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KK
ENGAGE. COLLABORATE. INSPIR
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONOFTHE NORTH CENTRAL DISTRI
APRIL 2012 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 10
The ArpeggioThe ArpeggioThe ArpeggioIt seems just yesterdaythat Joe Norton, ChrisGrapis, Kyle von Neu-mann, and myself werestanding humbly at the front of
a vast ballroom in Merrillville,Indiana, taking our oath of of-
fice. We promised to serve to
the best of our abilities, and
members of the district echoed
back their support for our posi-
tions. We had just learned two
days prior of the resignation of
a former North Central District
governor, and I, for one, could
not help but notice Governor
Rod Whitemans an-
ticipatory gaze upon
the council-elect as
we officially began our
terms.
It seems just yesterday
that we hosted Summer FUNc-
tion, met at Purdue to discuss
the future of our positions and
the NCD, discussed a theme for
the year, published a new pub-lication for the district, trekked
to Colorado Springs for Nation-
al Convention, planned and ex-
ecuted Leadership Conference,
got our first look at the Fort
Wayne Convention Center, and
hosted Membership Education
Retreat. We successfully devel-
oped three block meetings with
different guest speakers for
each region of the district, sent
a representation to visit the
Midwest District at their con-
vention in Missouri, and began
to read the last chapter of our
stories. The term is coming to
a close, and it is impossible to
believe that this is truly our
ality.
This convention prom
es to be one of the best yet
Joe has done nothing b
spearhead the councils worka diligent effort to see to th
Fort Wayne is sure to hold t
tools necessary to Make t
Connection with brothers a
sisters from across the countr
And thus we prepare
bid you all farewell. We ha
become Unified through M
sic in Dearborn. We tr
Crossed the Boundary
Merrillville. And this year
prepare to Make the Conn
tion with one another in n
ways in Fort Wayne. On beh
of the North Central Distr
Council, I bid you all a heartf
farewell. Strive for the highe
brothers, forever and always.
AE
Jason A Mla
NCD VPP 11-
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Throughout my life, I keep saying to myself, I
have the COOLEST job in the world! First, through
my campers at Interlochen, then as Vice President of
Delta Upsilon, then my students in band, and now
through my amazing brothers in the North Central
District, my responsibilities have been so invigorating.
Through working in the aforementioned positions, and
with the aforementioned people, I have learned so
much from engaging great people, collaborating with
them on projects, and being inspired by their
fascinating stories, that I felt actuated to share what I
have gleaned in The Arpeggio. My thoughts in this firstvolume originate from my favorite program that our
district has: the illustrious One on Ones. At block
meetings, chapters are given an opportunity to speak
to the NCD council and governors to receive
personalized attention about their chapter. My
findings are organized starting with the broad level of
ideals, gradually become more focused on the
individual, finishing with a personal approach.
The first lesson that I learned was the lesson in
which I found myself most convicted. Organizations
are recognized by what they are doing, not what they
are saying or what they say they believe in. Chapters
wisely take valuable time to establish their identity
and their goals. However, these goals are only worth
anything if severe action is taken to implement them.
Chapters can achieve many of their goals and fix many
of their problems by putting a focused effort into
instilling these things into their recruitment and MEP.
It takes time, but it works.
Your chapter vision is made up of the collective
vision of each constituent. Any important
conversations or decisions that a chapter makes should
be discussed with the chapter and fortified by a unitedfront of dedicated brothers. Rod Whiteman took
valuable time to analyze carefully how the important
aspects of trust and relationships have a significant
impact on everybody. The simplest, yet most
important example of a diminution of trust and
effectiveness comes from a mismatch of expectations
and reality. Contradicting information and mixed
messages can prove fatal to a chapters operation. Just
as the MEP should reveal an accurate portrayal of
fraternity expectations, chapter projects, events, and
activities should paint a picture of the ideals for which
Kappa Kappa
Psi stands.
We spent a significant amount of
conversation on apathy. I learned that you co
motivate the middle third by making those memb
feel like their contribution is worthwhile. From
discussions, it seems that the best way to engage th
brothers are to discuss goals in a manner that they w
be interested enough to retain the informat
presented. How do we do this? Using S.M.A.R.T. go
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, a
Timely) as an incredible guideline for selling ideaspeople has proven worthy of our considerat
Celebrate the people who showed up! Sell the sexy
not grant the guilt. Be excited about what
gleaned, and people will follow you; do not forget t
being a brother is fun!
Communication is the foundation of trust. O
personal level, responsibility displacement a
becoming stagnant will leave giant holes in your cha
link armor of brotherhood. Responsibi
displacement seems to be the greatest pitfall
communication. The idea of, I was not part of caus
the problem, and therefore my guilt is absolve
creates more problems. Be a part of the solution! T
most frequent complaint from most chapters was t
a 90% of the work in a chapter is executed by 10%
the membership. A brother does not need a title
participate in the development of an idea, nor does
or she even need to be on a committee relevant to t
idea. Both on a chapter level and on a personal leve
you take the time to administer a time audit
exactly how much time you spend doing each daily t
(both in chapter operations AND in your personal li
you can clearly see if the ratios match your prioritand goals. If you are active status, you are expected
be taking an active responsibility.
Brothers, if you take nothing else from t
article please take this with you. Trust is
foundation of everything, compliments of Kyle
Neumann and The Art of Possibility by Benjam
Zander. Chapters (and individual people) are
radically unique, interesting, and complicated, t
you cannot possibly accurately predict them, assu
things of them, or categorize them. All you need
love, love. Love is all you need. - The Beatles
Lessons from the NCD
One-On-Ones Chris GrapisDelta Upsilon2011-2012
NCD VPM
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As the school year
begins to wind down, I find
myself, as well as ourchapter, battling our old foe
burnout. After two entire
semesters serving the bands,
we are tired and worn out. Are we really
expected to strive for the highest to the very
end? I mean really convention is coming up
and there have been block meetings. Is all of
that not enough? Have we not done enough for
our beloved bands? The answer is no.
Simply put, our motto is, Strive for the
Highest, not strive for up there somewhere.
To be completely honest, this is one of the best
times of the school year for chapter
development. If you think about it, you have
had the entire year to watch your chapter in
action and see what it does well, but more
importantly, what is not done as well. Now is
the time for us to be proactive in bettering our
chapters. Take some pre-convention time and
evaluate what your chapter does well and what
you need help with so that when we areassembled with our brothers (and sisters) at
convention you can utilize all the resources
that we have at our disposal. Take your
problems to the other chapters! In
many cases, I have found that other
chapters are having or have had
the same issues in the past. Take
the convention time to help
yourself and others, because in
many cases the time betweensessions can be just as helpful
as the presentations
themselves. Furthermore, if
we are all aware of the
strengths and weaknesses
found throughout the district,
we can contribute to electing
district officers who will strive to
address the issues that we need
addressed.
Then, when convent
is all said and done do n
return to your home chaptempty handed. Rath
return with the fountain
knowledge bestowed upon
and share it with your chapter. UTILIZE
because convention does not mark the end
the Kappa Kappa Psi calendar, but rather t
beginning; it is a time to begin making chan
so when next school year starts our service
the bands can be just as effective as it w
when we ended.
So do not let our old nemesis burno
catch up with you or any of your brothers
we watch the year conclude. Take t
opportunity to be reflective and proactive
the future! You might just be surprised w
you can accomplish during a time when ma
chapters become stagnant.
Battling BurnoutAndrew CressBeta Kappa
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This publication created, edited, and formatted by the North Central District Vice President for Programs. Many
thanks go out to brothers Robby Allen, Andrew Cress, and Chris Grapis for their contributions! AEA, Jason
As brothers of Kappa
Kappa Psi, we are called to be
outstanding band members; to go
above and beyond the
responsibilities of the average
band member. But as a lot of us
either have or will come to realize, being a leader
is not always fun or easy. Its frustrating and
exhausting, time consuming and challenging.
Many leaders get little recognition and their work
and ideas go unappreciated. However, these arenot reasons to give up. Being a part of Kappa
Kappa Psi and our respective band programs
gives us the opportunity to not only further
develop our leadership skills but also put these
skills into use. It also gives us a tremendous
support system for when we feel overwhelmed or
frustrated.
With all that being said, what does it mean
to be a leader within the band and Kappa Kappa
Psi? Is it being a section leader? Is it being an
exec member? Do you have to talk the most in
meetings or count the loudest and know your
music the best? Everyone will have a slightly
different list of qualities that a leader should
possess and display. For me, the most important
type of leadership is leading by example. The
most essential people in any organization,
business or group are the ones who work behind
the scenes. They dont talk the loudest or the
most, and they dont necessarily have the best
ideas but they are the ones tha
make sure things actually get
done. Its not possible for
everyone hold a position, (unle
you have a really small chapte
then I guess thats a whole othe
issue all together) however every brother should
have the opportunity to be a leader within the
chapter.
Everyone is going to have different
strengths. It is important to capitalize on thesestrengths not only to give everyone the
opportunity to shine but also to strengthen the
chapter. Some brothers will be more talented
musicians, some will be great at organizing and
putting on social events, and others talents lie
building the brotherhood. While for the most pa
these are things that typically line up with the
responsibilities of officers, great ideas can come
from any and every brother. Older members ha
more experience and know the organization bet
but sometimes a fresh perspective is needed.
The phrase too many cooks spoil the sou
is often used when describing leadership and
hierarchies. However, the brotherhood aspect o
Kappa Kappa Psi should always come before th
business side. You should always encourage you
brothers and give them an equal chance to
succeed. There may be too many cooks in the
kitchen but there can never be too many leader
in the brotherhood.
Leadership in the
Brotherhood
Robby AllenUpsilon