good for their community. There are honor societies that expect members to uphold high standards of achievement in a given field of study. I do not know of another organization that requests or requires as much as we do (except of course for our Sisters in Tau Beta Sigma). And that is amazing! It’s why our organizations stand out as a “crown jewel” on many campuses.

As we build ourselves up as pillars of musicianship, leadership, and service, we find ourselves relying on a firm foundation of brotherhood. But as learning, growing, and changing people, we find conflict and strife in that foundation too. This conflict

is challenging, and the struggle is real; but if I could leave the next generation of brothers who prepare to graduate and enter the workforce with one central thesis, it would be the value of embracing those challenges and learning about yourself and others through conflict; for it is through these storms that leaders are built, although the road itself is often long and arduous.

I remember clearly walking around campus teary-eyed thirteen years ago when the chapter’s decision was made to remove my little brother from the membership education process… I remember late nights from twelve years ago writing letters by hand from a thousand miles away to my second little brother as she experienced the struggles of a new brother while the chapter tried to host a Southeast District Convention. I remember making tired and impassioned pleas for more brothers to attend our service projects and song rehearsals and give up some of the precious little free time we had. I also remember a lot of one-on-one discussions— oftentimes we were clearing up disagreements that we had within the circle of our chapter meetings that were sometimes viewed personally and as clashes of personality. I was by no means a perfect brother when I graduated… but as I wept for the last time in a chapter meeting, as we completed our chapter’s graduating senior ceremony and the remaining brothers sang the hymn to our graduates, I realized I had made a worthwhile journey.

This allows me to return to the central appeal of this article: embracing challenges and building leaders. The world of current college students and graduates is markedly different from the one I experienced a decade ago. In no way is this more obvious than by looking at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world went virtual in March 2020, the young minds coming of age in our high schools and colleges were robbed of precious opportunities to work through our interpersonal struggles with face-to-face conversation. We lost the settings by which our teamwork could be tested as we made or did something tangible. As some researchers will now say, COVID-19 stunted our social and emotional development. We now find ourselves at an inflection point—wanting to move forward while still needing to reCharge ourselves in mind, body, and spirit alike.

Again, however, I know of no group better suited to re-stimulate a generation’s emotional growth and leadership development than our college bands. I know of no organization better suited to grow the next great leaders of our communities than Kappa Kappa Psi. Why? Because we are already doing it, and we are willing to embrace challenges and conflict in a way to make us all stronger. Take it from an introverted only child who struggled with friendships all through high school. Even as I finished at the top of my class, that knowledge did very little to make me a leader or a capable coworker. That skill, my friends? It came from time with each of you.

What’s Next for Communication & Recognition?

The Crafting of Tau Beta Sigma's New Vision Statement

By Allison Leemann National Vice President for Communication & Recognition, TBΣ

At the beginning of this biennium, members of the National Leadership Team participated in a series of exercises to update the Tau Beta Sigma Vision Statement and establish our strategic plan for the next 10 years. These plans are the roadmap the Sorority will follow in an effort to support our Mission and Vision.

While the Sorority’s communication efforts evolve each year with new approaches to social media platforms, content styles, and more, through our strategic plan we can also look forward to an expansion of our partners and efforts to highlight the great work of Tau Beta Sigma in the following areas:

Partner with professional music and non-profit organizations for events, recognition efforts, and resource sharing. In an effort to bring the most resources and connections possible to our programs and members, Tau Beta Sigma will partner with similarly Mission-driven organizations in the support of music, band programs, and women in music. These groups may focus in areas such as, but not limited to: marching ensemble and musician wellness, women’s empowerment, diversity and equity, and educator associations. Partnership can benefit our National Programs by building “on the ground” connections between organizations and Chapters as well as sharing resources and hosting events at the District and National levels.

Be recognized for programs and operations in professional and musical organizations.

This year, Tau Beta Sigma, submitted for several awards from the Professional Fraternity Association. We were selected for the Career Achievement Award on behalf of Mr. Melvin Miles, retired Director of Bands for Morgan State University and Past National President for Kappa Kappa Psi, and for the Community Service Award on behalf of the Alpha Omega Chapter at Florida State University. It was exciting to have our national leaders and Active members celebrated in our larger fraternal community. This spirit of Achievement encourages greater participation and innovation in our service to our band programs and communities.

For the coming decade, Tau Beta Sigma will seek opportunities to celebrate the achievements of our programs and our members. This requires awareness of the work taking place by members at the Chapter and District level, researching opportunities for recognition with partner and community organizations, and dedicating resources to prepare application materials.

Celebrate Tau Beta Sigma member's achievements and accomplishments as professionals and women in music. As our social media presence has grown over the past several biennia, we’ve increased our recognition of Women in Music throughout the year, particularly of historic figures and present-day newsmakers. Through partnership with the Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association the Sorority can additionally highlight our members throughout their Active and Alumni lives to show the impact of Tau Beta Sigma on members in their personal, professional, and musical work. This strengthened partnership will give equal weight and representation of Tau Beta Sigma members as well as other historic and contemporary women in music.

As we take strides toward achieving our strategic plan and reaching our Vision for the coming decade, Tau Beta Sigma will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our members and how we stand out in the music, non-profit, and higher education communities. It is a very exciting time to work “For Greater Bands!”

A Few Questions for

the National Intercollegiate Band’s Conductor and Commissioned Composer

Tony Falcone National Vice President for Professional Relations – KKΨ

I recently had a chance to catch up with 2023 NIB Conductor, Dr. Rodney Dorsey and Commissioned Composer Dr. Michael Daugherty and got them to answer a few questions about the upcoming event, July 9-11 at the Caribe Royale Hotel, Orlando, FL. Here’s what they had to say:

Q: What is your general approach to these kinds of auditioned Bands and especially one drawn from collegiate musicians nationwide?

A: I want the program to have enough variety and tonal contrast, so the musicians and the audience never feel like they are playing and/or listening to the same piece for 40 minutes. I try to pick a program that has enough difficulty to challenge the group enough to sustain their interest, but not stretch them so much that we cannot address musical issues. I also believe it’s important to select music composed by a diverse group of composers.

Q: Can you give us a ‘sneak peek’ of what you’re thinking about for the program?

A: I haven’t talked with Michael about the specifics of his piece, but I want to select a program that supports the commission. I will program at least one work that is slow and lyrical that displays the beauty of the ensemble sound. The percussion section will also be considered in selecting the program. I want all musicians to feel like they have a significant contribution to the program.

Q: I know you’ve been on faculty with our Commissioned Composer, Michael Daugherty before. What are some thoughts about working with him?

A: I was excited to learn that Michael Daugherty is the Commissioned Composer for the 2023 NIB. His music is influenced by jazz and popular music and that really resonates with musicians and audiences. Many of his works are also influenced by American stories so I look forward to what he has written for the ensemble. I know the students will enjoy the process of premiering a new work by Michael Daugherty!

Q: What is your general approach to these kinds of auditioned Bands and especially one drawn from collegiate musicians nationwide?

A: The music I will compose for this commission will be playable by musicians who possess a wide spectrum of musical abilities.

Q: Can you give us a ‘sneak peek’ of what you’re thinking about for the commissioned piece?

A: I am thinking about composing a work for wind ensemble inspired by Jesse Owens who achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the 1936 Olympic Games and, as a black American man, was credited with single-handedly crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy.

Q: I know you’ve been on faculty with our Conductor, Rodney Dorsey, before. What are some thoughts about working with him?

A: I have known Rodney since he was one of the band conductors years ago at the University of Michigan. His conducting inspires all who are lucky to work with him. I look forward to working with Rodney on this project!

Dr. Dorsey

Dr. Daugherty

Opportunities Abound to Make a Difference

Have you considered joining our National Leadership team?

By Leslie Gartin National Vice President for Special Projects, TBΣ

This past December, I was blessed to celebrate twenty years in Tau Beta Sigma. I still cannot believe that I’ve now spent over half of my years as part of this beautiful, beneficial organization, and I’ve been reflecting on what a 19 year-old me would think about what Tau Beta Sigma looks like today. I am thrilled to be a witness to our constant climb to be one of the highest regarded organizations in our field today, and our continued growth to change with our needs. One of these evolutions has been through the expansion and use of our National Leadership Team.

It takes many different supports to hold up our amazing 130 chapters, and I’m so proud of the structure we have in place to do so. I remember memorizing our National Officer’s names during my Membership Education Program, then being amazed they were actually real when I went to my first District Convention (shoutout to Dollie, my first famous encounter!). With the use of the internet and expansion of our National Leadership team, your adult leaders are more plentiful, and accessible! I love that for us. Shoutout to these three “branches” of our National Leadership system:

First up:

The underrated, newest, and least well known group: Our Active student focused committees! I specifically love these because there is something for everyone who wants to stay involved, and is a great opportunity for those after college to dip their toe into

the leadership world of Tau Beta Sigma. The current Active student focused committees that currently meet (in no particular order) are: History & Archives, Music Education & Musicianship, Curriculum, Communications, Student Resource Development, Legacy, and Health & Safety. With over 40 of our Sisters being a part of these committees-their work is essential to the work of our Organization.

Next:

Our Chapter Visitation Assistants! Under the direction of National President-Elect and overall Queen Dr. Kathryn Kelly, the 2015 National Convention Delegation voted to implement the Chapter Visitation program. We save money as an organization by just reimbursing the travel expenses of the CVAs, rather than pay the salary of a CFR.! Dubbed our “weekend warriors” or the “cool Aunts and Uncles of the Sorority”, the Chapter Visitation Assistants serve as that personal touchpoint for our chapters, and I am beyond thankful for their help! Currently, there are 17 CVAs currently serving on a two-year term, with over 30 past CVAs since this programs’ inception. I love each and every one of these great people!

Lastly:

Shoutout to our District Counselors! With fifteen Counselors serving our six Districts, these volunteer members put ALL the work in, serving as advisors to our District Councils, providing support to chapters directly, making sure our District and National Conventions run smoothly-there is nothing these fourteen incredible people cannot do! Each of these Counselors put in hours every week to ensure the functionality of our Active student body, and I appreciate them! Counselors were first modeled after what Kappa Kappa Psi referred to as Counselorswhich are now called Governors, and with the implementation of Districts in the early years of our organization. Upon the implementation of our current six Districts in 1988, we had six or seven District Counselors until the expansion of our National Leadership Team model in 2015 expanded to two Counselors in each District. Now having expanded to fifteen District Counselors, I adore and admire everything these fearless leaders do!

Ramblings aside, the Tau Beta Sigma National Leadership Team has opportunities for everyone, and you have a place with us! Please contact me or any member of the National Leadership Team with any questions.

My senior picture, looking doe-eyed and having no idea the path of my immediate future that is Tau Beta Sigma.

President Jessica Lee jessicalee@kkpsi.org

Vice President for Membership & Expansion Bang Co bangco@kkpsi.org

Vice President for Programs

Edward Savoy Edward.savoy@gmail.com

Vice President for Student Affairs TarShae Odom trodom4@kkpsi.org

Vice President for Professional Relations Anthony M. Falcone afalcone2@unl.edu

KKΨ Alumni Association Board of Directors Chair Greg Boike greg.boike@gmail.com

Immediate Past President

Marco Krcatovich, II mkrcatov@kkpsi.org

Board of Trustees

Eric B. Morson, Chair; Dr. Jack D. Lee, Vice Chair; Adam Cantley; Dr. Malinda Matney; Dr. Kevin James; Marco Krcatovich, II, Immediate Past President; Jessica Lee (ex-officio)

The official publication of Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma

BETA SIGMA NATIONAL OFFICERS

President Erika Pope erikapope@tbsigma.org

Vice President for Membership & Expansion Siobhan Wilkes siobhan@tbsigma.org

Vice President for Special Projects Leslie Gartin lesler@tbsigma.org

Vice President for Communication & Recognition Allison Leemann allison@tbsigma.org

Vice President for Professional Relations Dr. LaToya Webb latoya.webb@tbsigma.org

TBΣ Alumni Association Chair David Alexander tbsaa-chair@tbsigma.org

Immediate Past President

Adrienne Rall adrienne@tbsigma.org

Board of Trustees

Dr. Dawn Farmer, Chair; Kris Wright, Vice Chair; Rosalyn McDonald; Jason Dornbush; Jonathan Markowski; Adrienne Rall, Immediate Past President; Erika Pope (ex-officio)

Midwest

Midwest

Denali D. Pearce-Alt denali529@sbcglobal.net

Jennifer Pitts-Taylor pittstaylor@kkpsi.org

Dr. Nic Rorrer nrorrer@gmail.com

North Central

Marc D. Renaud mrenaud@kkpsi.org

Tammi J. Ramsey tammi@kkpsi.org

Michelle Banis mbanis@kkpsi.org

Northeast Rassii A. Elliott rassii.elliott@gmail.com

Marcia “Marci” Jones marci@kkpsi.org

Matthew Parent mattparentNED@gmail.com

Southeast Arupa Gopal agopal@kkpsi.org

Kalem Graham kalem.graham@gmail.com

Justyn “JP” Davis jpdavis@kkpsi.org

Southwest

Andy Melvin andy@kkpsi.org

Clinton J. Wieden wieden@kkpsi.org

Elizabeth Pineiro lizzi@kkpsi.org

Western Lance Coochyouma lance@kkpsi.org

Karissa Longo longokar@gmail.com

Brian Parker bcparker@kkpsi.org

Shalyn Nystrom shalyn@tbsigma.org

Sara Remoy sara_remoy@tbsigma.org

North Central Katie Langley katielangley@tbsigma.org

Jenny Hirt Renaud jrenaud@tbsigma.org

Northeast

Dr. Ted McCadden tedmccadden@tbsigma.org

Dr. Bridgette Crawford Bell Bridgette.Bell@tbsigma.org

Kathryn Howell kat@tbsigma.org

Southeast Neil Bleiweiss neilbleiweiss@tbsigma.org

Kelsey E. Reilly kelsey@tbsigma.org

Amber Scott amberscott@tbsigma.org

Southwest Chelsea Rasing rasingcr@tbsigma.org

Katie Rixon katierixon@tbsigma.org

Linnetta Ratliff linnetta@tbsigma.org

Western Alexis Holladay alexis@tbsigma.org

Sarah Cox sarahcox@tbsigma.org

KAPPA KAPPA PSI NATIONAL OFFICERS

TAU

KAPPA KAPPA PSI DISTRICT GOVERNORS

TAU BETA SIGMA DISTRICT COUNSELORS

David Alexander, Jr.

Marissa Archuleta

Yslette Arispe

Deborah Baker

Kwinton Baylor

Melissa Bays

Lindsey Beauchamp

Bridgette Bell

Stacy Bell

Destinee Bennett

Pamela Bennett

Oria Berkley

Dwala Berry

Terah Bias

Anyonga Blackwell

Danielle Blackwell

Bethany Bledsoe

Joshua Boman

Joanna Bonner

Brendan Bowns

Robert Bratcher

Angela Brewster

Whitney Bronson

Brittany Brown

Elfrida Brown

Erwin Brown

Lucianna Brown

Samantha Brown

Lauren-Elise Brush

Sonja Butler

Harrison Calvert

Helen Capehart

Tammy Carethers

Susan Carr

Morine Carroll

Renee Cartee

VanTarsha Clarke

Brittany Coffey

Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association

Gold Star Club Members

The Executive Council of the TBΣAA sincerely appreciates the additional donation that these dedicated alumni give to the Association through their membership in the GOLD STAR CLUB for the 2022-2023 year. With these additional funds going toward future goals, the TBΣAA is working to increase grant and scholarship opportunities for our members, create new awards, support events like our For Greater Bands 5k, Growth and Professional Development Program, and find greater fellowship opportunities at district and national conventions. You can learn more about our GOLD STAR CLUB and join the TBΣAA at www.tbsalumni.org

GOLD STAR CLUB MEMBERS

Desiree Cole

Nai Colton

Lance Coochyouma

Kenneth Corbett

Rebecca Covington

Lisa Croston

Deatrica Cummings

Kaitlyn Curley

Lisa Daley

Maisha Davis

Sheila Davis

Jason Dawdy

Ishia Dawson

Olivia DeFilippo

Jennifer DiBenedetto

Emily Donovan

Kelly Eidson

Harmona Epps

HaShawn Epps

Dawn Farmer

Gayle Ferguson

Christopher Foster

Gwyn Fox Stump

Willie Frazier

Abigael Frey

Terina Gardner

Pamela Gilmore

Shameka Golson

Kat Grant

Deven Graves

Layla Gray

Chiquita Greene

Timothy Greenwell

Erica Hamilton

David Hammond

Karon Hammond

Alan Harriet

Alysha Harvey

Akierah Hatten

Janelle Henderson

Sherronda Henderson

Tyler Hern

LaShunda Hodges

Courtney Houston

Rosalind Howard

Markitha Humphrey

Jessica Jackson

Kimberly

Jackson-DeMoss

Wendy Jacques

Saidah Johnson

Andrea

Johnson-Daye

Evelyn Jones

Marcia Jones

Kathryn Kelly

Shaundollyn King

Yolanda King

Samantha Kinnison

John Kitchens

Oliver Kochol

Marco Krcatovich, II

Natorie Ladson

Katherine Langley

Jada Lee

Jamila Lee

Jessica Lewis

Monica Lewis

Lueen Lindsay

Kymberly Littlejohn

Sarah Loyd

Christopher Lukasik

Nikki Lyons

Maia Martin

Penelope

Martin-Knox

Reyonna Mathis

Malinda Matney

Clara Mattheessen

Theodore

McCadden, Jr.

Carolyn

McCambridge

Scott McCambridge

Leslie McClure

Barbara McCray

Cynthia McDade

Rosalyn McDonald

LaSandra McGhee

Heather McGowan

Rhonda McKinney

Kristin McMullen

Cathleen Miles

Brianna Mitchell

Kishera Mitchell

Marylis Mitchell

Monika Monk

Miya Moon

Ivania Morales

Tundra Morris

Eric Morson

Larietta Moultrie

Ameenah Muhammad

Krystal Munoz

Thea Murphy

Christie Nestor

Jean Newman

Cassandra Nicholson

Wairimu Njoroge

Maritza Olivares

Michael Osborn

Maisha Paggett

Salli-Tymna Parker

Sherese Parker

Lindsay Pfannenstiel

Theresa Powell

Christopher Pratt

Adrienne Rall

Chelsea Rasing

Linnetta Ratliff

Christina Reed

Kelsey Reilly

Jennifer Renaud

Mary Rhodes

Mellinna Ridout

Katie Rixon

Abby Rogish Bodin

Rachel Roy-Ceasar

Stephanie Russell

Catrina Sally-Thomas

Nicole Sanchez

Edward Savoy

Stacy Schiele

Amber Scott

Carletta Scott

Jahn Scott

Jennifer Scott

Scott Sergeant

ClinTonya Shorter

Albert Shuler

Christian Sibley

Kimberlina Sigle

Kerry Simon

Zara Simpson

Vonnetta Sloan

Alexis Smith

Jazzlyn Smith

Jessica Smith

Sharron Smith

Willow Sockalexis

Kimberlee Spears

Vedette Spellman

Brett Steinbrink

David Stookey

Jessica Stookey

Alana Stoutamire

Ashley Tanksley

Jessica Thomas

Nyaesia Thompson

Julia Tordo

Amber Tubbs

Lauren Tubbs

Omaria Tucker

Regina Tucker

Keishauna Turner

Julia Viger

Hayley Voorhees

Erika Walker

Ariante Wallace

Stacey Whatley

Terri White

Rod Whiteman

Bridgette Williams

Lashann Williams

De'Aunjanae Wise

Ashley Worthy

Eireka Wright

Kristin Wright

Marcus Wyche

Julia Yanta

Tyra Yiare-Holloway

Chelsea Zuniga

ELDON A. JANZEN

ALPHA (ΚΚΨ) OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

DECEMBER 10, 2022

Eldon Janzen passed away on December 10, 2022 at the age of 94. He served as Director of Bands at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville from 1970 to 1995. He is survived by daughter Jana (Janzen) Gorham (Psi – Tau Beta Sigma), son-in-law David Gorham (Lambda –Kappa Kappa Psi), grandson Brant Gorham, son Scott Janzen (Lambda – Kappa Kappa Psi) and daughter-in-law Detra Janzen. Eldon was a member of Alpha Chapter and Honorary Member of Gamma Sigma and Lambda Chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Psi Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. A native of Medford, OK, he held degrees from Oklahoma State University and the university of North Texas. During his time as Director of Bands the Lambda Chapter (KKPsi) was awarded the William A. Scroggs Founders Trophy, were National Chapter Leadership Award Finalists three more times and won numerous Southwest District awards. The Psi Chapter (TBSigma) were Chapter Leadership Award Finalist once as well. As a Director, he’s remembered as a “perfectionist” and a “meticulous crafter of detail in performance, with the best set of ears I’ve ever been around” by longtime U of A colleague Chalon Ragsdale. His daughter Jana… “He was the same kind of father as he was a teacher. He was patient, supportive and always dependable. He never raised his voice in anger, and he never ‘preached.’ He showed us every day how to live a life of integrity.” His son Scott said, “I remember my dad as a true leader, and the positive influence he made on countless others.”

GWENDOLYN JANE WILBURN

ALPHA (ΚΚΨ) OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

December 9, 2022

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma lost a dear friend on December 9, 2022. Although she would be unknown to the Active membership today, her impact during the 1980s and 1990s continues to bear fruit today.

Gwendolyn Jane Wilburn, 74, a Stillwater resident, went to her heavenly home, December 9, 2022, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She was born December 20, 1947, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the daughter of Max and Zola (Bilyeu) Sinclair.

Gwen grew up in Perry, Oklahoma where she attended and was a cheerleader later graduating from Perry High School in the class of 1966. She later went on to attend at Northern Oklahoma College taking classes before transferring to Oklahoma State University where she met the love of her life Kenneth Wilburn.

Ken and Gwen were united in marriage on January 12, 1968, at the First Baptist Church in Perry, Oklahoma. They were blessed with two daughters, Tara and Cassie.

Gwen loved her work at the National Headquarters, where she served 22 years as Bookkeeper, Office Manager, and a time as Interim National Executive Director. Retiring from NHQ in 1999, Gwen was a surrogate mom to numerous brothers and sisters of the Alpha Chapters and the early Chapter Field Representatives of ΚΚΨ & ΤΒΣ.

During Gwen’s retirement, she loved to do crossword puzzles, decorate, and spend time with her family. Gwen also loved to collect Santa’s where she made a collection over the years. She was an amazing woman who was full of life, had an infectious laugh, and a heart of gold.

The history of our organizations comes alive when you look back at older editions of the publications. As part of the process to document the history of Kappa Kappa project now so that by 2019 we will be in the position to If

You will be asked what edition of the Podium or Baton you would like to index (possibly the years you were an active member). We will send you that edition as a PDF document, along with an Excel file to document the issue, instructions, and an example issue.

Thank you for supporting Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. We hope you will see the value in this project and commit to indexing one or more issues.