Convention is around the corner!

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.

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!

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