Adopt-a-Pound:
A
Fundraiser or Nutritional Regimen?
by Scott Erb
Both. It has come to my attention in the last couple
of years that the activity level of Iota Nu has decreased while
eating has increased. Iota Nu has always prided itself in three
things: music, brotherhood and having a good time. It was time to
do something to help. With the aid of Brother Scott Snell, the Adopt-a-Pound
fundraiser (AAPF) was created. The program is similar to the walk-a-thons
that many charitable events conduct to raise money. The aim is to
get sponsors to donate money for every pound you lose. If every
brother lost ten pounds, and had a $1 donation per pound, then the
brotherhood would make around $200. This is something new and different
from other fundraisers in the past. But what does this have to do
with Sinfonia or Music? Good question.
Brotherhood,
of course, is one of the main reasons for the existence of Phi Mu
Alpha. So, too, is music. In the last couple of years, the brotherhood
has grown in size. Not in quantity, but in pounds. We use our body
as an instrument when we sing, so our body should be treated as
a temple. Brother Scott Snell is a registered nurse in Troy. He
has advised a regimen that will help brothers eat better and start
an exercise program. “We aren’t looking for brothers
to all be skinny as a toothpick or as buff as Arnold Schwarzenegger,
but we would like to see them healthier,” Scott said. “Exercising
for 30 minutes a day will increase your energy levels, which will
make you want to do more and more. It’s a great cycle once
you get started.”
Back when I joined Iota Nu, 70 percent of the brotherhood was involved
in intramural sports. They were healthier and exercised more. I
worry about the chapter’s current lack of exercise and their
health. There are many of us who are on the edge of serious health
problems if we don’t do anything about it now. It is time
to start doing something about it before it’s too late.
To help with
the process, we have created the buddy system in this momentum fundraiser.
There are at least four people on a team including healthy, in-shape
brothers. This buddy system helps motivate team members to exercise
and eat healthier. They can walk, run and swim together, giving
them that extra push they sometimes need.
I know this
is a good program for the brotherhood even if we don’t make
a lot of money. This regimen could be something that stays with
them the rest of their lives. Maybe this is the push that brothers
need to start doing something about their weight. My goal in the
long run is to make a little money and to lose a lot of pounds for
a happy and healthier Iota Nu.
Back
to Table of Contents
Editorial
by Scott
Erb
My Last Few Days at Troy…
Well, it has finally
arrived for me. It happens to some sooner than others, but eventually
it happens to all of us. We must grow up, grow older, and leave
the place that we love. After nine years of being on the campus
(school and work) at Troy State/ Troy University, I am parting ways
with my alma mater. I have accepted a position in Atlanta, Ga. and
am taking the next step to achieve my goals in life. Now it’s
my time to write about what I have learned during my tenure at Troy
and Iota Nu. So here goes…
I came to the Troy campus
back in 1995. I was a young naive 18-year-old freshman without a
care in the world. You remember those days. They were the best.
You thought life was tough back then because you had two classes
back-to-back and they both had a test in them. Oh how we dream and
reminisce about the old days. The memories we made. The times we
laughed, cried, fought, and then laughed again. Those are some of
the best days of my life. Those days are what made the college experience
great for me. It’s not the tests, or the classes that we sat
through, it’s what we did outside those buildings that shaped
us into the men we are today. Our morality, our integrity, our character
is all built by the choices we made, including pledging Phi Mu Alpha.
Iota Nu and the brothers in it had a strong presence in my life
and taught me many things that I will take with me forever. Because
of those men, I am what I am today.
Most of my best
times in college came from experiences in the band, and most importantly
my experiences with Phi Mu Alpha and the Iota Nu Chapter. Here are
some moments that really stand out in my head.
1. Pledging…need I say more…ok I will.
2. Getting caught at Taco Bell when we were supposed to be in the
Bandroom.
3. Learning to get along with eight other guys who all have different
opinions, background, and views on life.
4. Getting initiated at Lyrecrest with these eight guys. (Remember
the House of beef sign)
5. Being a brother and seeing what pledging is all about.
6. Being there for a brother when they needed it the most.
7. Sitting in the chapter room with the brothers after the death
of Heather Alsbrooks.
8. Being FEO and seeing eight guys crossed, and seeing them grow
as people and brothers.
9. All the Party locations (Frank's, Royce's, Snell & Weston
& My House, etc.)
10. Knowing Ben Wagner was at the party to the end willing to drive
the not-so-sober brothers home if needed.
11. Chuck Harrison and his D Scale in whole notes.
12. The “War Room” at Frank and Royce’s House
13. The OOO (Order of Ossian) and the Bucket of Beers. Two Top secret
layers inside the highly advanced workings of Iota Nu…lol
14. Founders Days and Chapter Days
15. Getting together at Homecoming and singing around the 50 yard
line.
16. Meeting brothers from other chapters and having a common bond.
17. Almost getting shot at Jinright’s
18. Snell and I by the Phi….
19. My roommates.
20. Almost dropping Josh Robertson on a road trip.
21. Sitting around at 3 a.m. when a party is dying out and a few
brothers sit there and talk about what the fraternity means to them
and what they want to see out of it.
22. Having a brother comfort you when you need it.
23. Seeing brothers at my mother’s funeral. You will never
know how much that meant to me.
24. There are many more that I could write about, but don’t
have the time or space to do it here. We all have them.
25. Being part of the best fraternity in the world!...priceless
The reason I am writing about all my memories is because we should
never forget them! As a young man in college 18-22, 23, 24+, those
are the impressionable years of your life. You learn who you are,
what you are made of, and what you want to be in life. You learn
how to deal with many situations that you never faced before. You
meet new people and cultures that you never dealt with before, and
you learn how to succeed in life. Basically you grow up as a person.
We should never forget our past and what we learn or we are doomed
to repeat our mistakes. It’s this growth and learning process
as a person that helps us make those hard decisions in life. What
got us through those rough times in life were our friends, our brothers.
Friends are the greatest things anyone can have. Without friends,
especially brothers, life would be empty and meaningless.
I hope by reading this
article, you started to remember the times you had in college and
the bonds that grew from those experiences. Those experiences and
memories are unbeatable. Look through your yearbooks. Take out your
old pledge book if you still have it. Reminisce and let Sinfonia
fill your heart again to where it was when you were in college.
Call a pledge brother of yours and see how they are doing. They
might need you to be there for them and vice versa.
There is a saying
that I think sums it all up. “A good friend will bail you
out of jail; a great friend will say damn we really messed up this
time.”
Back
to Table of Contents
Q
& A: Weston Burroughs
By Frank Miles
Have you ever been sitting
around and all of a sudden, just out of nowhere, you think, “where
in the world is Joe Sinfonian and what is he doing?” Well,
those are exactly the questions that this monthly feature is here
to answer. Last month, we took you on a trip to Auburn where Phil
Wilson was recognized as an outstanding educator. This month, we
travel a little farther. In fact, we have to go north of the Mason-Dixon
Line to catch up with Brother Weston Burroughs, who has been doing
some fine teaching of his own.
Tattler:
What have you been doing since leaving the hallowed halls of our
beloved Alma Mater?
Weston: As soon as I graduated from the school
formerly known as Troy State University, my fiancée (now
wife) and I loaded up all of our possessions into a U-Haul trailer
and moved to Jersey City, NJ. Upon arrival in the NYC metropolitan
area, I became a NYC Teaching Fellow. I was one of 1,800 individuals
who answered the call to teach in underprivileged, inner-city schools.
Only three of us were Music Fellows. In fact, we were the guinea
pigs for the Music Fellows program. I was placed in Public School
176Q in Cambria Heights, Queens and received my Masters of Music
Education from Queens College. At PS 176Q, I was responsible for
starting a music program from scratch. In less than a year a group
of very dedicated fourth and fifth graders became an impressive
performance ensemble. During my second year at PS 176Q, my fifth
grade band was invited to play for an audience of 3,000 at Avery
Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center. Imagine what an inspiring event
that was for the kids. I stayed with PS 176Q for a third year before
obtaining a position with University Academy Charter High School
(UACHS) in Jersey City to start a music program. This move effectively
reduced my commute from two hours each way to eight minutes round
trip. I now have a choir of thirty members, three music theory classes,
and will soon start an instrumental program. Needless to say, going
from an elementary band teacher to a high school choir director
has been a great challenge, a challenge that I love more and more
each day.
Tattler:
How are you fulfilling the object (formerly purposes) of the fraternity
in your daily life?
Weston: First let me apologize for not addressing the “object”
of the fraternity. I only know about the purposes of Phi Mu Alpha.
[Editor’s note: for more info on the restoration of the object,
check out the October 2003 edition of The Sinfonian at www.sinfonia.org.]
As a music teacher, I always encourage and actively promote the
highest standards of creativity, performance and education in music
in America (I know I left out research). I believe that we learn
best through physical experience and personal discovery (I know
what that must sound like, but trust me, I mean it in the most moral
sense possible). No matter what the concept, I have the kids experience
it first, and then we label what we did. This allows for a high
level of creativity. As for the education aspect, I consider myself
a lifetime learner that is looking for ways to be a better teacher,
musician and person. Not to mention the fact that I make my kids
earn their A’s. Now on to loyalty to the Alma Mater - good
ole Troy University. I could hardly teach on Sept. 10, 2004 because
I nearly lost my voice the night before. [Editor’s note: The
Trojans defeated Missouri on ESPN that night. I lost my voice, too.]
And finally, to instill in all people an awareness of music’s
important role in the enrichment of the human spirit. Anyone who
knows me knows that this particular purpose is in my blood. This
purpose is my life-force. I know that it seems that I left out two
of the purposes, but I feel like they were included in the rambling
above.
Tattler:
What is the state of music education in your community?
Weston: My community has a strong heritage of music. Jersey
City’s neighbor, Hoboken, is the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.
NYC has been home to many of this countries greatest musicians:
Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Willie
“the Lion” Smith, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, Cassandra
Wilson, Les Paul and the list goes on. The only weak link is music
education in the public schools. It’s not that the schools
don’t want music. It’s that it takes more money than
they can provide for it. But I believe that programs can work around
this obstacle and create a valuable learning experience with little
or no money. The only thing needed is creativity.
Tattler:
Have you bumped into any of your brothers lately?
Weston: It saddens me to answer this question. No, I have
not bumped into any brothers lately. I miss the fellowship I once
had with the brotherhood. I have, however, found a chapter not too
far away that I am thinking about becoming familiar with. If anyone
knows any brothers of Omicron Alpha please let me know.
Tattler:
Who have you lost touch with from Iota Nu that you'd really like
to talk to?
Weston: I would love to hear from everyone. If you ever
want to come to NYC and have a free place to stay, call or send
me an email: (551) 998-6410, jburr2@juno.com.
Tattler:
Anything else you'd like to say?
Weston: Becoming a brother of Phi Mu Alpha was one of the
best choices I ever made. It provided me with an experience that
I apply to my life on a daily basis. The lessons I have learned
from the fraternity, both directly and indirectly, have helped shape
who I am and who I will become. Please put the fraternity and others
before yourself, and always ask, “Is this benefiting others
or just me?”
Back
to Table of Contents
Troy University Happenings and Events
By Scott Erb
•
General Info:
Do you want to know more about what is going on at your university,
your alma mater? Click on the following link to subscribe to many
listservs to keep you updated on events, athletics, radio and much
more.
https://tsutech.troyst.edu/cgi-bin/dlentry.pl
• TROY Athletics:
TROY Football had an off week this past Saturday (Oct. 9) to rest
for their upcoming conference game with Arkansas State in Arkansas.
Troy is 1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference and is looking to win their
first ever conference championship and go to the New Orleans Bowl
in December. Click on www.troystate.com
for more information about all Trojan sports.
• Activities:
Country Concert Oct. 29 – 30: UAC and Troy University are
proud to present Brad Paisley in concert on Oct. 29. Brad Paisley
is a rising country star and Troy is grateful to have the opportunity
to present him and the other acts on Oct. 29 – 30. For more
information about the concert or other student activities, please
click on www.troy.edu/uac
.
• Homecoming 2004:
Fellow band members and choral singers, it’s that time again.
Homecoming is right around the corner on Nov. 6, 2004. It’s
always a great time to see old college buddies and professors with
which you’ve shared memories and laughs over the years. Get
that instrument out and buzz on the old mouth piece and get ready
for the Alumni Band. All information about the alumni band including
registration, music, time and place are all available at: http://tsumusic.troyst.edu/alumni/band.html.
• Public Radio:
Troy University Public Radio Fund Drive: Troy University Public
Radio kicked off its “Fall Friendraiser and Fund Drive”
on Oct. 9 with some star power. Broadway star and longtime public
radio fan Carol Channing will be on air to help begin the annual
campaign.
Channing, who won a Tony award for her work in “Hello Dolly”
and starred as Lorelei Lee in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,”
will appear at the Troy University Davis Theatre in Montgomery on
Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in “An Evening with Carol Channing.”
Special guests from throughout the coverage area will join the on-air
celebration, which runs from Oct. 8-15. In the spirit of the fall
elections, new listeners and loyal supporters can “Vote for
Troy University Public Radio” by calling 1-800-800-6616 with
their tax-deductible pledge of financial support. For added convenience,
listeners can pledge online at wtsu.troyst.edu. Pledge incentives
include tickets to concerts and special events, acclaimed books
and music CDs.
This year’s goal is $40,000 to assist in buying programming.
Because public radio is commercial-free, listeners are asked to
share the cost of purchasing public radio programs such as “Morning
Edition,” “All Things Considered,” “A Prairie
Home Companion” and “Car Talk.”
Troy University and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provide
major funding for the operation of the Troy University Public Radio
network – WTSU 89.9 FM Troy/Montgomery, WRWA 88.7 FM Dothan
and WTJB 91.7 FM Columbus/Phenix City. The network serves communities
in south central and east Alabama, the north Florida Panhandle and
southwest Georgia.
• “Sound of the South”:
New Sound of the South Website: Its finally here, the “Sound
of the South” website (www.soundofthesouth.org)
Check it out for the latest updates and events happening with the
Sound of the South. Also, if you haven’t already, click on
the forum and communicate with alumni and current members of the
SOTS. It’s free to use and a great way to have healthy and
live conversations about all topics that interest you.
Iota News:
It’s a
great time to be an active brother at Iota Nu. Many wonderful events
are in the planning process:
• Fall Recital – October 19, 2004 –
Long Hall (Bandroom) @ 8:00pm. The Music Director, Eddie McFarland,
promised a great recital full of combos and new music to perform.
• The Battle of the Bands Committee is meeting even earlier
this year to have the best battle of the bands contest ever put
on by IN and Troy University. Plans are being made to get an off-campus
venue, and to get sponsors such as RCA, Darvys, Budweiser, Harveys,
and many more. Brother Sean Weiler and active alumnus Robert McFarland
are heading up the committee. If you have any questions or suggestions
about the committee or would like to help in anyway, please let
them know. They would love to have help from the alumni.
• Iota Nu is again the big brother chapter to Epsilon Delta
(University of South Alabama). They say the third time is the charm.
They are back in the colony process trying desperately to become
a chapter once again. With determination and hard work I know they
will succeed. They will make a great chapter and the brothers will
definitely benefit Sinfonia and Province 34.
• As always during fall, rush is in the air. Two weeks ago,
the brothers of IN took 12-15 prospective members to Montgomery
for bowling and pizza. It was a great gathering and everyone seemed
to enjoy themselves. It gave the prospectives a chance to meet the
brothers and vice versa. Other rush functions are being planned
including the recital, cookout with SAI and many more. For more
information contact Justin Amaro, FEO, ACE4101@hotmail.com.
• Keep coming back for more updates on what’s happening
at Iota Nu.
Back
to Table of Contents
|
