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The Bulldog - For the SWOSU Family

Music Student Organizations

The following organizations are active in the Department of Music at the present time.

KAPPA KAPPA PSI

Kappa Kappa Psi is a national fraternity for band musicians. Its purpose is to work toward building better bands and to encourage the support of university policies. Raising scholarship money is part of the groups’ activities.

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Marc Mueller.

MU PHI EPSILON

Mu Phi Epsilon is an international professional music fraternity. Persons are selected for membership according to their achievements in scholarship, musicianship, character, and personality. Its goals are to promote scholarship, musicianship, loyalty to the Alma Mater, and to develop true friendship and the advancement of music in America and throughout the world. SWOSU's chapter has received many national awards for its excellence.

Faculty Advisor: Ms. Janis South.

NAFME

NAfME is the largest single-discipline professional organization in education, numbering 100,000 members in the US. In Oklahoma, there are over 1000 student and professional members. NAfME is the “mother” and umbrella organization for all other groups in music education. The Oklahoma Music Educators Association is the unified state branch of NAfME.

The student NAfME chapter at Southwestern is one of the states’ largest and most active. Membership in NAfME is important for each music education major because it provides the earliest and best contact with active professionals, workshops and lectures concerning music education, and a subscription to the Music Educators Journal. After graduation, student NAfME members may join NAfME as professional members for half price their first year.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniel Farris.

MUSIC THERAPY STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

The MTSA is open to all students who are interested in the scientific study of the influence of music upon behavior, and the use of music as therapy with persons who have physical, intellectual, or psychological disabilities. Among other activities, the club features an occasional guest presentation by area music therapists.

MTSA’s purpose is to spread knowledge of what music therapy is to the students of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and the surrounding community. Also MTSA enriches music therapy student’s education, provides opportunities for career development, and encourages unity through fellowship among its members.

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Sophia Lee and Ms. Yu-Ling Chen.

PHI MU ALPHA SINFONIA

Phi Mu Alpha is the oldest and largest national social music fraternity for men in all music professions. Its object is to develop the best and truest fraternal spirit, foster the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students, for the advancement in music in America, and to instill a loyalty to the Alma Mater. Tau Phi has traditionally been Oklahoma’s strongest Phi Mu Alpha chapter. Tau Phi hosts many of the contests held at SWOSU and provides services for the music department such as scholarships, ushering recitals, and organizing music benefits.

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Keith Talley and Dr. Richard Tirk.

STUDENT OKLAHOMA MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

The SWOSU Collegiate chapter of the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association is affiliated with the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). Its purpose is to advance musical knowledge throughout SWOSU and to establish a close relationship among the music students. Service projects during the year provide a means to further the qualities of musicianship, scholarship, and character among its members. Membership is open to all SWOSU music students.

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Jonathan Jung.

TAU BETA SIGMA

Tau Beta Sigma is a national honorary band fraternity. The organization works to stimulate leadership, to honor outstanding band members through membership, and to develop an appreciation for the best in music. Membership is limited to students who have completed at least one semester of band.

Faculty Advisor: Ms. Joyce Teghtmeyer.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS POLICIES

The Faculty of the Department of Music values the presence and service of its student organizations. Their contributions are invaluable to the strength of our music department. It is important, however, that each of our student organizations understand that it operates as an auxiliary of the Department of Music and that it exists only by permission of the university and the faculty of the department. All operations of each group are subject to the supervision of the faculty advisor, the department Chair, and the University. Each group must establish frequent communication with these persons concerning its day-to-day operations. In order to strengthen this relationship, each student organization in the department will observe the following guidelines.

FINANCIAL

  1. The Treasurer and the Faculty Advisor must sign all checks. Any student who issues a single-signature check will be immediately removed from office and the financial affairs of the organization will afterwards be conducted through the music office or the university’s Business Office. The Chair of the department may countersign single checks for small amounts if the Faculty Advisor is absent and money is needed for an urgent reason.
  2. Each organization must submit its monthly bank statement to its Faculty Advisor for review.
  3. Each organization must use the Music Department Office as the address for all correspondence. Only one person from each group shall be designated to collect this correspondence. Only this person may access the mail.
  4. All money from each organization must be deposited in the organization’s official checking account.
  5. Organizations may not maintain accounts or money unknown to the Chair and/or the Faculty Advisor. Organizations discovered not to be in compliance with this policy will be immediately dissolved.
  6. Organizations may not issue any checks to "Cash." All checks and stubs must indicate purpose, date, and authorization for the payment.
  7. Treasurers must keep balances current and review them monthly with the Faculty Advisor.
  8. The Executive Committees of each organization must audit account(s) each semester and report this audit to the Chair.
  9. No charge accounts of any kind will be maintained by any student organization. All purchases must be made by check, with payment in advance of obtaining the merchandise. No organization may contract with any person or group for services without recommendation to the Chair by the Faculty Advisor and written permission from the Chair.

FUND RAISING

The Chair must approve all fund raising activities in writing before they are initiated. Verbal discussions are not valid approvals. As with every other activity (see Organization Activities below), a “green sheet” must be submitted and signed by the Chair and Dean of Students before a fundraiser is officially approved. The university requires that no fund raising activities canvass either the Weatherford community or the university.

PLEDGING AND PROBATIONARY MEMBERSHIP

Our organizations exist to enhance the students’ education and the work of the department. Any activity, which impedes these endeavors, is not in the best interest of the student, the department, or the organization. Officers who plan pledging activities must remember the limited amount of time available to music majors and insure that the time spent on probationary membership is profitable and relevant to a student’s professional training.

Students who have been at SWOSU for a semester or more are eligible to pledge a music organization. Students in their first semester at SWOSU may not pledge under any circumstances. No probationary or pledge term may exceed eight (8) weeks in length, (56 days) beginning on the day the student accepts the offer from the group to the date of the initiation.

The primary decision concerning whether or not a student will be admitted to membership must be made before students are offered bids. The department expects that most of the pledges will remain in the class through the entire probationary period. It is detrimental both to the organization and the department when a student is denied membership after a long pledge period.

HAZING

State law, the University, your national organizations, and the department forbid the hazing of prospective members. Despite many attempts, hazing is not a well-defined term. Until it is specifically defined it will be conservatively interpreted by the department as being any activity sponsored or required by an organization that is not directly related to the musical or professional reasons for the organization’s existence.

At the beginning of each semester each organization will file with the Chair an outline of pledge activities for the coming semester. This outline must contain the pledging and initiation calendar, a complete list of pledging events, and a summary of all activities leading to initiation. After this proposal is approved by the Chair and/or faculty, each pledge of each organization must be given a written copy of this schedule. No individual member or organization may then add additional activities or events of any kind (formal or informal) to that outline. No rush activities may be initiated until this proposal is approved each semester. Organizations found not to be in compliance with both the spirit and rule of the hazing prohibition will be dissolved.

ALCOHOL

The rules of the University forbid the use of alcohol or any other behavior-modifying chemical substance at any event connected in any way with the university or with its student organizations. Organizations in the Department of Music must observe this rule without exception. Failure to observe this rule will result in the dissolution of the organization, and may also incur criminal charges against individual student members or faculty.

ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES

Each organization’s activities take place in an academic environment where the student’s highest priorities are to attend class, to study, and to practice. Business meetings, officers meetings, and even individual meetings of members or pledges must interrupt these endeavors as little as possible.

Every activity, on or off campus, must be submitted to the department chair on a “green sheet” available in the Dean of Students office or on the web. After the chair signs the form, it is submitted to the Dean of Students. Only after the Dean has signed the “green sheet” is the activity officially approved.

The faculty will continue to survey the average length of organization meetings, committee meetings, pledge meetings, and the amount of time devoted to pledge and member activities. Failure to observe appropriate restraints will result in department limits on these activities.

BUILDING USE BY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations may reserve rooms through the music office using the proper Room Reservation Form at any time when nothing else is scheduled in that room. M101 should only be reserved for special events and not be reserved for recurring business meetings.

Entire buildings or sections of buildings may only be reserved once a semester per organization for initiations only. The initiation must take place on a Friday or Saturday night after all over scheduled evening activities have been completed (9:00pm or later). Notice should be given at the Wednesday afternoon recital prior to the initiation if it will impact student access to practice rooms or instrument storage. Student organizations are NOT allowed to bar access to practice rooms or instrument storage for any event other than the initiation once each semester. Use of off-campus initiation locations is recommended.