Greetings NCD from the UPSILON Chapter down in Cincinnati!

So far this year has been a very busy one. Our marching season happily ended with a trip to Texas and a win in the Fort Worth Bowl. GO BEARCATS!!! While there, we got a chance to see our brothers from Marshall, which was fun (Yeah Billy Bobs). Our chapter worked very hard last quarter and is continuing that trend this Winter Quarter. Fall Quarter we made large boxes reinforced with steel for marching uniform storage and portability, with wheels and a numbering system for the band members to easily find their uniform. We finished them just in time to use them for the Fort Worth Bowl. The band was very grateful. Up until that point we used cardboard boxes with iron rods in them. The boxes were flimsy and our uniforms did not keep well in them. They also did not have room for their hats. Our boxes fixed that problem. With over two hundred man-hours we were able to make a big difference for our fellow band members.

This quarter we are pleased to have nine prospective members starting through our process to become newly inducted brothers. They are just starting, but the potential we see in them is very exciting for our chapter to realize. More updates to come with that about degrees and other such fun activities.

Starting soon we are going to build a stage for our continually growing jazz band(s), plural now because we have so much interest in our jazz band that we have to split it up and have multiple bands. So jointly with our sister Tau Beta Sigma chapter, Theta, we will be building a large, portable stage to bring to performances. That not only helps our band, but it also helps our two organizations by getting us to work together and become closer which will help us help the band in the future. That will be the biggest joint project we have done besides the yearly mulch/flower sale and delivery.

This looks to be a great year for our growing band (now 200+). With the start we have made and the goals and ideas we keep coming up and following through with, we are Striving for the Highest and proud to be a strong chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.

ITB,

Brother Thomas Daniel Francis Otermat
Historian – Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi 2003-2005
Percussion Section Leader – UC Band 2004-05 season