The National Officer's Blog: Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Musical Fraternity

The Gremlin Allegory

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

Several of our Chapters are fighting tooth and nail against Gremlins this semester.

If you've never seen the hit 1984 film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg, I encourage you to rent it, pick up some movie-style popcorn at the grocery store, grab your favorite soft drink and treat yourself to something nice.

To give you a little teaser-description, picture the tiniest, cutest little Furbee-esque (Mogwai came first, but you'll get the reference this way) creature you've ever seen. Feed it after midnight and it morphs into an evil reptilian demon. Just add water, and you have a horde of horror on your hands.

What the heck does this have to do with Mu Beta Psi? you ask.

Brothers getting submissions in on the last day before they're due. Re-prioritizing Psi business somewhere lower on the chain to free up some 'me' time. Skipping out on a rush event because this one night out of the whole rush week they were invited to a party by some guys in a social.

Alone, each of these circumstantial excuses are fine. Once in a long while, they're not exactly a big deal. Harmless, even. But string them together, or spread them among several Brothers at a time, and we end up with a serious problem. Last-minute submissions leave no time for revisions on mistakes, and late submissions slow down the whole organization. If half the Brothers skip a rush event, it's not much of a rush event. Who's there for the potential pledges to meet? Putting off Psi business collectively means not doing anything, not fulfilling our purposes, not having a Brotherhood. Just add water, and our small excuse-powered indiscretions become major problems.

Don't get me wrong; we all need a break in our schedules, and Mu Beta Psi is absolutely an additional responsibility. However, it's one that has HUGE rewards for the work we put in. If we all commit to every rush event, we demonstrate and reinforce solidarity in our Brotherhood - and we have more fun there, anyway, knowing we've all made the same time for each other. If we get all of our submissions in early, not only will the National Office be better equipped to help us when we need it, but we'll totally get bragging rights as the most responsible Chapter (Oh, and did I mention I'm giving a prize at Convention for that this year? Yeah that's happening).

Some people think the most important reason for handling your elected or appointed positions well, for getting your requirements out of the way -- for takin' care of business, if you will (oh, it's gonna be stuck in your head all day now. I'm not sorry.) -- is that sense of accomplishment, that knowledge that our Fraternity is continuing on the right track and we're getting stuff done. Sure, that's a valuable feeling and a vital *result*. But I really believe the most important reason for living up to our fraternal responsibilities is exactly that - they are *fraternal* responsibilities - obligations to our Brothers. When I take on a position, a project, even a small task in this organization, I take it seriously not just because I'm an upstanding citizen with a conscientious attitude (though I am that, and modest, too ;-D) but because I treat each new accepted responsibility as a promise to my Brothers. They're counting on me to do what I've taken on and to do it well, and I refuse to let them down. That's what Brotherhood is based on, after all - our trust in one another, the fact that we can count on each other to be there. What better way to demonstrate trustworthiness than to make good on promises, even those that are only implicit?

I'm not going to pull any preachy rhetorical stunt by returning to my Gremlins parallel - I think you got the point. If you love your Brothers, do your job better than you ever expected to be able to. They will love you back for it, and you'll avert disaster. Two gremlins, one stone...

In Brotherhood always,
Garrett Cooperman
NVPCM

Running for office

2011-01-23T07:54:00.001-08:00

Brothers,

As Convention draws nearer, I am disposed to offer what I feel is a necessary insight into the ups and downs of serving as a National Officer. I haven't heard much in the way of responses to a call for letters of intent to run for office, and thus have come to believe that not enough of you are considering it strongly. Truly, it is a worthwhile endeavor and a HUGE help to the Fraternity.

I'll get the downers out of the way first. Like any office, being a National Officer (NO) is a time commitment. You need to devote a small chunk of each week to maintaining the important duties of your office and developing the projects you're working on. You need to continually keep contact with other officers, Chapter officers, and Brothers in general.

It can be draining to be a National Officer. You might find yourself disappointed in responses to your inquiries, disappointed in the frequency of incoming communication, or eventually just burned out from spending your Psi-energy on business all the time. There are times when I need to refresh myself by calling up some Brothers and going out for lunch or drinks to remind me why this is so important and for whom I'm doing the work I do. I love my Brothers, and that's why I chose to take on a National office.

But it's entirely worth it. I get to give back to the Brotherhood that gave me so much. I get to help manage the organization that gave me the best friends I could ever dream up -- people who would stand by me in a heartbeat, give me a ride to the car shop and a loan to get it fixed so I can make my student-teaching in the morning; people who would invite me to spend a weekend at their place just so I could meet the rest of their Chapter and get a breather from being lonely in a state I'm not used to... I get to help give stability and direction to the organization that gave me a stronger purpose in college, a better appreciation for the music I've always loved, and a TON of awesome people to share it with.

It's also got some pretty good perks. I have a much easier time staying in touch with Brothers, new and old, because I'm a NO. People generally know who I am and how to get in touch with me when they want to, which helps me organize get-togethers and trips. I find that it's easier to get out of work for things like Convention and installations, etc., because I've got a role to play in Executive Committee. Oh, and it certainly doesn't hurt the old resume to have "National [Officer], Mu Beta Psi" on there.

And even the business side of my office can be fun. Despite the stress involved, I really love planning Convention. I enjoy scheduling things outside of the usual meetings, like workshops and luncheons. I like getting to know more about schools I didn't attend as a student, too. Most of all, I love reconnecting with Brothers on a Chapter level as we work together to plan our yearly gathering of the Brotherhood. Beyond Convention, I thoroughly enjoy the NEC. I have some awesome Brothers working as MALs and NOs in there. In all, being a NO ensures that I stay connected to my Fraternity in an incomparable way.

So consider whether you might want to give back to Mu Beta Psi by running for a National Office. If you have any questions about it, ask any of us. We'd be happy to help you learn more about how each office or the NEC as a whole works, and help you prepare to run for office.

In Brotherhood,
Garrett Cooperman
National President

In the Loop (and Prepped for Soup? And Shooting Hoops? And... you come up with one.)

2010-08-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

The summer tends to be a time of relaxation and rejuvenation for much of our Brotherhood. Lots of us make plans to travel, to work and recoup funds lost during the previous semester, to lounge around the house doing absolutely nothing for a change…

And some of us are National Officers who manage to find something to do to keep Fraternally active during these quasi-slow months. Unfortunately, it often happens that all the busy work and planning done in the summer is lost on the rest of the Brotherhood until AFTER the first NEC meeting of the fall semester (which, in my experience, makes it terribly hard to prepare for what’s coming in time for its arrival). I’ve taken it upon myself to prevent that this time by updating you with the following program:

What’s up N.O.W.? (National Officers of Win)

On the desk of the National President (that’d be me, Garrett Cooperman) is, well, my main job – keeping track of the rest of the organization and trying to keep everyone in touch – and also the National Scholarship Program. The committee got off to a good start towards the end of last semester, and we’re taking our careful time with the document that will govern such a momentous, novel undertaking for the whole organization. We’re ready to kick back into full gear with Articles 1 and 2 of the policy in September. Oh, and I went to Israel – my first trip overseas.

Our neighborhood friendly National Vice President of Chapter Maintenance, Sarah Flourance, is working on the CM website and planning to begin some necessary updates to the CM handbook – you know, that wonderfully large and unbelievably helpful binder you all should have, with everything you need to know about managing a Chapter of Mu Beta Psi. She’s also been to Long Island and seen an epic ton of Brothers this summer.

The sensational Andy Stephens, National Vice President of Expansion, got a message of interest from a student at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, and hopes for a response to his follow-up early this fall. He’s planning to facilitate work on the Colony Handbook with his committee this semester. With all of this excitement he managed to squeeze in graduating, too!

Famous National Treasurer Jennifer Staten has received her last EIN verification letter and can move forward on our Tax-Exemption Application! Huzzah! She’s soliciting audit materials from all Chapters, so get those in to her ASAP, please. I don’t know how she keeps up with everything while having a brand new baby to take care of 24/7. She’s either insane, Wonder Woman, or both.

Chrissy Fleming and alter-ego Benjamin Griffeth have been serving spectacularly as a tag-team Acting National Secretary to keep that office going. They’re also Alumni Association President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, respectively, if you were unaware. Chrissy ran Mid-Year in Baltimore, MD as part of her summer and Griff spent some time on the beach.

By the way, they’ve been doing a fantastically helpful job, but they really shouldn’t have to. I know we have a ton of Brothers who are more than capable of handling this office with dexterous flair and fervent zeal. Seriously, start considering running for that position now. It’s never too early to get prepared, people. Brother Cooperman wants YOU for NS!

National Historian Nathaniel Kulyk, who needs no verbose introduction, has done us all a solid and begun securely storing the archives. He added some storage bins to better protect documents, etc, and set the oldest documents in sleeves for safety. The rest of the archives should be in the storage unit sometime around Labor Day. Nathaniel’s had a busy summer and apparently hasn’t done anything worthy of note for fun.

Kate Capehart, creative National Editor of the Clef, will be completing Clefly online publications and publishing the next issue this fall, so stay tuned for informatively festive literature (or was it festively informative?). Her favorite part of the summer so far was visiting friends and family in North Carolina.

Chairman Benjamin Griffeth and the Board of Trustees met quite recently, as a matter of fact, and began parsing through the National Goals. They have a lot on their plate for the rest of the year, so expect a high volume of activity in that department.

I hope today’s program has helped you prepare for the upcoming semester with our wonderful Fraternity. It would be cool if everyone who read this the whole way through could post their favorite part of the summer as a comment. ^_^

In Brotherhood always,

Garrett I. Cooperman

National President

The Facebook Privacy War: What is Personal Data?

2010-05-07T07:44:00.001-07:00

The Facebook Privacy War: What is Personal Data?

Posted using ShareThis

Papwork and Praise

2010-05-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

I think deadlines are the bane of everyone's existence. Though some people find them exhilirating, some find them annoying, and others find them to be nothing more than a whooshing sound in their ears as they fly by almost unnoticed, sooner or later, everyone is held to a deadline.

I've been a Brother for 9 years and have seen deadlines from the side of chapter rep, desperately trying to get the stuff I need to turn them in on time ("To which officer? In what format? Aww hell....") and from that of a national officer, desperately trying to get chapters to turn things in so they don't have to face fines ("Just fill out this form. It takes 5 minutes, you have a month, and it's online...why are you calling me at 11:50pm before the deadline?).

In my days as NVPCM I tried everything from bribery and competition to cajoling and even threats. Nothing worked all the time, but I did find that the more my representatives thought of me as a human being that they wanted to work with, the more likely they were to get their stuff turned in on time. Sometimes, the representatives would send me little notes of thanks or hello; this was my favorite part (hint, hint).

Just after accepting the role of Acting National Secretary, I was faced with the daunting April 30th deadline: 9 chapters submitting 10 different things to 4 different officers. I had heard at Convention that this past year was a terrible one for deadlines, and I was determined to get us back on track. Instead of harassing the chapters individually (a lot of effort on my part) I sent out emails to the national lists reminding of deadlines (as required) and making it sound like a race between the chapters (definitely not required). Two chapters, Zeta and Pi, took up the challenge with gusto, which really led the other chapters to get in on the fun. It wasn't until long after the guantlet had been thrown that I suggested there would be a prize, not just for the winner, but for everyone who got their stuff in on time. This was important to me because I had to see the chapters doing it for the right reasons before I was willing to reward this behavior.

It's May 1st and I'm waiting to hear back from my fellow officers to see how we fared. But if their experience is like mine, they've had 100% completion.

I don't think I can run every deadline like this. The "let's clean up the nursery" game only works so many times before kids realize it's still cleaning--that thing they hate to do. I think what has to happen is chapters get used to the communication, and the responsibility, and that national officers remember that just because we go through this every time, there's almost always some rep that's doing it for the first time. For now, we're off to a good start!

--Chrissy Fleming
Acting National Secretary

Convention is around the corner!

2010-02-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

Psyched for UNConvention 2010? I am. Here's the link for the meeting schedule in case you missed it.

UNConvention 2010 Meeting Schedule

Don't forget to bring pennies for Penny Wars!

An update from the NP GIC.

2010-01-30T22:30:00.001-08:00

Brothers,
Lots of stuff has been happening and if you happen to read this blog, this might keep you in the loop or bring you up to speed.
First of all, the skeletal bylaws are almost completely revised. This is a very good thing, because it will give us a set of documents which will expedite the process by which new Chapters create their rules during the colonization process.
Secondly, the national scholarship program is moving ahead swimmingly. The action plan I developed for its execution has been working great. The next steps include a couple of online discussions geared toward answering a few important questions about the scholarship itself. After that, we'll begin working on the framework for its establishment. Fun stuff.
Also, Convention is nearly upon us. There are several positions for which we will hold elections; get your letters of intent out soon, folks! It's going to be a wonderful weekend for us Brothers in Chapel Hill, NC, hosted by the always amazing Mu Chapter. You can thank the illustrious Logan Brackett for much of the hard work put in planning and organizing 2010's National Convention. I should have a schedule sent out early this week, but remember the NEC has to finalize it before it's technically... er... final.
If you've had your ear to the NCE ground, you've heard there is interest at Marist College in New York for a potential colonization. It's probably a good time to start thinking about whether your Chapter would be interested in hosting, should this become a reality.
The NCCM has been winding up for a helpful and mutually supportive semester.
NT Jen Staten's been guiding her NFC through the process we need to complete in order to gain tax-exemption, and helping me plan the financial side of the scholarship, among several other helpful endeavors. Remember to bring your loose change to Convention for the Penny Wars, hosted by Jen Staten and benefiting the scholarship fund!
Oh, and NEOTC Kate Capehart and I got engaged earlier this month. Just in case you haven't heard. ^__^

In other news... I'm still me. I know a lot of you tend to think about Psi business when my name comes up or when we're talking, but the office isn't who I am, it's just something I do for our Fraternity. I still love to hang out and talk about things that aren't Mu Beta Psi-related. Please don't forget that. =)

I hope everything's been going well for everyone. I'm looking forward to visiting a few Chapters this semester. I miss a lot of you guys. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll see as man of you as possible at Convention.

In Brotherhood always,
Garrett

Summer pictures in letters!

2009-06-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-14T14:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-13T19:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Liveblogging from Convention

2009-03-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Your NVPCM Fleming is hard at work at Convention.

Safe and Sound(s)

2009-01-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

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.

NS Out of the Country

2008-12-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Brothers,

I will be in India for 2 weeks, starting next Thursday, December 11th. I am not bringing a laptop, and I do not anticipate that I will be checking my email much. One of my best friends is getting married in Chennai (formerly called Madras), and I will be attending her wedding, then traveling around the southern part of India. I arrive back home in Roanoke on December 26th.

Thanks for your patience! I will be sure to post some pictures when I return.

Thanks!

Julie

Name Changing

2008-10-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

Now that Andrew and I are married, I will be going by Chrissy Fleming. Since I've known many Brothers for almost 8 years, I won't be surprised (or at all bothered) if this adjustment takes a while to sink in. Don't worry if you've got my old last name on your pledging info sheets or other materials, or if you slip up in what you call me for a while. I'm just now starting the very large task of changing my name legally and in all of my various accounts, and I'm finding it's more of a slow process than an instant change. This suits me just fine since, after 26 years of being Chrissy Bischoff, I tend to slip up too! Just wanted you all to know.

NEC Meeting Minutes

2008-10-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

You may not realize this, but every time I compile meeting minutes from the transcripts of our online meetings, it takes me about 2 solid hours. Even though I have word-for-word transcripts of everything that was said and everyone who came and left during the course of the meeting... still, 2 hours.

Another thing you may not realize is that reading the minutes of the National Executive Committee (NEC) is actually very interesting an informative. Here's why: Every National Officer and every Chapter submits a report, and I compile these in the minutes of our meeting. What better way to stay informed than to read what your NOs and chapter MALs have written about? We often have vigorous debates during NEC, and I try to capture the essence of these debates in what I put into the meeting minutes.

Our latest meeting was at the end of August. You can read the minutes here:
http://intranet.mubetapsi.org/portal_mods/knowledgebase.php?page=file&aid=505&gid=82&kcat=Minutes (need to login to the intranet first)

Our next NEC meeting is on Tuesday, October 21st at 8pm in the chatroom.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is coming up in a few days: Tuesday, October 14th at 8pm EST in the chatroom.

Anyone may attend these meetings, as lurkers or as participants. We encourage you to join us.

Don't forget about deadlines that are coming up in 4 days. I just sent an email to the National Listerv, the MAL listerv, and the BOT listserv with details. You can also contact me directly at secretary at mubetapsi dot org.

That's all for now..... Enjoy your weekend!

Julie
National Secretary

The True Cost of Vacation, and other Musings

2008-10-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes going on vacation costs a lot more than just what you shell out.

In my case, it's coming back that tells the tale. No matter how much I prepare to be absent, inevitably there are a slew of last minute (or after last-minute) questions and problems that need to be addressed.

This week, my first back after 2 weeks in Australia, I've been absolutely buried. Even before the jet lag dissipated, problems with email delivery to roanoke.edu addresses on the national committee distribution lists sprung up. I've contacted the Roanoke College helpdesk to try to obtain their assistance with this. In the meantime, if you're sending mail to any of our email lists (mubetapsi.org addreses with a "-l" in the name), be sure to also CC the Omicron folks. You can find a listing of reps and aliases on the intranet at http://intranet.mubetapsi.org/aliases.php.

The new public relations campaign for that alias list has also resulted in a number of alias update requests. I'm happy to receive these and implement them. It sure beats waiting for an address list! And speaking of address lists, I'm currently testing a system to allow MAL's better access to updating the actives list for their Chapter. The completed system should allow us to keep the intranet profiles up to date with respect to Chapter activity, while also providing one-click submission of address lists to the NS. This should be ready in the next few weeks.

In other news, I've uncovered a couple of big bugs in the user profiles this week, with the help of a faithful helpdesk user. The first involves users not being able to manage subscriptions for their email addresses -- the fix for this one has been written and will be implemented soon. The second involves captions for uploaded images not being stored. I'm still working on that one, but hope to have a fix soon.

The helpdesk remains the ideal resource for bringing problems such as these to my attention. That said, it also helps to CHECK BACK periodically for updates to your ticket. Sometimes the automated email about updates doesn't get sent for whatever reason, or it gets sent and missed. There are several tickets open right now that are waiting on feedback from the requestor. Please, if you have a ticket open, take a peek and see where it stands.

One thing upon which you can be sure: Unlike the airlines, when you get your ticket from me, I won't lose your luggage.

Chapter-Specific Intranet Content

2008-07-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

With the launch of the new Alumni Association website, a new capability becomes available to Chapters -- customized intranet content specific to your Chapter. To see how it works, click on the Members link on the Alumni homepage and then click Login. If you're logged in to the intranet, it will take you to a page which includes both static information and a subset of the Knowledgebase specific to the Alumni Association. If you're not logged in, you'll be prompted to do so.

While this is a minor example, it is representative of the types of content that can now be done. Chapter-specific Knowledgebase folders, Brothers Galleries, even Who's Online or specific message board forums could be compiled to form a "mini Intranet" that's specific to a Chapter. I'm also open to other ideas to help Chapters customize content.

If your Chapter is interested in doing something similar, let me know. The user validation tools are quite easy to implement, and you can be up-and-running quickly, depending on what level of restriction you're looking for (the fastest to set up is the Alumni model, which does not restrict viewing ONLY to active alumni).

Yes, We're Open!

2008-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's summer time, when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of......well, anything, really, as long as it's not school or work or Fraternity. Right?

Maybe not. Believe it or not, the National Office IS open over the summer. (No, really!) The Brothers Intranet is open. The Maintenance Wikka is open. Heck, even the Alumni Association is open -- we're adding people to our LinkedIn group every day!

The reality is, with all of the collaborative tools available to us, the Fraternity does not need to go completely dead just because it's summer. We can now focus on the more fun aspects of Brotherhood -- interacting with and learning from (and about) our Brothers nationwide.

Make it happen!

Clerical Error: DOIN THE BOT -- forever

2008-04-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

I regret to inform you that due to an unfortunate loop-hole in our Constitution, it appears that one of our long-standing fun traditions has caused considerable havoc.

Each year, as many of you know, the Legislative Council votes to re-name the Board of Trustees. All in good fun, of course, and it has no lasting consequences.

Wrong.

It seems that Article XVII, Section 4.2 stipulates that no vote of the Legislative Council may have any time restriction appended to it. This is to prevent motions being passed at Convention purposefully set to expire between LC sessions when no one can do anything about it. Therefor, the motion the LC passed at this latest Convention is binding.

Our Board of Trustees is, officially, now named "Delightfully Orthodox, Impressively Nuanced, Tremendously Helpful Entity: Board of Trustees" or DOIN THE BOT.

With the end of the semester soon upon us, and the collegiate Brothers scattering across the country for the summer break, it seems unlikely that we can convene the LC until the fall semester to reverse this decision. I have asked C-NITC Britton to correct all of our online documentation, and NS Lyon to begin amending all national documents in which DOIN THE BOT is referenced.

I have not yet heard back from C-DOIN THE BOT Zander on whether there will be a mid-year meeting for DOIN THE BOT.

It seems we'll be stuck DOIN THE BOT for quite a while.

Convention Minutes are Almost Complete

2008-03-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

I've been working hard on the Convention minutes, and they're almost complete. If you're interested in seeing any of the following items, please sign in to the intranet first, then click on the links below.

I'm still working on the NEC and NCCM minutes. These should be out shortly.

LC Minutes
BOT Minutes
NCE Minutes
NFC Minutes
'08-'09 Budget
NHAC Minutes
NITC Minutes
Updated History and Archives Policy Manual
Updated Expansion Policy Manual
Updated Colonization Procedures
Updated Executive Committee Policy Manual

See previous post for links to items that are due on April 30th!

Take care,
Julie

The Chapter Maintenance Reference Library

2008-03-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Chapter Maintenance Reference Library has expanded again! I've replaced the lost books and bought a few more for us to
use as an organization. All Chapters may request photocopied sections of these books for their use, or may request that I bring
them anytime I visit. Here's a list of the books in the library:

"The Everything Fundraising Book" by Rich Mintzer

"The Everything Project Management Book" by Rich Mintzer

"Publicity for nonprofits" by Sandra L. Beckwith

"The Big Book of Team Building Games" by John Newstrom and Edward Scannell

"Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 exercises that get results in 15 minutes" by Brian Cole Miller

"Dealing with People You Can't Stand: How to bring out the best in people at their worst" by Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner

"Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations" by Michael Allison and Jude Kaye

I also have quite a few articles and other materials that have been clipped or sent in to me. Donations are always welcome. I hope every Chapter can find some of this information useful!

The Post-Convention Wave

2008-03-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Brothers,

Like Kevin, I have been enjoying a surge of questions and contact from Brothers at many different Chapters. Unfortunately, that cold I was trying to keep at bay during Convention with all the orange juice only got worse when I got home, and so my email response time has been slightly slower than usual. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better now--just in time for the majority of Spring Breaks to be over!

A lot of Chapters are inquiring about the potential for hosting a colony. My advice to all of you is to make sure that you can take on this responsibility without weakening the strength of your Chapter. Now is a great time to be doing extra recruitment, fundraising, and Brotherhood building to shore yourselves up for a potentially exciting year next year. (Spring is a good time to be doing all those activities anyway!).

On a side note, I left my cell phone charger in North Carolina, so until I receive it in the mail, email will be the best way to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Chrissy
NVPCM

Viral Networking

2008-03-19T07:18:00.001-07:00

Julie has invited me to participate on the blog, so I thought I'd share a little bit with what's been happening on the electronic frontier.

Intranet Profiles

The new intranet profiles were a big hit at Convention. In fact, I gleefully took notice of the fact that even during Legislative Council there were several people online playing with their profiles.

By far the most favorite feature is the family trees. I think we scored a big hit with how easy it is to navigate the trees, and how (relatively) simple it is to add people to your tree. It's gratifying to see them getting so much use so quickly. In fact, we went from just under 1500 "sibling" records to over 1800 just since last Friday! That type of viral networking builds on itself -- I think we're well on the way to seeing an uptick in interaction via the Brothers Intranet.

Just when you thought it couldn't get busier...

I spent the week before Convention frantically finishing all the features required to make the profiles work. The whole time, I thought of how nice it would be to sit back and watch it work afterwards. Silly me.

With the upsurge in intranet usage comes an upsurge in user questions, which means the Helpdesk has really been hopping lately. As a result, I had to put that little laurel resting on hold -- not necessarily a bad thing! All the support requests have motivated me to write a tool for merging duplicate accounts (now complete), and next I need to work on new tools for registering placeholder accounts and activating placeholder accounts.

I'm very grateful for all the suggestions and bugs that have been identified -- I want the intranet to be as useful to everyone as possible, and your feedback only helps make it more so. Keep it up!

Work/Life Balance

The next month is shaping up to be just as busy as the previous few have been. I'm out of town on business next week, my last graduate class (woo!) is winding down, and the dedication date for the parish center project I'm chairing at my church is rapidly approaching. One of these months I need to find time for an actual vacation!

Convention Reflections

2008-03-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Brothers,

I really enjoyed convention this year. I thought things ran smoothly for the most part, and I'm already excited about next year's convention.

Today, I will be working on compiling the minutes from Convention. I will nag you if I still need reports from your chapters. I'm hoping to get the minutes completed ASAP so that I can focus on the end of the semester rush.

Upcoming Deadlines

April 30th is the next big deadline. Log in to the intranet in order for the links below to work.

Chapter By-Laws in electronic format due to NS (I currently do not have any electronic copies of your By-Laws, so this is very important)
Chapter Informal Initiation Rituals due to NS (The informal initiation rituals that I currently have are pretty out of date. Please send me your current practices.)
Alumni Reports (Spring graduates) due to NS
Initiation Reports (Spring initiates) due to NT
Summer Address Lists due to NS (Download the address list and make any changes)
Link to Academic Calendars for 2008-2009 due to NS (Just email me the link to your college/university's academic calendar)
NCCM Quarterly Report due to NVPCM
Quarterly Pledging Report due to NVPCM

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know by shooting me an email. Secretary at mubetapsi dot org.

Convention is Coming!

2008-01-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

I've been working on MBPsi business lately, and I thought I should keep you posted.

Convention 2008 Schedule
NP Andrew and I have been working on the schedule for Convention 2008. We have created a joint to-do list on google docs, and we have a lot to prepare before Convention. You will be hearing a lot more from me in the coming weeks as we begin the preparations.

National Officer and BOT Reviews
I will be posting the National Officer and BOT reviews in an online survey format this year (using Zoomerang). We will be reviewing all officers not up for re-election as well as one of the BOT members. Your feedback is critical to improving our performance.

Shingle Orders
Alpha and Omicron had a little bit of a backlog of shingle orders, so I handled that over the break, and shingles should be in Brothers' hands by now. If your chapter has missing shingle orders, please email me at secretary at mubetapsi dot org, and I'll get it straightened out.

Work-Life Balance
We started classes this week. I'm teaching two sections of Organizational Behavior and one section of Team Dynamics. I'm also the new advisor for SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management), and I'm trying to help Omicron chapter as much as possible. Finally, I'm planning a wedding--I'm getting married this summer.

That's it for now. Hope you have a great semester.

Deadlines!

2008-01-17T19:41:00.000-08:00

Brothers,

It seems like I only write when I want to remind you of some deadlines, but I guess that comes with the territory.

Next deadline: February 15th

1) NCCM Quarterly Reports, due to Chrissy
Chrissy is tweaking this form and will let NCCM reps know via the NCCM-listserv when its available to complete. Please check to make sure that your NCCM reps are receiving emails with the subject line [nccm-l].

2) Initiation Reports, due to Abra
One check from each chapter, covering all initiates, is due along with an initiation report, which can be found at (must be logged into intranet to view): http://intranet.mubetapsi.org/portal_mods/knowledgebase.php?page=file&aid=26&gid=9&kcat=National%20Documents
The fee is $34/each = $20 national dues + $10 initiation fee + $4 shingle fee

3) Updated Address Lists, including new Brothers, due to me
I have a format (.xls) for submitting the updates. Please email me (secretary at mubetapsi dot org) if you would like the latest version I have for your chapter. Alternatively, you can download the most recent address list from the knowledgebase, make changes to your chapter's info in excel, and email me the attachment. It's your call! Here's the latest address list:
http://intranet.mubetapsi.org/portal_mods/knowledgebase.php?page=file&aid=313&gid=1&kcat=National%20Documents

4) Alumni Reports for Fall 2007 Graduates, due to me
If any Brother (active or inactive) at your chapter graduated in Fall 2007, please submit an Alumni Report to me. The Alumni Report can be found at:
http://intranet.mubetapsi.org/portal_mods/knowledgebase.php?page=file&aid=25&gid=9&kcat=National%20Documents
We use information from this report for our database of Brothers as well as to remind newly graduated Brothers of the opportunity to participate in the Alumni Association.

If you have questions about where to mail these reports, please consult the master address list (available on the knowledgebase section of the intranet) or me.

Thanks!

Upcoming Deadlines (please handle before break)

2007-12-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Brothers,

Before you start your exam cramming and before you pack your bags for Winter break, please take a moment to comply with the deadlines below so that you can be in good standing (and Chrissy will be pleased).

DUE: December 15th
Due to Chrissy Bischoff, NVPCM
1. Pledging Report (1 page form) Note: to follow the link, you need to be logged in to the intranet
2. NCCM Report (1 page form)
Your NCCM rep or your MAL should handle these submissions. Be sure to bug them to make sure it's done!

DUE: February 15th
Due to Abra Hill, NT
Initiation Report (1 page form) from Fall 2007 initiations
+ Initiation Fee and Shingle Fee (one check, made out to Mu Beta Psi)
Don't wait until February 15th. Get this handled now! The sooner you turn in the form, the sooner shingles get ordered.

Your MAL is ultimately in charge of these submissions but will need input from the Pledgemaster(s) and Treasurer. Be sure to bug them to make sure it's done!

Here is how to get to the forms in stepwise fashion: 1) Go to www.mubetapsi.org. 2) Log in to the intranet. 3) In the knowledgebase section (lower right hand corner), go to "National Documents" folder --> "National Office Operations" folder.

If you have trouble finding something, I'm happy to chat with you. Email me at secretary@mubetapsi.org.

Compiled Contact Information & Calendar

2007-11-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

The current contact information for Brothers at each of the chapters is located in the Knowledgebase section of the intranet. Go to National Documents --> Addresses --> and you'll see two files of note:
- "Address List - Fall 2007" is an excel file with one tab for each chapter. If your contact information is missing or incorrect, please email me at secretary@mubetapsi.org
- "Contact Info - NOs, BOT, and MALs" is a single page PDF file with contact info for the national officers, BOT members, chapter presidents, and MALs. You can print this out for easy access!

I have also created two google calendars for National Deadlines and Chapter Academic Calendars. Email me if you would like me to add you to the google calendar or send you the link to view it.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Convention Minutes Completed

2007-08-17T09:42:00.001-07:00

Brothers,

I have compiled the convention minutes from 2007. They are now available on the intranet. Go to the knowledgebase, minutes folder, convention 2007 folder, and the minutes are available as PDF files. If you have any corrections, please email me at secretary@mubetapsi.org.

Thank you for your patience!

Julie

Missing Reports

2007-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

So far, I am missing the following reports from Convention:

Legislative Council
Mu Chapter report
NP report

Committees
NCE Minutes
Mu's report to the NFC Meeting
Mu's report to the NHAC Meeting
Nu's report to the NHAC Meeting
Omicron's report to the NHAC Meeting
NITC Minutes

[more to come...]

Compiling the Convention Minutes

2007-03-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

The most overwhelming task for a new NS is compiling the Convention minutes. Without all of the reports, the minutes from legislative council (LC) alone are 45 pages. I need your help in making sure that we have an accurate record of events.

In the next few days, I will be creating a list of reports that I still need from you. So far, I have emailed some of the national officers (NOs), committee chairs, and chapter MALs regarding their missing LC reports. Next on the block will be the chapter reports within each committee. Stay tuned, and email me at secretary at mu beta psi dot org if you have any questions.

I will be on Spring break next week (March 19-23). I hope to get the majority of the Convention minutes compiled at that time. With your help, I can get these Convention minutes posted in record time. Thanks in advance!

Welcome

2007-03-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the blog of the National Secretary (NS) of Mu Beta Psi. First, thanks for selecting me to be your next NS! You will be hearing a lot from me in the next few years.

Second, please add the national deadlines calendar to your Google calendar by clicking on the button to the right. Alternatively, please check the calendar below to keep the national deadlines straight. I will be simultaneously using the calendar on the Intranet and the Google calendar below to announce deadlines.

You can receive the RSS feed of this blog by clicking on the little orange icon in the upper part of the website address. If you need more info on how RSS can seriously improve the quality of your internet experience, let me know, I love this stuff--I'd be happy to explain it for you.

Let me know if you have any feedback on this site.

- Julie