Convention Season Schedule

Brothers,

I wanted to take a moment and mention again the entire schedule for the convention season. Bits of information have been release piecemeal, but some may find it helpful to have all dates and locations in one communication. Here it is:

January 19 – Leadership Conference at Butler University
February 9 – Block Meeting at Purdue University
February 23 – Block Meeting at the University of Louisville
March 5 – Magic Date for all Convention Paperwork and Award Applications
March 8 – Block Meeting at Eastern Michigan University
April 4-6 – North Central District Convention in Indianapolis, IN

A few other things should be made very clear:

The Leadership Conference is only one day this year. It will only be on Saturday. Please contact the hosts ASAP if you will need housing. They can be reached at kky.tbs.leadership.2008@gmail.com.

Block Meetings are designed so that you travel to only the closest site. If you travel to more than one block site, then you will hear the same information as the other sites. We love that Brothers in the NCD will drive anywhere to see their other Brothers, but we also recognize that asking you to travel to three block sites is unreasonable. Our hope is that you attend one block meeting that is most convenient to you, and that your chapter shows up in force!

The Magic Date is the 30 day deadline established for convention paperwork for the councils. That deadline will be for committee preferences, delegate information, award applications, and so forth. March 5th is a postmark date.

*****Your Magic Date Alternative: If for some reason you cannot (or choose to not) get your paperwork postmarked by March 5th, you may drive to the Block Meeting at Eastern Michigan University and hand your paperwork to the District President and/or District Governor. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, HAND YOUR PAPERWORK TO ANYONE ELSE AND ASSUME THAT THEY WILL DELIVER IT FOR YOU. If the District President and/or District Governor do not have your paperwork by the end of the block meeting, then it will be considered late.

Finally, the NCD Convention does begin on April 4th. The tentative plan, at this point, is to begin Governor’s Cup presentations sometime around noon. If your chapter is eligible and planning on presenting, begin making arrangements NOW.

As always, please let me know if there are questions.

Safe travels, and Keep Strivin’,
Rod

Stay eligible!

Make sure that your chapter stays eligible for the Superior Achievement Award (and the ability to bid for the Governor's Cup)!!

It's easy: just go to http://kkpsi.org/fallreport.asp and complete the Fall Activity Report and submit it to the necessary people (see below) by December 1. Also get those MEPs and CMEPs sent in to Raina, Rod, and Christine.

Start working on the FAR paperwork now and set up a time to meet with your Sponsor to get the signatures that you need.

Send copies of your FAR to:

Kappa Kappa Psi National Headquarters
P.O. Box 849
Stillwater, OK 74076

Jeremy Horner
NCD President
D5016 Boulevard Pl
Apt. D201
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Rod Whiteman
NCD Governor
1312 Old Town South Dr #6
Indianapolis, IN 46260

Christine Beason
NCD Governor
739 S. 15th St.
Quincy, IL 62301

This is a great time to write down all the great things your chapter does, so definitely put some effort into the details. I'm looking forward to seeing all the work that you've been doing throughout the semester.

Keep Strivin'
Jeremy

Block Schedule

Now announcing the block schedule for 2008!

February 9
West Lafayette, Indiana
Hosted by:
Gamma Pi (KKΨ) and Beta Sigma (TBΣ)
Purdue University

February 23
Louisville, Kentucky
Hosted by
Theta Psi (TBΣ)
University of Louisville

March 8
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Hosted by:
Delta Upsilon (KKΨ)
Easter Michigan University

Also, remember that Leadership Weekend will be at Butler University in Indianapolis on January 19-20.

Can't wait to see everyone there! We've got some great workshops in the works.

Jeremy

Membership Education Notes

Hey everyone,
We hope to start updating the blog more frequently as we are getting into the swing of things for the spring! We're currently working on planning Leadership Weekend, Block Meetings, and District Convention.

A couple of Membership Education Points of interest:

1) There is a new Membership Education Listserv especially created for the NCD! So far, discussions have included big/little programs, service projects as recruiting tools, and creative MEP applications. It's never too late to join! Shoot me an e-mail at reganrai@gmail.com to get added!

2) MEPs and CMEPs are due to Christine, Rod, and myself by December 1st. It is REQUIRED to be eligible for the Superior Achievement Award. You can find more information out on the district website (http://www.kkytbsncd.org). Let me know if you have any questions.

As I know many chapters are currently in the midst of their Membership Education Program, please feel free to e-mail me at anytime with any questions you might have, including if you need suggestions on how to make something new work!

Until next time,
Raina

What Has KKΨ Given Back to You?

During one of the MER workshops, I proposed a prompt to all the participants.

Write down two or three sentences about what you would say to someone interested in joining Kappa Kappa Psi about how it has benefited you personally. What has Kappa Kappa Psi given back to you?

I gave everyone a couple of minutes to ponder what they thought so they could really divulge into what they really believe their answer to be. Going through all the responses, I wanted to share a couple with all of you.

KKΨ is like a second family to me and by serving the band, I am helping and supporting my family. The bonds and interactions that are formed by being a part of KKΨ have made me feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself.

KKΨ has given me an opportunity to interact with others like me who have a love for band and want to do more to make the band great. The Brotherhood is so strong and there are always people to stand behind me and support me when I need help. They make me so happy and understand my craziness. It’s nice knowing there are people who want me around and know I can help.

This organization has provided me with a family away from home and an opportunity to give back to the band program. Without KKΨ I would not be who I am today, It has helped me to realize my full leadership potential and has given me many of opportunities to share my love for band with others.

KKΨ provides a foundation for developing your own dedication and skills while working with friends and brothers toward common goals. In short – it’s fantastic!

KKΨ afford a truly fraternal experience while providing valuable services to the college and university bands in which its members participate. The opportunities for band leadership promote personal growth. Such inspired leadership encourages all band members to strive for the highest.

I love music and my university bands. My goal is to exude a positive attitude and be a good leader. I feel that KKΨ has given me the opportunity to express my love for music, give back to the bands that have given me so much and build my own character. Perhaps more importantly, it has acquainted me with people who share these same values and have helped me grow as a musician, leader, and friend.

Of course, there were TONS of really great responses - it was very exciting to go through and read each individual responses. The purpose of this activity was to prove you have to make a connection with the individuals you want to recruit into your chapter. Teaching your potential members about the organization in general is good, but go beyond that. Teach them about why it is important to you and your chapter. Tell them what it has given you personally - it could be a whole variety of things. Use the prompt above as a good starting point. Ask each of your members to ponder the question so if asked, they too can give the best response!

Let me know if you have any questions. Look for the full list of these responses on the district website soon!

AEA,
Raina

Thank you for attending MER!

I am currently working on doing some post-MER analysis and figured I would update and talk about some of the great work that was accomplished at MER. I have to commend the NCD for showing up ready and willing to work, ask questions, share ideas, and come up with new ones. I hope everyone has taken what they've learned and started finding new ways to update your MEPs.

Now, just a couple highlights and comments. The Who? workshop focused on recruitment and membership selection and the entire group seemed very focused while discussing with their groups. The individual groups (formed of people from different chapters) seemed to come up with long lists of everything included in the MEP up until 1st degree. It was exciting to walk around and hear everyone sharing what their chapter did and have others ask questions about specific projects. Want some more information about one of those things you heard about? Use the Online Chapter Directory to find those chapter's contact information.

The What? workshop focused on the elements of the MEP. Some great analysis of what is really required to be taught in the MEP occurred. A general consensus transpired that we should be building and focusing our MEPs around the Fraternal Foundations - the Purposes, the Code of Conduct, the Mission Statement, and the Lessons of the Degrees. Look on the district website soon for the information compiled from that workshop.

The How? workshop, guest presented by Rose Bradbourne, gave chapters the tools to implement lesson planning for their MEPs. Everyone learned they should "Stop Reinventing the Wheel" and instead just update from year to year. Find Rose's handouts on the District Website under My Downloads.

Thank you to everyone who attended! Your ideas and enthusiasm about the Fraternity helped make the day a great success. I wish everyone the best as they begin taking membership classes and educating!

Remember, although some ideas we discussed may have seemed focused, you can find different ways to apply them to your chapter, no matter how big or small. E-mail me if you're trying to figure out the best way to make this happen and we can brainstorm some possible solutions!

AEA,
Raina

Countdown to MER!

As you all are settling back into the school year, it's less than 2 weeks away to the 2007 Membership Education Retreat! It will be held on Sunday, September 16th at Tiffin University.

The concept of this year's MER is the Who? What? and How? of Membership Education. These three questions should always be in the back of your mind when you are developing your entire Membership Education Program. The combination of these three questions serve as the backbone to any good Membership Education Program. The Who? gives you the quality members that you should be identifying for membership through recruitment programs and the membership selection process. The What? defines the material that needs to be covered in the MEP to the material that can be more suited for a Continuing Membership Education lesson. The How? program will allow you to better understand how to physically teach and plan the lessons of the MEP.

So how about some logistics concerning MER? First of all, the day will begin with some presentations from three chapters in the NCD. Theta Zeta will be discussing their recruitment week, Kappa Nu will be discussing their membership selection plan, and Mu Alpha will discuss their membership selection rubric. Definitely take the time to listen to all of these chapters and see how they've implemented these programs in their chapters. For the How? workshop, we are fortunate to have an NCD Alumni, Rose Bradbourne, an alumni of Beta Psi, presenting.

All of these workshops are designed for every type of chapter, school, and individual member that you can imagine. Make an effort to get a member from your chapter to MER, if not 10 members! The more the merrier!

I can not wait to see everyone again on the 16th! Let me know if there's any questions you might have before then.
Raina