Brothers:
As we close out another school year, I want to share this friendly reminder with all of our outgoing and incoming chapter officers, active members, sponsors, and directors.

• Initiate Registration Form – Please complete and submit all fees and paperwork associated with your Initiate Registration Form. This should be submitted within 30 days of initiation. Late fees apply to chapters who do not submit within the appropriate time. Remember that this form cannot be processed if you do not submit a copy of the signed summary page along with payment.  The signatures from the Candidate Registration & Risk Management Form required as part of the Road to Wisdom do not count as the signed summary page.
• Officer & Chapter Update – If you have held elections that have not been reported, please complete this form as soon as possible so that National Headquarters has accurate contact information for your chapter leadership. If you have not yet started your Chapter Summary Report, please check that you officers are listed correctly before beginning the CSR.  This form will also need to be completed prior to submitting a Graduating Senior Report if any of your currently listed officers are graduating.
• Chapter Summary Report – This report is due by June 1st. Please begin working on this document now and remember to give time for sponsor and director approval prior to the deadline. We recommend completing this form prior to the end of finals week.
• Graduating Senior Report – This report allows us to document graduating seniors and provide recognition to them for their service to college bands. Graduating Seniors receive a one-year complimentary membership in the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association if the chapter submits this form. This report should be completed alongside the Chapter Summary Report.
• Officer Transition Meeting – The National Council encourages all chapters to hold a transition meeting between outgoing and incoming officers. Many discipline issues occur as a result of a lack of institutional knowledge of the larger fraternal responsibilities of the active chapter including reports and dues. Outgoing officers please take time to review these responsibilities with your successor. Set your chapter up success in the coming year.
• National Awards/Programs – The National Council encourages all chapters and members to review the national awards and scholarships which can be found at kkpsi.org under the Programs tab. Due date for applications and nominations is July 1st. If you have specific questions, contact Vice President Bratcher at nbratcher@kkpsi.org.
• Vice Presidents of Membership Joining Edmodo – All Vice Presidents of Membership for the 2018-2019 school year should join the Learning Community at Edmodo.com. Edmodo contains all of the updated documents and forms associated with The Road to Wisdom. All previous VPMs will be removed at the end of the school year. If you have questions about joining, please email curriculum@kkpsi.org.

For each of the forms submitted in the OMRS, please make sure you are following up directly with your Sponsor and Director of Bands when forms are ready to be approved. Do not rely on email notifications from the OMRS as your only means of follow-up.

If you have any questions, please let us know by emailing kkytbs@kkytbs.org.

AEA,
Evan L. Thompson
National President
2017-2019

Congratulations to Dennis Zeisler on receiving The Distinguished Service to Music Medal in the area of Conducting! Professor Zeisler has been exceptional in his field, and that work has had a positive impact on Kappa Kappa Psi and the college band movement. He has served as Director of Bands and Professor of Clarinet and Saxophone at Old Dominion University for over three decades. Zeisler is an elected member and Past President of the American Bandmasters Association and serves on the Board of Directors for The Midwest Clinic. Northeast District Governor Michael Napolitano and Curriculum Committee Chair Yvonne Daye presented the award on behalf of the National Council and the National Chapter.

The Distinguished Service to Music Medal is the highest honor awarded by Kappa Kappa Psi. The award, founded at the 1963 National Convention, recognizes those who have contributed “above and beyond” of themselves and their talents to help bands and band music grow in both performance and purpose. Past recipients include Morton Gould, W. Francis McBeth, William Revelli, Jerry Junkin, and Julie Giroux. The National Council is pleased to recognize Professor Dennis Zeisler for his contributions and leadership in the band field.

Brothers:

Copies of the newly revised Ritual and Ceremonies of Kappa Kappa Psi began being shipped to your chapter’s physical address listed in OMRS on Friday, March 16^th. You should expect them to arrive over the next two weeks. Please be on the lookout for them! If you are on Spring Break, please make a note to look for them when you return to campus.

If you have trouble locating them by Monday, March 26^th, please contact the National Headquarters (kkytbs@kkytbs.org or 405-372-2333) for the UPS tracking number.

Brothers, Directors, & Sponsors:

Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma will once again have representation at The Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. The clinic dates for this year are December 20-23, 2017. This year’s booth number is 903 in the Exhibition Hall. In addition to our participation as exhibitors, the fraternity and sorority also invite all members, directors, and sponsors to our annual reception on Thursday, December 21st from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in Dusable A&B in the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Conference Center. We hope you will make plans to join us!

See you in Chicago!

Evan L. Thompson
National President
2017-2019

Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi:

The District Governors are key members of the National Leadership Team. These adult leaders serve as the administrative officers of their respective district and provide mentorship to the district and chapter officers. District Governors are expected to assist the district officers with the development of a vision for the district and build positive, professional connections with all students, alumni, and national leadership. District Governors also engage in work that supports the National Vision including activity reviews for the National Membership Education Program: The Road to Wisdom.

There is an immediate opening for North Central District Governor. The Fraternity thanks outgoing Governor Jason Mlady for his service and dedication to Kappa Kappa Psi. Eligible applicants will complete the application requirements and submit using the JotForm link. All requirements must be included in order to submit a completed application.

Applications and materials should be submitted by Friday, November 3, 2017 via JotForm.

Special Note: If you applied for District Governor in May, your application is already on file and will be considered. You do not need to reapply.

Applicant Requirements:

• Must be at least twenty-five (25) years old
• Completed an undergraduate degree
• Possess outstanding business or professional ability
• Resident of district applying for
• Be a Life, Alumni, or Honorary member in good standing of Kappa Kappa Psi

Governor Application Requirements:

• Letter of Intent – Highlight fraternity, band, and professional experience
• Resume/Vita
• Three Letters of Recommendation, one of which should be within the applicant’s profession
• JotForm Application (https://form.jotform.com/72814869888177)

Please submit completed applications via JotForm by Friday, November 3, 2017. If you have any questions, please contact National President Evan Thompson (evan@kkpsi.org).

AEA,

Evan L. Thompson
National President
Kappa Kappa Psi

• Approved changes are being reviewed and formatted; a thorough review process will take place to ensure all changes are correct before printing.
• Once the edits and changes are made, seven (7) Ritual Books will be shipped to all chapters.
• Please check your chapter mailing address today and make sure it is valid and secure.
• Until Ritual Books arrive, continue to use the 2007 version of the Ritual Books for education and ceremonies.
• Once new Ritual Books arrive, you will receive directions on the proper disposal of out of date Ritual Books.
• Set aside a chapter meeting once new Ritual Books arrive to read through the foreword, instructions, and Ritual as a chapter.
• Questions regarding Ritual Performance can be directed to our Ritual Performance and Education Committee at RitualEducation@kkpsi.org.

Brothers:

Welcome back to Kappa Kappa Psi for the 2017-2018 school year! The National Council and National Headquarters encourage all chapters to submit the Chapter Personnel Report, Member Dues, and Chapter Fee on-time by September 30, 2017. Schools on the quarter system should submit their report and fees by October 15, 2017. Reports and dues submitted after the above deadlines are considered late and will be assessed a 25% late fee. This report needs to be completed by the Chapter President and approved by the Chapter Sponsor and Director of Bands through the OMRS (online.kkytbs.org). Please make sure every member of the chapter logs on to the OMRS to update personal information if anything has changed.

The Chapter Personnel Report consists of the following parts:

• Chapter Fee: $75.oo (on-time)
• Member Dues: $100.00 (on-time per member)
• Completed online form in the OMRS (online.kkytbs.org)
• Summary Page (collect signatures of all Active, Conditional, Associate)

If you have any questions about the Chapter Personnel Report, please email National Headquarters at kkytbs@kkytbs.org or call at (405) 372-2333.

Have a great school year! AEA

Evan

Brothers:

Kappa Kappa Psi wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the community of Charlottesville, Virginia over the loss of life and injuries that occurred as a result of senseless acts of violence and hate. We offer our condolences to all who were affected.

The events in Charlottesville and at the University of Virginia have left our nation once again confronted with malicious acts of hatred and intolerance by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK. These terrible events that took place over the weekend make it clear that hatred, racism, and bigotry are still part of the mainstream culture. The goal of these groups is to preach a disgraceful and immoral message to every part of our country. Theirs is a message of hate, and it is wrong.

Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity condemns the actions of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK who seek to tear our country apart with their hateful beliefs and rhetoric. There is no place for hate in our organization or our country.

We envision something better for our members, for society, and for college and university bands. We reaffirm our ritualistic vows and will continue to preserve the integrity and honor of Kappa Kappa Psi through ensuring an inclusive, equitable, and safe culture for all members. We are called to walk only in honorable and worthy ways and be an inspiration to others. On behalf of the National Council, I ask all Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi to stand with us and reject hatred and intolerance in all its forms.

Strive for the Highest!

Evan L. Thompson
National President
Kappa Kappa Psi

Kappa Kappa Psi held the 49th Biennial Convention at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Florida. Part of the business sessions of the convention is the election of National Officers and Board of Trustees members. Kappa Kappa Psi is pleased to announce the elected and appointed leaders for the 2017-2019 biennium.

National Council

• National President: Evan Thompson
• National Vice President for Colonization & Membership: Marco Krcatovich
• National Vice President for Programs: Dr. Nicholas Bratcher
• National Vice President for Student Affairs: Jessica Lee
• National Vice President for Professional Relations: Dr. Douglas Stotter

Board of Trustees

• Adam Cantley, Chair
• Daniel George, CPA, Vice Chair
• Dr. Malinda Matney
• Eric Morson
• Ed Savoy
• Jack Lee, Immediate Past President

District Governors

• Anthony Falcone & Denali Pearce-Alt, Midwest District
• Jason Mlady & Tammi Ramsey, North Central District
• Marie Burleigh & Mike Napolitano, Northeast District
• Dr. Craig Aarhus & Latrondrick Hunter, Southeast District
• Toni Castle, Clint Wieden, & Kalem Graham, Southwest District
• Charlene Ronne & Erik Marrs, Western District

Alumni Association Board of Directors

• Daniel Miller, Chair
• Jennifer Pitts-Taylor
• Dr. Erin Cooper
• Brent Cannon
• Dr. Nicholas Rorrer
• Kelly Nellis
• Dr. Bret Zawilski

Dr. David Maslanka passed away on August 6, 2017. One of the most prolific composers of wind band music, Dr. Maslanka’s works have been performed regularly in major countries around the world. He was the commissioned composer for Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma’s National Commissioning Program in 1995, and the National Intercollegiate Band performed his work A Tuning Piece: Songs of Fall and Winter.  Other works commissioned by chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi include In Memoriam and Traveler.

Dr. Maslanka is an honorary member of the Delta Sigma chapter at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Gamma Phi chapter at Stephen F. Austin State University. David Maslanka’s memory will live on through his significant contributions to the wind band repertoire and the countless number of students, conductors, and musicians who will continue to perform his works and share his music. Kappa Kappa Psi mourns Dr. Maslanka’s passing, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his family. We also send our gratitude for a life well-lived and his positive impact on college and university bands.