The Kadenza

Here is your next Spotlight!!!

* National Vice-President for Colonization & Membership, Dawn Farmer
* District Counselor, Carolyn McCambridge
* District Vice-President of Membership, Jacqui Switzer
* The Delta Epsilon Chapter at Miami University

Dawn Farmer was installed as National Vice-President Colonization & Membership at the 2009 National Convention held in Phoenix, Arizona.

Q. When were you initiated in Tau Beta Sigma?
A. November 1997

Q. What chapter and/or district offices did you hold?
A. Chapter: Assistant Membership Educator, President
District: VP Membership, President

Q. What is your current occupation?
A. Middle School Band & Orchestra Director in the DC area, starting my PhD in music education this Fall.

Q. Favorite service project?
A. I am a big fan of the Scouting for Music program.

Q. Favorite TBS fundraiser?
A. Using a dunk tank and having band members pay to dunk their director after a marching band rehearsal.

Q. Favorite sisterhood event?
A. At a District Leadership Conference, we were asked to bring a shirt from our school…not letters, but a campus-related shirt. We then had a big shirt exchange and everyone got to go home with a shirt from a different school. It was fun.

Q. What plans do you have for the biennium?
A. I plan to assist in the colonization process. It is exciting that right now, TBS has more colonies at ONE TIME than it ever has before. Great growth for the Sorority also means there needs to be some education and guidance to young chapters. I hope to create a document which helps get new chapters on their feet.

Q. Favorite place Tau Beta Sigma has taken you so far?
A. That is hard…I have so many “good” memories associated with certain events, that I am not sure if the “place” was awesome, or the experience was. I enjoyed National Convention 2001 in Corpus Christie, TX and I also like going to Stillwater to see HQ.

Q. Top 2 actors and actresses?
A. Hmmm…in no particular order: Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, Tom Hanks, and George Clooney…I think.

Q. What music is your guilty pleasure?
A. The Killers. That answer isn’t too embarrassing, but my students know I have Lady Gaga on my iPod and they think that is hilarious.

Q. What is something people might be interested to learn about you?
A. I started school at the University of Arizona on a full academic scholarship as an Aerospace Engineering major. The experiences I had in the marching band and Tau Beta Sigma shaped my future plans and now I teach band.

You can learn more about Dawn Farmer by visiting her profile at http://www.tbsigma.org/nationalcouncil.html

Carolyn McCambridge is the District Counselor for the North Central District.

Q: When were you initiated in Tau Beta Sigma?
A: November 1997

Q: What chapter offices have you held?
A: Chapter: recording secretary and VP of Membership
District: VP of Membership
Also have been the National Chapter Field Representative and worked as the membership services coordinator at national headquarters.

Q: What school did you attend for undergrad/grad? What was your major?
A: Undergrad: Bowling Green State University. Major: popular culture
Grad: Oklahoma state university. Major: recreation administration and recreation therapy.

Q: Favorite service project?
A: Anything to serve the bands!! It’s a lame answer but it’s true.

Q: Favorite TBS fundraiser?
A: The Chi chapter does a fundraiser where they work the grill at BD’s Mongolian BBQ. I think that is both fun and crazy.

Q: Favorite sisterhood event?
A: I remember one event where we all crammed into a living room to watch some tv show with a huge (and I mean huge) bucket of ice cream we dumped a ton of toppings in and attacked with spoons. So great to just sit around in pajama pants and be a fat kid!!

Q: Favorite place TBS has taken you so far?
A: Having been a CFR this is totally an unfair question. TBS has literally taken me across the country twice! But here are two answers:
1. Oklahoma. I really enjoyed living there. The pace of life is so much slower, men opened doors for me, the dirt is red, kids in high school get excited about showing hogs at the county fair and they love to make cassaroles.
2. Aurora, IL. This is definitely the cheesy answer but without TBS I would not have met my husband or be the mother of a gorgeous baby girl. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had through TBS.

Q: Top 2 actors and actresses?
A: This is such a hard question since I have never oogled over actors.
Actresses: Sandra Bullock and Reese Witherspoon oh and Jenna Elfman.
Actors: let’s go with Vince Vaughn, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sean Connery. I have no basis for those choices. Just like movies they are in. Ha!

Q: What music is your guilty pleasure?
A: Definitely hip hop/rap like Flo Rida, Soulja Boy, Ray J

Jacqui Switzer is currently serving her first year as District VPM, she is a member of the Alpha Delta Chapter at Ohio University.

Q: When were you initiated in Tau Beta Sigma?
A: I was initiated into TBS at the end of winter quarter of 2006

Q: What chapter offices have you held?
A: I’ve been the Co-Service Chair (1 year) and VPM (2 years) of my chapter.

Q: What year in school are you/when do you plan on graduating?
A: I’m a 5th year senior, and I plan on graduating in June 2010 (on my birthday actually!).

Q: Favorite service project?
A: Probably cleaning the 110 equipment room. We found some interesting things in there!

Q: Favorite TBS fundraiser?
A: Jump-a-thon! Who doesn’t love raising money by jumping on a trampoline allllll day?

Q: Favorite sisterhood event?
A: I love Sisterhood week, because it gives our chapter a chance to bond together and really just kick back and have fun. And I love that we end the week with a pre-rush, because we can show those who may be interested in our group how close we all are.

Q: What are your plans after undergrad?
A: Good questions. I’ve though about grad school, but I’m not sure if that is going to happen. If I did go to grad school, it would be for counseling. If not, I’ll probably move back home for a while until I can get on my feet financially. I’d love to do something with photography, but who really knows what will happen within the next 6 months?!

Q: Favorite place TBS has taken you so far?
A: I actually haven’t gone that many places so far with TBS, because I wasn’t able to attend National Convention, but I think my first district convention in Cincinnati was by the the best one so far. It’s probably because it was my first one, and I was so stoked to learn so many new things and meet so many new people. I’m excited for MER and the upcoming block season though, because those will take me to many new places.

Q: Top 2 actors and actresses?
A: Oh geez… Um… My top 2 actresses are Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barymore. My top 2 actors are Denzel Washington and Mel Gibson. (This was actually the hardest question for me to answer, FYI.)

Q: What music is your guilty pleasure?
A: This is going to sound crazy, but probably the music from the musical “Oklahoma!” I was in that musical in high school, and I would come home after rehearsal every night, put in the CD, and sing and dance to the music even more. I still love the music now, and a few of my friends think I’m crazy for it.

The final spotlight is on the Delta Epsilon Chapter at Miami University.

Q. When was your chapter initiated?
A. December 5, 1969

Q. How many active, conditional, and prospective members does your chapter have?
A. Active-32, Conditional- 12, Membership Candidates- 9

Q. Favorite service project?
A. Our favorite service project is actually a project we use as a rush event in the fall. We go to a retirement community in Oxford called the Knolls where actives and rushees play marching band pep tunes for the residents. We then serve them ice cream and hang out with them and talk. It is actually very interesting because one of Miami’s old band directors resided there and its always interesting to talk to him.

Q. Favorite and/or most successful fundraiser?
A. Our favorite and most successful fundraiser is a concert called Valentunes- sweet sounds of charity. It is actually a fundraiser for the Mr. Holland’s Foundation and not our chapter. It is the one thing we always look forward to putting together and performing in.

Q. Favorite sisterhood event?
A. Our favorite sisterhood event is our chapter’s spring retreat, which is a long standing tradition in our chapter. This is an overnight event where we hang out, eat, play games and most importantly it is a time of reflections for the seniors and a way for the chapter to send them off and say good bye.

Q. What is your chapter’s favorite thing to do on campus together?
A. We can often be found sitting at big tables in the dining hall in the Shriver center in the room called the fishbowl, especially in the evenings and later at night. Members of our chapter also enjoy living together in dorms on campus as well as off campus.

Q. Do you have any upcoming events on your calendar (i.e. degrees, concerts, etc.)?
A. 2nd Degree February 11th 10pm at Western Lodge, February 12 Bake Sale(grilled cheese) 10pm-2am, February 13 Valentunes- Sweet Sounds for charity concert 8pm-10:30 pm at Hall Auditorium.

Q. What is something unique about your chapter?
A. For being a sorority we have a lot of guys 13 out of a chapter of 44 total and 4 male MC’s out of 9 total, which can make things interesting. We also have a different color bead for each of the 8 and at the end of each chapter meeting we have a chance to give each other a colored bead that corresponds with one of the 8 that a member or members of the chapter have displayed throughout the past week.

You can learn more about Delta Epsilon, including officer contact information, by visiting their website http://www.mutbs.org/

Tags: Spotlight, Tau Beta Sigma, TBS Moderators