sedcouncil band, ITB, Kappa Kappa Psi, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma, TBΣ

The Eighth Note!

Hello SED!

My name is Brittany Lyons and I am the secretary of the Alpha Omega chapter of Tau Beta Sigma at Florida State University and we (along with our brothers of the Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi) are excited to host The Eighth Note this year.

The publication is online now (at sedpublications.wordpress.com), which means that we need your help to keep it constantly updated with news and articles! We are now accepting submissions for the Eighth Note at eighthnotesubmissions@gmail.com and we would love to get an article from each and every chapter in the SED before the end of the school year!!

With the online format, we will be able to have rolling submissions which means that you can submit your articles at any time. We will also select articles from the website to be used in the print version at SED, so keep them coming!

Here’s what you can do: pick a topic that interests you (this can be anything about TBS, music, service and so on, including what makes your chapter unique), write an article that’s a minimum of 500 words, and include a photo or photos.

Submitting an article to The Eighth Note is an excellent way for sisters to get involved at the district level. I can’t wait to hear from you all and thanks for your support!

LITB,
Brittany Lyons
Secretary
Alpha Omega, Tau Beta Sigma

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2013 MEP Collection & Reminders

Hello SED,

And congratulations on surviving yet another week of this gorgeous football fall!

This year’s SED Council has been hard at work compiling information for you to ease your paperwork process. As you may know, there are several national paperwork deadlines that must be met throughout the year. The next one coming up is our Fall Activity Reports and they are due on December 1, 2013.

Other than the important National paperwork, the district collects another important document every year- the MEP (Membership Education Program). These are collected by your district officers, reviewed by your district counselors, and submitted to national headquarters. MEPs are collected to connect with the chapters and to assure the national organization that all membership candidates of Tau Beta Sigma are taught the same minimal requirements.

The MEP collection process in the SED has always been left vague and open-ended, due to the personalization aspect of each chapter. This is NOT something we want to change. However, various chapters around the SED have requested a template to ensure all the information is included. SO this year, we are not providing you with a template, but we are providing you with a check list. The “Top 10” things to put in your MEP.

After the review of last year’s collections, the SED Council has sought a more efficient way of reviewing the documents for you. This year, we have attached to this email a document containing what each individual chapter was missing from their submitted MEP last fall. Use our “Top 10” (found below) and the attached data to structure your MEP this year. MEPs are due to each chapter mentor on December 1, 2013.

MEP FAQs:

1. Should my MEP be different every year? No, MEPs should not be a brand new document each year, once you establish the needed information, you should only have to update/change as needed.

2. Will they be reviewed by a collegiate member or by a counselor? Each MEP will be reviewed preliminarily by either the SED President (Belinda Baker) or the SED VPM (Christa Hall). The official review will be done by a counselor, however, until all the “Top 10” are submitted and covered, a chapter’s MEP will not be officially reviewed.

3. Is there a length requirement? There is no word or page requirement or minimum for an MEP. We (both the district and national headquarters) are more concerned with the information contained inside.

4. What if my calendar of events is not concrete yet? If your calendar is not official yet, do not fret! We would only like an example, you can include one from this fall or last spring. (As long as we get an idea of how far apart meetings are, rituals, tests, etc.)

5. Can I still submit my MEP after the deadline or incomplete? Yes, absolutely! The idea of MEP collection is to get the best representation of your chapter and the candidate process. Imagine if a brand new transfer sister needed to run the entire process, it should be a “how-to” guide.

6. Is there a penalty for not submitting? Technically, no. However, your chapter can be placed on probation if this document is not submitted to National HQ completed and reviewed after a certain amount of time. We are trying to help you!

Below you will find the “Top 10” items to include in your MEP. As a reminder and in conclusion, both your Fall activity Report and your MEP are due on December 1, 2013. Your FAR will need to be submitted and approved via the Online Membership & Reporting System. Your MEP will need to be emailed to your SED Council Mentor. If you are unsure of who this person is, or if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact any district council member.

“Top 10”

Table of Contents

1. Recruitment- Activities, Description, and Dates

2. Chapter, School, National Policies and Procedures

3. Bid Process- Selection of Candidates, Bid Acceptance/Decline Process

4. Candidate Requirements and Meetings

5. Big/Little Selection/Reveal Process

6. Study Material and Tests for Membership Candidates

7. National, District, Chapter Information- TBS

8. National, District, Chapter Information- KKPsi

9. Chapter Operations- Ritual Attire, GPA requirements, fees/fines, and dues

10. Calendar of Events

Attached Documents

1. MEP Requirements

2. MEP Checklist

3. Sample #1- Beta Xi MEP

4. Sample #1- Beta Xi Calendar and White Manual

5. Sample #2- Theta Zeta MEP Handbook

6. Sample #2- Theta Zeta MEP Information Packet

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TBS: Volunteer for Board Committees

The Tau Beta Sigma Board of Trustees is looking for volunteers to serve on the Trustee Committees for the 2013-2015 biennium. These committees help fulfill activities and programs of the Board of Trustees. Each committee is chaired by a current Trustee and committee volunteers are appointed by the Committee Chair.

The key responsibilities for committee members will be to actively participate in the needs of their particular Trustee Committee, suggest projects or programs of the committee, and stay informed of the Sorority’s missions, policies and programs.

We are looking for volunteers to serve on the following Trustee Committees:

Communication – develop communications and recognitions of the national organization of TBS, including The Podium, The President’s Ring, and The Legacy publications

Finance – track the Board of Trustees’ budget and monitor Board of Trustees’ bank accounts and balances; monitor the Tau Beta Sigma Trust accounts, work with our Investment Advisors; and identify opportunities for related accounts and budgets.

Legacy – liaison with the National Historian and National History & Archives committee, organize activities and other recognition for past TBS leaders and Past National Presidents at events as deemed appropriate by the Board of Trustees such as National Convention

Those alumni interested in volunteering with one of the Trustee Committees, please submit a letter of intent to me by email at keidson@tbsigma.org by November 15, 2013.

If you have any questions in regards to the Board of Trustees and the Trustee Committees, feel free to email or call me.

In The Bond,

Kelly Eidson
Chair, Board of Trustees
Tau Beta Sigma National Sorority

sedcouncil band, ITB, Kappa Kappa Psi, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma, TBΣ

A round of applause is due…

Southeast District of Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi,

Thank you.

No really, thank you. From the district officers, to you, we applaud every late night, every early morning, and every sweat stained t-shirt in service to the college bands here in the SED and beyond. This school year so far, we have seen an enormous amount of effort from chapters of BOTH organizations to turn in paperwork on time, to contact and bond with chapters and ITB around you, and lastly, and most importantly, to serve your bands to the best of your ability.

We are thankful.

We are proud.

And we are the SED- Strength, Excellence, Diversity.

We could not possibly recognize all the accomplishments of every single chapter in the SED- there are too many. However, we do want to spotlight 3 individual chapters who have gone above and beyond, and continue daily to work for the SED.

This year’s Eighth Note host, began working immediately after being awarded the bid. You will be getting information from them soon concerning the BRAND NEW “rolling submission” process for Eighth Note articles, as well as an updated Eighth Note look! Please join us in congratulating and thanking the Alpha Omega chapter of Tau Beta Sigma and the Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi from THE Florida State University for hosting the 2013-2014 SED Eighth Note publication!

The next chapter and event we would like to proudly announce is the 2014 SED District Leadership Conference. We had an INCREDIBLE amount of interest in hosting this event this year, and after much discussion, the Joint Council has selected the Iota Lambda chapter of Tau Beta Sigma and the Mu Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill! We are excited to announce the 2014 SED DLC will be hosted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on February 8, 2014. Please add this event to your calendars for it is one you certainly will not want to miss!

Last, but certainly not least, we cannot thank the next chapter enough for their continued work on the biggest project the Southeast District has… Southeast District Convention. The brothers and sisters of the Iota chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Epsilon Theta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma have been diligently working since the 2013 SED Convention to make this year’s convention the best yet! Without their hard work and expertise of the Atlanta area, the 2014 SED would be nothing. However, since they have put in spectacular work so far, we would like to again announce the 2014 SED Convention will be held in Atlanta, GA from March 21-23, 2014.

Again, thank you for all of your hard work this fall, for your individual chapters and schools, and also for the betterment of the two national organizations. If you are ever in any need of assistance, we are always reachable at the below email addresses.

MLITB, always!

Belinda Baker
Tau Beta Sigma
Southeast District President
sedpres@tbsigma.org

Kyle Sullivan
Kappa Kappa Psi
Southeast District President
sedpresident@kkpsi.org

sedcouncil band, ITB, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma, TBΣ

Reminder: Concerto Competition/SiMM

Hello SED,

This is a reminder email about the Concerto Competition and Service in Music Month!

The 4 Concerto Competition documents can be found on the tbs SED website: Click Here to view all Concerto Competition documents. I’m asking that you please print out and post the ad and flyer around your schools of music and student unions since this competition is open to any undergraduate musician. I would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word.

The application is due to me by Friday, November 1st! Please mail it to:

SED VPSP
1000 Whaley Street
Columbia, SC 29201

If your application is not postmarked on or before November 1st, your application will not be reviewed.

Also, I need to approve all concerto pieces before anyone sends in an application. Please email me with your name, instrument, and the piece you want to audition with BEFORE November 1st. My email is sedvpsp@tbsigma.org.
——————————–

Service in Music Month is happening right now! Well one is already over and well two starts on Monday, October 7th

Lets take a look at the rest of the month’s itinerary:

Week 2 (October 7th-13th):

Keep Teens Musical- This week, move up to middle school or high school age youths and keep them interested in music!

Here are some ideas:

Go to a Middle School and:
Help the band program raise money.
Clean their band room.
Donate music/instruments.
Volunteer to help the band at a performance.

OR,

Go to a High School and:
Help recruit middle school band students to high school band programs/marching band.
Volunteer at a marching competition or a high school football game.
Help the high school band program fund raise.

Week 3 (October 14th-20th):

Support Your Peers- Other young adults are working just as hard as you, show them we are here to support them!

Here are some ideas:
Do a musical service event for your band program or the whole music department.
Consider supporting a different school (not your own) or even work with a neighboring chapter of TBS!
Partner with a chapter of TBS, KKY, or any of the other musical organizations to raise money or complete a service event.
Clean your band facility.

Week 4 (October 21st-27th):

Give Back to Your Elders- It’s time to show your elders how much you appreciate them!

Here are some ideas:
Stuff music folders for your local community band.
Host an event for your own band’s alumni.
Visit a nursing home or assisted living facility and perform a musicale.

This guide is not set in stone; you can deviate from the above model, so be creative! Participation is not mandatory but if you do want to participate, please fill out our SiMM log. You can find it in the TBS SED Facebook Page and in previous emails. Log each project that you do onto the document and email it back to me: sedvpsp@tbsigma.org in an attachment by Monday, November 4th!! You do not have to complete a service project every week to receive recognition, so go ahead and jump in now! Also, PLEASE send a log if you participated! I want to see what you guys are up to.

The council will review all of the logs, looking for membership participation, creativity, and musical impact. All chapters who participate in the 2013 Service in Music Month Movement will receive recognition at SED Convention in March! However, the chapter who best serves ALL THE AGES will be given an award at convention!

Any Questions, need help thinking up a project, or just want to chat??

Email me! sedvpsp@tbsigma.org

MOTS of love,
Shannon Matthews

sedcouncil band, ITB, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma, TBΣ

Service in Music Month!!

Greetings SED!

It’s time to get ready because Service in Music Month is right around the corner!!!

Every year, the Southeast District participates in Service in Music Month during the month of October.

How it works:

The 4 weeks of the month are divided into 4 service categories that fall under one related theme. If your chapter chooses to participate, you would do 1 service project each week, under that respective category. At the end of the month, have your VPSP or Service Chair log how many or which service events you participated in and send it to me.

This is a great way for Tau Beta Sigma to raise music awareness and interest in your community! This is also a great way to get our name out there!

This year’s SiMM Theme is “Serving All Ages“

———————————————————————————————————————————–
Week 1 (September 30th-October 6th): Musically Influence Children
Connect with a pre-school or an elementary program and do something to get children interested in music.

Here are some ideas:

  • Do an instrument petting zoo.
  • Hold a concert.
  • Do homemade instrument building project (read my SHELLS article for suggestions).
  • Help your local Girl Scouts earn a music related badge.

————————————————————-
Week 2 (October 7th-13th):Keep Teens Musical
This week, move up to middle school or high school age youths and keep them interested in music!

Here are some ideas:

– Go to a Middle School and:

  • Help the band program raise money.
  • Clean their band room.
  • Volunteer to help the band at a performance.

OR
-Go to a High School and:

  • Help recruit middle school band students to high school band programs/marching band.
  • Volunteer at a marching competition or a high school football game.
  • Help the high school band program fund raise.

————————————————————-
Week 3 (October 14th-20th): Support Your Peers
Other young adults are working just as hard as you, show them we are here to support them!

Here are some ideas:

  • Do a musical service event for your band program or the whole music department.
  • Consider supporting a different school (not your own) or even work with a neighboring chapter of TBS!
  • Partner with a chapter of TBS, KKY, or any of the other musical organizations to raise money or complete a service event.
  • Clean your band facility.

————————————————————-
Week 4 (October 21st-27th): Give Back to Your Elders
It’s time to show your elders how much you appreciate them!

Here are some ideas:

  • Stuff music folders for your local community band.
  • Host an event for your own band’s alumni.
  • Visit a nursing home or assisted living facility and perform a musicale.

———————————————————————————————————————————–

This guide is not set in stone, you can deviate from the above model, so be creative! Participation is not mandatory but if you do want to participate, please fill out our SiMM log. You can find that document HERE. Log each project that you do onto the document and email it back to me: sedvpsp@tbsigma.org in an attachment by Monday, November 4th!! You do not have to complete a service project every week to receive recognition, so please send a log if you participated!

The council will review all of the logs, looking for membership participation, creativity, and musical impact. All chapters who participate in the 2013 Service in Music Month Movement will receive recognition at SED Convention in March! However, the chapter who best serves ALL THE AGES will be given an award at convention!

Any Questions, need help thinking up a project, or just want to chat??
Email me! sedvpsp@tbsigma.org

sedcouncil band, ITB, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma

Did You Know????

As we begin looking for potential candidates for membership in Tau Beta Sigma, we always need to be aware of one of the reasons our chapters get suspended and shut down… that dreadful ‘h’ word.

Keep up with the conversation this week and really think about what your chapter does and how it educates its members.

Here are some ways to get involved:
1. Join the Facebook group- “Take a Stand for Tau Beta Sigma.” Founded by Kathy Godwin, past National President and current Board of Trustee, this group is a hotbed of conversation, not just about hazing, but instead about Tau Beta Sigma’s image. We always remember, “it is an honor to be selected to serve.” But that spans beyond just our work with the organization. This group has posts concerning social media abuse, drinking, etc. I highly encourage viewing and joining this group!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/18218985852/

2. Use the hash tag #4Gr8rAwareness this week on your social media to join the conversation that Tau Beta Sigma is starting. How can we get involved in hazing prevention week and show the world how sororities and fraternities, especially our own, are working to end hazing!

3. Kathy Godwin asks the following from all of us, get involved and participate!!!
“I’m asking that everyone think of doing at least ONE of the following next week:
a) participate in a Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Facebook, etc. discussion or post once, next week.
b) Discuss hazing with your chapter and membership candidates. The easiest way we can start to work on this is to openly talk about it
c) Discuss/watch any of the videos or posts with your chapter and share it with all of us!
d) Ask your student affairs office or club office or whomever on campus if there are some workshops they offer on risk management or hazing (some of you may already know). Find out the cost and availability. Let them know that you’re doing it as part of Hazing Prevention week
e) Find one “tradition” you have in your membership education program OR in your band. I want you to audit that tradition. What in the WORLD am I talking about? Every chapter has traditions…some really are MANY years old and some are surprisingly new. I’d like you to look at one of them and consider everything about it: Why does it exist? What’s the purpose? Does it fit with the Tau Beta Sigma purposes? Would you be willing to explain all the details to your director, someone’s parents, the president of the university, to me, to a lawyer? I’m not trying to find your problems…to me a big part of this is education and understanding. SOOO…take a look. If this is what you want to do and you want a walk through, hang on. I’ll post more later.
f) Take pics and videos of activities for your band and chapter that DO promote our ideals and are what we should be posting on social media to help promote Tau Beta Sigma. Post them and tag them with our hashtag of #4gr8rAwareness. IF you are AT ALL concerned that it’s not the right image, ask!!! This could be a service project. It could be talking to your membership candidates about hazing or service. Think through it…if I asked you to submit pics so we could show a director or school how amazing TBS is, that’s what you should be doing.”

If you ever have any questions or doubts about the image your chapter or any individual may be releasing, let’s talk about it. If you have any questions or want more information about Hazing Prevention Week, feel free to contact any member of your SED Council for more information! Let’s get ready and Take a Stand for Tau Beta Sigma!!!

sedcouncil band, ITB, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma

Introducing National Council Office Hours

Hey SED:

Below is an e-mail that Amy Bovin Dauphinais via the Listserv. If you’re not a member of the SED Listserv, I’ve put the e-mail below for you to check out. : )

Greetings Tau Beta Sigma!!

Need advice on something? Have any questions needing answers? Or simply want to get to know the sorority better? Members of the National Council will be holding office hours at various times throughout the months! During these times, sorority members will have the chance to interact with the council members one-on-one through various means of social media and technology (faceboook, twitter, gmail chat, etc.) I will post times that each council member will be holding their office hours so be on the look out for these times!

In addition, our monthly student chats will also be held for you to interact with other sisters throughout the nation! Next one is Thursday Sept 19th at 8PM EST. In order to be a part of these chats you need to be a member of the Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/114095288697778/ so be sure to click the link so that you can join in on the fun!

Hope all is well with everyone!
MLITB,
Amy

sedcouncil band, ITB, Kappa Kappa Psi, leadership, music, SED, service, sisterhood, sorority, Southeast District, Tau Beta Sigma, TBSigma

5 Reminders on the 4TH Day of the Week. : )

Greetings Sisters of the Southeast District!

I hope your school year/football/marching band season is off to a spectacular start! I wanted to take a few minutes on this lovely Wednesday to remind you of a few things that are upcoming…

#1- Eighth Note bids are due to myself (sedpres@tbsigma.org) and Kyle Sullivan(sedpresident@kkpsi.org) on September 20th! See previous email, Facebook, or either organization’s website for further guidelines and details!

#2- Chapter Personnel Reports and National Dues are due to National Headquarters via the Online Membership & Reporting System (report) and via mail (dues) on September 30th! If you have any questions, please see me or any other council member. Please remember, any report submitted is not counted as “on time” unless approved by both your Sponsor and Director of Bands by the aforementioned deadline (September 30th)!!!

#3- Service in Music Month occurs every year during the month of October. Your SED VPSP (Shannon Matthews) will be releasing the details of the month shortly, however, start looking at your calendars and brainstorming different service projects you can accomplish for your band, music department, university, and community! As a service organization, we should take pride in the month of October, as it is based fundamentally around one of the Tau Beta Sigma pillars.

#4- DLC bids are due to myself (sedpres@tbsigma.org) and Kyle (sedpresident@kkpsi.org) on October 4th. See previous email, Facebook, or either organization’s website for further guidelines and details!

#5– The details and information regarding the 2013-2014 Concerto Competition have been sent out, posted on our website, as well as posted on the SED Facebook groups. Please support this project by advertising in your music department as well as in your chapters! Applicants do NOT have to be members of Tau Beta Sigma or Kappa Kappa Psi to apply, nor will membership boost the possibility of winning. Please contact Shannon Matthews (sedvpsp@tbsigma.org) with any questions you may have!

That’s all I have for today. I hope you are as excited about this year as I am— for I KNOW the Southeast District is going to SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT!

If you ever need anything, my phone is always on (334-663-0979) and my email inbox (sedpres@tbsigma.org) is always open… and I like Facebook 🙂

Have a great day!