Convention: Connected

After spending 3 days in meetings, workshops, recitals, and mingling sessions, I've come to realize what Mu Phi Epsilon is about.
I thought I understood the Music Friends and Harmony and took it as self explanatory.

There is so much more to it!


Did you know that there are
78 chapters?
531 new members from last spring?
1514 total members?

The theme of the convention has been Connected. There has been so much connecting and networking going on! I've met so many different people from all over the nation- collegiates and alums! But while I'm connecting with other chapters, how can you guys get the same benefit?
     Fan the official facebook page of the Fraternity and the Foundation's page.
     Register yourself as a member at http://muphiepsilon.org/ (great things are coming to this site!)
     Join the South Central Province facebook group to meet other Mu Phites in the state.
     Encourage your music friends at other schools to join their local chapter
    Find alum that might teach at your High School's district

I hope that the convention theme will continue through the following years.
Did you know that there are 15 active chapters of Mu Phi Epsilon in the state of Texas? Did you know that there are Mu Phi chapters at Our Lady of the Lake University and Texas State? Those are both so close! St. Mary's University is getting a charter this year! Also, the city of San Antonio has an Alumni Chapter & Dr. McNeil is the president! There are sooo many networking opportunities for us!

I'm envisioning a huuuuge Founders Day celebration on November 13th with all the nearby chapters. It's an event we'd all have separately, so why not have a joint ceremony/recital?

New Mu Phi friends from Michigan, UNT, TCU, Ohio, & Baylor!

In other news, I am ready to get back! I miss Texas, Mexican food, 100 degree weather, and all my Trinity friends that are there getting ready for the upcoming school year! It's going to be a great one!

Convention Day 1

4 am- wake up (and just as a warning, this is the reason for any spelling mistakes or crazed sounding comments that I might type right now...or for the rest of the week for that matter)
4:15am - eat breakfast
4:30am - go to airport
5:45am - finally check my bag and make it through security
6:00am - get on plane (next to mother and her infant...didn't sleep)
6:30am - depart for Chicago (delayed)
9:15am get to Chicago
9: 20am get on new plane to go to Rochester (thank the MOE Convention gods that the gate I just got off of was right next to my new gate, bc other wise i wouldn't have made it)
11ish? (time at this point was blurring together) - arrive in Rochester
At the airport- use my MOE jersey to attract other Mu Phi members- it worked. Five came flocking towards me after I got off the plane
Take shuttle to hotel
Check in to hotel and convention
Spend the afternoon in the hotel room telling myself i'm going to sleep, but instead my exhaustion told me to call Heather, so I rambled to her for a while about Mu Phi, Rochester (it's like 80 degrees and it RAINED- what is this miracle?) while going through my goody bag. MOE Chap Stick FTW!

Mingle time! Hang out with Elda (our district director who came to initiation). All the alum were mingling and chatting and new everyone else and all the collegiates were standing around awkwardly trying to meet people to avoid being all alone. Elda introduced me to the other Texas chapters that were there- the pres and vp from Texas State and the pres of Baylor. We all snagged a table at the back of the ballroom where we had our welcome meeting. There was music and there were awards and there was singing. Lots of Mu Phi songs. I made videos! I'll post them for you all soon. So fantastic. We should sing all the time.

Ok i'm going to sleep now. update later. fb pictures are up

International Convention tomorrow!

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow I'll be heading out to represent our fantastic Beta Kappa Chapter at the International Mu Phi Epsilon convention in Rochester, New York!

I just finished printing out the giant packet of Bylaws from the last convention in 2008 (the conventions are every 4 years with district meetings the two proceeding years and an off year following).

I've been looking at the schedule for the 4 day adventure and there is going to be A LOT of music. Basically every hour, we have a musical interlude. There will be performances during meal times, during business meetings,  in the evenings, basically all the time.

I'm hoping that I'm not the only music minor that just so happens to love Mu Phi more than anything in her major. I'm figuring that there has to be another chapter like Trinity's that is pretty chill with a wide range of interests.

A side goal I have for this trip is to find the representatives from nearby chapters (UTSA & Texas State mostly). How awesome would it be if we had a huge Founders Day celebration with the other chapters and alumni from all over the SA area? I think it would be fun to get to know other Mu Phi members and see how other chapters function.

Ok, now I have to go pack. Which will be a process because I still have clothes in my suitcases from just moving into my apartment, so unpacking, packing... story of any college student's life.

Then I'll get on a plane (at 6am. boo) and the next you'll hear from me will be from New York!

Mu Phi Lovin'
Alexa