Summer pictures in letters!

We have spent a lot of time talking about our standards and how we appear as a Fraternity. It comes up time and again in our meetings, both Chapter and National, and we are (and should be) very concerned with how the rest of the world views Mu Beta Psi. We need to present the perspective we wish them to receive, and more often than not, I think we do. When we don't, we find ways to fix the problem. We have decided to adopt a Standards Advisor so that we have a go-to person when it comes to the tough decisions regarding whether something is or is not appropriate for our Fraternity standards. We also make sure that we don't post inappropriate or sensitive photos/information in public places, and that when we wear our letters we do so with honor and with pride.

All this talk of how we appear made me think, though -- during the summer there is a substantial decrease in the visibility of our Fraternity. Almost everyone who I've spoken with or who has addressed this has seen it as somewhat normal. I totally understand that we get busy with our personal lives in the summertime... but I also see this as an opportunity for us. It might be tougher to connect with many of our Brothers when school isn't in session since we don't all normally live right next to each other, but we can still wear our letters everywhere. (Maybe not to work, but you know what I mean. ~_^)

I think it's great when someone I don't know asks me what the letters on my shirt mean. It is a welcome opportunity to brag about my Fraternity, my Brothers, and all that we do together. It also spreads the word about our existence to people who may or may not have thought about us. People who may or may not want to help us, get to know us, or even join us. And put up your pictures of Brothers (and yourselves) in letters! Just putting our image out there plants a seed of curiosity, and who knows where that could lead? As long as we maintain our standards, I believe it can only lead to good places.

Modest Proposals for Memorial Day

In a couple hours it will be Memorial Day, a time when we pause to gratefully acknowledge the security and protection we enjoy in our lives, and to thank those who have sacrificed (and in many cases, paid the ultimate sacrifice) for these freedoms.

Whatever your plans, be they travel, or grilling & chilling with friends and Brothers, take a moment to thank an active member of the armed forces, or one of the millions of veterans. We owe them so much...it's the least we can do!

* * *

It's a crappy segue, but speaking of security, an interesting blog over at Yahoo! Tech discusses how (and why) things you store online can't even be removed in a timely fashion. It's a good reminder that just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people AREN'T out to get you.

It's worth a read. In fact, those currently in the job hunt will want to pay particular attention -- after all, you wouldn't want to lose out of a lucrative job offer just because of a picture of you in a compromising position was posted to your Facebook page!

Presidents, Pet Rocks, and Powwows

Yesterday felt kind of awkward for me. It was our last National President, Andrew Fleming's birthday, but I received a present from him, through our awesome Mu Brother JC Peterson, who delivered the hand-off. My gift? The National President's copy of policies! I have taken it upon myself to update these manuals. I urge you all to ensure that any manual currently residing with you remains up to date, so it will prove useful and make you happy. As the proverb goes, a manual that goes without update is like a neglected pet rock. And if there isn't a proverb that says that, then there should be. =P

In other news, in line with my intent to boost communication on a national scale, I am planning another Intranet discussion on our Fraternity's standards. It seems to me that many of our Brothers are very interested in how we think about our standards, exactly what these standards should be, and how we should measure their implementation. Zeta Brother Bryan Sebeck wrote a nifty Clef article about standards in Mu Beta Psi and the new Advisor position in the Board of Trustees dedicated to managing our standards. Keep an eye out for a specific date and time for this powwow.

I also want to remind everyone that it can be really fun to gather some Brothers for a random Intranet chat about nothing important. Even over the summer, when we are scattered to numerous locations outside of our Chapter locations or away from home, we can stay connected.

Raising Funds While Raising the Roof

It seems natural that after 3 years of helping chapters brainstorm ideas for fundraisers as NVPCM, I have now moved into a role of putting some of those ideas into action as chair of the fundraising committee for the Alumni Association. One of the first things I did? Throw a party.

Andrew and I happened to be in the happy circumstance of getting ready to move, so we used it as an opportunity to "clean out" the alcohol and munchies that had sat unused on our shelves, rather than moving them to a new apartment to collect even more dust. We donated what food and mixers we would typically buy for any other party we throw, and let our guests do the rest. We had a cash jug at the door, and our computer was set up to make donations online, Rock Band was blasting in the background, Brothers had travelled from all over, and all the guests were having a great time. They were also donating over $300 to Mu Beta Psi.

The crux of this party for us was that we invited all of our friends and not just Brothers. I know we are all in the mindset of asking our Brothers for money, especially (and rightfully so) our alumni. What we frequently lose sight of is that there are a lot of people in our lives that can get behind Mu Beta Psi's mission, or at support us in our passion for it, who never need to become Brothers. One of our friends alone donated $100 because he knew how much Mu Beta Psi means to me and Andrew. Others who couldn't even go to the party came to us with checks or cash before or afterwards to show their support. It all adds up.

So even though you may be scattered from your Chapters this summer, consider holding a barbecue, picnic, hiking trip, scavenger hunt, or just plain-old-party and setting a fundraising goal for you and your friends to raise for Mu Beta Psi. It will give your Brothers an excuse to travel to visit you, and your chapter will be in better shape come September than it is now.

Food (and drink) for thought!

Communication + Brothers = Better Brotherhood

I believe I mentioned something about transparency of office at Convention this year. Also, getting other Brothers involved in the national functionality of this Fraternity is picnicking on the plateau of my priority list, having set up shop for a nice, long, extended-metaphorical afternoon. What better way to begin working at both of these than to open myself, via internet technology communications methods, to formal and informal conversations about Mu Beta Psi?

I want to offer that while I will use this blog as one outlet to periodically update the Brotherhood about the goings-on of the National Office and the NEC, there are other ways to keep in touch with me as your National President - via the Intranet, Facebook, Twitter, AIM, e-mail, and phone. The latter three are available on the Address List, which is posted to the Intranet in the Knowledgebase -->National Documents --> Addresses. If you do not know how to reach me at all... Houston, we have a problem. ;-)

Also, I am posting some of the pictures I took at Zeta Con '09 on Facebook. Check them out, post your own, and please provide a link for your Brothers on the Intranet under the discussion board topic I just created [Convention (Zeta Con) 2009]. More to come soon on the path to a better-connected Brotherhood.

And finally, an advertisement:
USE THE INTRANET! This is not a test. This is a shameless use of the National Officer Blog to entreat you to implement the most convenient Mu Beta Psi-only communications tool in existence. Kevin Britton, our amazing webmaster and C-NITC, has already bumped the user manual up to front and center, so all you need to know is how to log-in and BAM! Just one click and you can learn all about the Intranet!

But wait, there's more! Act now (or sometime in the near future) and you can join in a discussion board topic designed to create a database of Brothers' Twitter usernames! Holy exploding communication, Batman!

Of course, you are always encouraged to create new discussion threads about music, service, Brotherhood, and anything else you wish to share with your Brothers. Check out some of the threads already in existence during your free time.

In Brotherhood,
Garrett Cooperman,
National President

A little misty-eyed

Alright, who am I kidding? I actually cried as I watched our new National Officers taking the oath of office on Saturday night. It seems like only yesterday I was at Omicron and taking the same oath of office that carried me through all the ups and downs of the next three years.

I loved being NVPCM. To Garrett, Sarah, Kate, and Jennie, I hope you all experience the joy and pride that makes your office so worth doing. Good luck!

In Brotherhood,
Chrissy Fleming
former NVPCM

More congratulations - new National Officers

Congratulations to the following new officers:

Jennifer McCarthy (Nu) was elected to a one-year term as National Secretary.

Kate Capehart (Mu) was elected to serve as National Editor of The Clef. 

Please send your congratulations to our new officers.

New National Officers

Congratulations to the following Brothers:

Garret Cooperman (Nu) was elected as National President.

Sarah Flourance (Pi) was elected as National Vice President of Chapter Maintenance.

Elections are ongoing. Updates will be posted as they happen.

Suspending the Rules...

For those that are not here, Legislative Council began with an immediate motion to suspend Roberts Rules of Order. For a variety of reasons, the motion passed.

Wouldn't it be great if there were other times in your life when you could suspend the rules, just for a little while? Imagine being able to suspend the speed limit, just for that one time you're running late. Or suspending the rule that you have to go to work every day to get paid. Or even that pesky "insider trading" rule -- that one could be profitable.

As President Fleming pointed out, you can suspend the rules, but you can't suspend the National Constitution. I guess some rules -- specifically the ties of Brotherhood -- are immutable.

Live blogging update: Still in NEC

It's 11:04, and we're still in the NEC meeting. I hope everyone else is having a great time outside of the meeting. :)

Here is another sledding video (David Lee with a great dismount):

NP Fleming Working Hard at Convention

Liveblogging from Convention

Your NVPCM Fleming is hard at work at Convention. 

Safe and Sound(s)

You wouldn't want a webcam pointed at your shower, your checkbook register, your medical records, or your grade report in the Registrar's office, would you?

Of course not. These things are private, and rightly so. But a similar thing happens all of the time when it comes to your Fraternity. Hundreds of pictures -- some of them documenting equally private and secret stuff -- innocently posted to web pages, online photo albums and social networking sites.

A great deal of Fraternity life involves important rituals. And while it's important to document these rituals -- just as its important to document your medical history -- it's equally important to keep that information safe and secure. That's why we have things like the National Information Technology Policy -- to help us understand what can be shared, and what needs to be private.

Some sites have security features that help you limit who can see your information. But those don't keep the people who run the sites from seeing it. Would you give them your medical records to store? The PIN number to your ATM card? Probably not. Neither should you trust them with records of Fraternity secrets.

It's important that we document Fraternity history. But at the same time, protecting that information is everyone's responsibility. Even yours. Do your part -- keep photos and accounts of rituals off the Internet. And remind others to do the same.