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Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
frank@sinfoniantattler.com
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
scott@sinfoniantattler.com
Phil Wilson, Tattler Staff
phil@sinfoniantattler.com
Tommy House, Tattler Webmaster
tommy@sinfoniantattler.com
Not Pictured:
Travis Bryant, Tattler Staff
travis@sinfoniantattler.com
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The Downbeat
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Frank
Miles, Tattler
Editor
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Just when I thought I was getting spring fever, the
weatherman says there will be a freeze warning! But never fear, the Tat is
here for your perusal while you cozy up to a warm
toddy. We’ll recap the 2nd Annual Alumni Weekend in Troy and take you on
tour with Phi Mu Alpha’s alumni affairs director.
We’ll also outline some of the legislative changes made at last year’s
national convention and we’ll welcome the addition of a couple new young ‘uns to our brothers’ families. Stay warm – I promise
summer is right around the corner!
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Alumni Weekend ’07 Recap
Scott Erb,
Tattler Staff
Brothers, now more than ever it’s great to be a
Sinfonian! I wasn’t able to make it to the dinner due to other
responsibilities but when I walked into the  church
for initiation I was blown away by the number of alumni that were there.
Besides the seven brothers we had from visiting chapters, the other 40
members of the chorus were ALL Iota Nu alumni.
It was great seeing brothers from days of old; before,
during, and after my time at Troy.
It was good to reconnect with brothers and see where their lives have
gone.
Ok, the recap…
Not only was it Iota Nu’s
alumni weekend, the University had its own reunion. Troy celebrated its alumni weekend with
an Irish celebration. Many activities were going on from a 5k run to the
annual Irish parade. I was fortunate  enough
this year to ride in the parade. My wing men, Travis “McPaddy”
Bryant and Royce “Lucky Charm” Robinson, helped me pelt kids with candy.
It was fun waving to everyone and getting unique expressions that wondered
why three men were sitting in a convertible with no pretty girl to cruise
around. We are still wondering that same thing today.
After the parade, IN alumni got together to plan out
the rest of the day’s activities. A couple went to play golf (NOTE: active
brothers need to bring  their
own clubs). Others went to eat while a few of us pulled the Trojans to
victory in the annual T-day classic. Troy
had a couple of good/new players that will help us defend our title in
the Sunbelt and The New Orleans Bowl.
After a beautiful day of fun and relaxation, Province
34 Alumni Coordinator Frank Miles spoke at the alumni dinner and offered
words of encouragement to our alumni.
“I couldn’t have been more pleased with this year’s
turnout,” Frank said. “We had about the same number of alumni at the
dinner that we had last year, but  we
had some new faces. And the turnout for the Ritual was beyond all
expectations. Iota Nu is going to be a leading force in the province in
reviving alumni relations and moving Sinfonia
forward.”
Then the chapter provided the alumni with a
performance like no other. Many alumni came to me and said it’s been a
while since they have seen one performed. Times have changed but our
traditions stay the same: Total dedication to the ideals and purposes of
this fraternity.
To top off a great night a party was thrown in my
honor. Well, ok, the honor of the new initiates. We were happy to welcome
these five young men into our great fraternity.
 For
those that were there we thank you. I hope you had a great time. Bring a friend next time. For those that weren’t
there, plan ahead for next year. Just go ahead and book every weekend of
March. We will get back with you on an exact time and date.
Until then, OAS AAS LLS!
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Alumni Affairs Director Hits the Road
Frank Miles,
Tattler Editor
“The thing I appreciated most was the effort in making
the trip.”
Mike Rebholz (Delta Nu '92)
knew the effort was great, but he also knew it’s been a long time coming.
“It is a really
positive sign to see the Director of Alumni Affairs trying to get out
and meet with alumni
face-to-face,” Mike said after attending one of Dan Krueger’s tour stops.
“Most of all, it was a great opportunity to get face-to-face with a
national staff member and get to hear first hand how things are going and
where things are going.”
Dan embarked on the 2007 Alumni Road Trip in March. The
trip took him to 10 cities in seven states in the Midwest
over a 10-day span. The goal was to meet alumni and bring them up to
speed on the many new initiatives the Fraternity is undertaking to show
alumni that they are still important and that there is much they can do
to further the cause.
“He talked about things to come, like Sinfonia
Circle, a social networking site for Sinfonians that is currently in ‘soft’ launch,” Mike
said. “He also mentioned that they are bringing back a lifetime
membership program which is being called ‘Life Loyal Sinfonian.’”
Discussions also included the value of alumni
associations, the upcoming Evansville,
Ind., alumni golf weekend
in July, and interacting with collegiate chapters. In the end, Mike was
pleased with the presentation.
“We walked away from the night with a folder full of
info about what the fraternity is doing in regard to alumni as well as
info about what the foundation is doing,” he said.
Mike also realized the size of the task ahead.
“I had never thought about it, but Daniel is one guy
who represents 100,000 Sinfonian alums. Pretty big job.”
To read Dan’s blog covering
the tour and to reconnect to hundreds of Sinfonians
quickly and easily, click on the following link and join Sinfonia
Circle today!
https://sinfonia.affinitycircles.com/sinfonia/register.html
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Notes in the Key of Troy
Lance Holman, IN
Alumni Relations Officer
Music
Advancement Mission
On March 26, we held our first Music Advancement
Mission. Basically the idea behind the Music Advancement Mission is to
take a local band, preferably one that isn’t well-known, and get them a
gig somewhere in town. It helps their band get their name out to the
masses and maybe it might just inspire some of those in the audience. We
got an awesome band by the name of Porcelain Red to play and got them a
gig at the Front Porch here in Troy.
Although everyone here did a great job advertising and getting the word
out, we ultimately didn’t gross that much money off of it. I think it was
due to it just being a busy week for everyone. However, I’m not going to
just sit idly by and let this fundraiser just disappear from future
years. I know of a few better ways to improve it next year so we can have
a 2nd Annual Music Advancement Mission. I hope this event will
become a tradition in future years much like our Battle of the Bands has.
Battle of the Bands
We haven’t set a Battle
of the Bands date in stone yet. We are, however, pretty confident that we
will be hosting this year’s Battle
of the Bands here on campus at Crosby Theater on August 28. We will be
selling shirts and tickets both before the event and during it. If you
would like to buy a shirt or ticket before hand they will be a little
cheaper than the night of and you can get in contact with me by emailing
me at grasshopper386@yahoo.com
or by calling me at (334)714-9629.
New Officers
Elected
On March 25 we nominated and elected the officers for
the 2007-2008 term. Here are the results:
President – Robert Lee
Vice President – Christopher Hall
Treasurer – Lance Holman
Secretary – Eric Scott
Alumni Relations Officer – David Mitcham
Fraternity Education Officer – Adam Hudson
Warden – Martin Sager
Historian – Adrian Smith
Scott Achtemeier
Music Director – Scott Sexton
The new officers will be sworn into office on Sunday,
April 1, 2007, during our normal meeting.
Farewell to an
Awesome Year
As you can tell by the new officer elections I will no
longer be your Alumni Relations Officer. I really enjoyed hearing all of
your ideas and counseling this past year. It’s been a hell of a ride to
this point and I’m sure it’ll just keep getting better and better. Being
a Sinfonian is what I’ve always wanted to be and at this point it’s all I
really know how to be. All you guys, the Tattler staff, the local alumni,
and those far away have inspired me to grow and be better. It was because
of two alumni that I even ran for Assistant Collegiate Province
Representative. It was the ideas of alumni that helped me better
understand our history and our secrets, it was the alumni that have
counseled me in situations that only they could have done, and it was the
alumni that have inspired me this past year to live on as a TRUE
Sinfonian for the rest of my days, not only those of my college years.
Heck, maybe one day I might even have enough guts to run for a national
office… who knows. I guess what I’m trying to say is thanks. Thanks for
your support, your dedication, your hard work, and your care for this
fraternity. ONCE A SINFONIAN,
ALWAYS A SINFONIAN, LONG LIVE SINFONIA!!!
ALL HAIL BROTHERS!!!!!!
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Fraternity Makes a Few Rules Changes
John Mitcham, Province 34 CPR
The 2006 Phi Mu Alpha
National Convention in Cleveland,
Ohio, had its fair share of
baseball games, hot wings, and visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But it was not all fun and games. A considerable degree of legislation
was passed that will greatly affect the Fraternity in the upcoming years.
As the delegate to the convention, I would like to share with you a few
of the most important changes that took place this past summer.
Furthermore, I will attempt to include some basic rationale behind these
changes. While many of these new rules and regulations may seem
inconsequential to a group of alumni, others may influence the way in
which all Sinfonians view their relationship to
Phi Mu Alpha.
CONCERING THE DISPLAY OF GREEK LETTERS AND THE
COAT-OF-ARMS: The National Assembly voted to prohibit non-Sinfonians from wearing Greek letters or the
coat-of-arms. These restrictions do not apply to the words Phi Mu Alpha (as on a T-shirt). Many of the national
delegates felt that an increased number of non-Sinfonians
wearing Sinfonian paraphernalia undermines the value of the letters as
well as creates confusion over who and who is not a Sinfonian.
CONCERNING PROVINCE GOVERNOR VISITS: Province governors
are now required to visit alumni associations and colonies once per triennium.
The increased emphasis by the Fraternity on alumni involvement culminated
in this decree that alumni associations fall
under the oversight of province governors. Though Province 34 does not
have an alumni association, Frank’s efforts may ultimately form one.
CONCERNING PROVINCE ALUMNI COORDINATORS: The assembly
voted to recognize the PAC position as a constitutionally-mandated
office. Backed by a strong contingent of PAC’s
in attendance, this legislation is a symbolic gesture of the Fraternity’s
continuing commitment to alumni involvement.
CONCERNING NAMING OF THE ALUMNI SECRETARY: The office
of alumni secretary was changed to “alumni relations officer.” Again,
with the Fraternity’s campaign to increase alumni involvement, this move
was seen as a way of transforming the alumni secretary’s role into a
proactive job that seeks out and maintains relations with former
collegiate brothers.
CONCERNING INCREASE OF INITIATION FEE: Initiation into
membership of Phi Mu Alpha will increase from
$117 to $120. This is partly to pay for a new contract with a more
reputable manufacturer of fraternity pins, as well as keeping up with the
costs of inflation.
CONCERNING INITIATION OF NON-AFFILATITED MEMBERS: This
piece of legislation is a bit tricky. Prior regulations allowed collegiate
chapters to initiate brothers from other institutions providing that
their school did not have a Phi Mu Alpha
chapter. In other words, Iota Nu at Troy University
could initiate young men from Troy University-Montgomery Campus.
Predictably, there were problems with this. At the convention, the
assembly voted to place administrative oversight on this policy. Now, the
province governor must approve all actions of this sort. As a side note,
Iota Nu has not engaged in this kind of activity in the past decade.
CONCERNING PENDING RITUAL REVISION: I will not get
into the intricacies of this material. However, you need to know that the
National Assembly voted to mandate a visit by national officers to every province
in the next three years to educate the collegiate membership on the
proposed Ritual revision to be voted on at the 2009 convention.
Information on the Ritual revision can be accessed at Sinfonia.org.
These acts are only the high points of a number of
rules passed by the convention. For a complete list, please see the
November issue of the Red and Black (can be accessed on www.Sinfonia.org).
Please keep in mind that these pieces of legislation constitute the
majority will of the collegiate and alumni leadership of the fraternity
and were enacted after painstaking research and discussion. Furthermore,
not all of this legislation was unanimous. If you have any questions, do
not hesitate to contact me at john_c_mitcham@hotmail.com.
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Down Memory
Lane with John Phillips, IN ‘00
Phil Wilson,
Tattler Staff
 When
Phil instant messaged me and asked me if I would take a walk down “memory
lane” with the Tat, I instantly agreed, but in the next instant panicked
because I had absolutely no idea what to say. The next thing I thought
was “certainly he’s joking.” I mean it IS the April issue, but then again
who better to use on the April issue than someone almost everyone can
agree on when it’s time to have a good laugh… ME!
Thinking about this article and what I should write, I
thought about my Probationary Membership, my time as an active
collegiate, my time as an active alumnus at Auburn, and my short time as an
alumnus. During each time period I’ve had the distinct privilege of
meeting and getting to know active brothers of Iota Nu, but also alumni
brothers of Iota Nu and a slew of brothers from other chapters and
creating memories with each of them. Here’s a top 10 list of a few of
literally thousands of memories of my time at and with Iota Nu’s brothers in no particular order and from no
particular time of involvement.
10. Singing after TROY
home football games and the occasional practice either on the 50 or at
the flagpole with actives and alumni alike.
9. Rob McFarland “arming” his “flip-flop cannon”
anytime I said anything he thought was stupid or annoying at meetings,
music rehearsals, or any ole time he felt like it.
8. Sitting at the Kettle with my pledge class (Matt Simechack, Jeff Allen, Greg Waters, John Rogers, and
Matt Dobbs- ΔEΔΘA, B) until 2 in the Morning shooting the
bull and doing business on Thursday nights then going back to my room,
trying not to wake up my non-Sinfonian roommate and typing my weekly
essay for my 10 a.m. English class and then trying not to fall asleep in
my 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. classes.
7. Begging my
little brother, Jason Tucker’s (IN, ‘01) pledge class not to pull any
more stupid stunts.
6. Sitting at Scott Snell’s house watching John Mitcham (IN, ‘01) and his brothers Joe Ybarra and
Kevin “Sausage” Messer get stone drunk while playing drinking games, then
trying to get Joe to sober up when he turned green.
5. Meeting brothers like Dennis and Doc Kirby, Jerry
Spann, Tim Sims, Larry Wells, Michael Bird, Rusty Courson,
Scott Yeilding and Joey Mitchell through various events associated with
the university and city of Troy
and then getting to know them over the last few years.
4. Copying pages. Enough said.
3. Cook-outs with brothers. MAN, do we know how to eat
around here!
2. Community Band with Bro. Linwood Erb, Doc Kirby,
Mr. Ray Smith, Mr. James Smith, Dr. Long, and Tim Sims. It’s always good
to make good music with other musicians, but to see people who’ve been
dedicated to doing it for so long and being able to make music with them
is an exalted experience.
1. The Ritual. Every time I see it or perform it, I
take something new away from it. I’ve enjoyed every time I’ve seen it and
I believe it is one of the best things about not only Iota Nu, but Sinfonia. I always get a little nostalgic and a tad
misty eyed for times gone by.
Brothers, “the Eve’n-star is
glowing in the Western sky” and my time with you grows short, therefore,
let me close with this thought. Now more than ever, not only is it great
to be a Troy Trojan and a SOTS Alumnus, but it’s GREAT to be a Sinfonian!
There are many great things on the horizon not only with our Alma Mater,
but our beloved Sinfonia as well and I am as
excited as ever about Troy
and Sinfonia! Together brothers!
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HIGH
NOTES
Joey & Mandy wedding
The wedding will be in Statesboro,
GA at Believers Church
at 3:00 on June 9th 2007. Everyone is welcome to come.
BABIES
ARE HERE!!!
Jack Wesley
Burroughs has arrived!!! He was born at 8:03pm on March 28, 2007. He is 7
pounds 6 oz, 21 inches and has the cutest black hair. Mommy, daddy and
baby are all doing well.
Hey guys,
Bradley Grantham here…Just wanted to share my shock with all of
you! Eugene Carter and his wife, Crystal, are the proud parents of a
baby girl, Anastasia Michelle Carter. For the ladies, know that she
was 6lbs 6oz, and was 18.5 inches long. For the guys, payback is
going to be awful for Eugene
since he now has a daughter!
And this just
in: Scott Yeilding is a Daddy!!!
Little Margaret was born April 3 around 5:30 and weighs about 8 pounds.
Congrats Scott!
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April
4-6
– Symphony Band Tour
12
– 10am Concert Band Concert
16
– Collegiates Concert @ 7:00pm
19
– 2pm Concert Band Concert
23
& 30 – Studio Concert Series
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