Andy the Armadillo
District Mascot

With help from Aaron Smith and Tina Sorick

A Brief Update From Andy the Armadillo

    Greetings to all the Brothers and Sisters of the Southwest District from my present home with the Alpha Rho Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I heard I was missing, but I asure you Alpha Rho has kept a close eye on me here. I soon found out that there is not much to do in this college town, but the Brothers of Alpha Rho have made sure I have stayed busy with plenty of brotherhood and band service activities.
    I was very excited to be invited to the alumni float trip during the summer, and Alpha Rho was very pleased to see a good turnout of both active members and past alumni. I was on the bank with my life jacket on, but chickened out at the last second. The river was high, and I decided I was safer in the car. I then kicked off the academic year by presiding over the first meeting. It was nice to see every one energized and ready to get started with ideas for rush and band service. Then came the Homecoming parade and game, and I soon developed a crush on the queen. She told me she had never been hit on by an armadillo before, but I took that as a compliment. Then Alpha Rho had its first major band service activity, which involved re-orgianizeing, cleaning, and re-filing the music library. This was no easy task, and my energy level depleted quickly, so I snuck into a file cabinet drawer and took a nap. When all was done, the director of bands was very appreciative.
    I started spending more time with the membership candidates, helping them study and work on their projects. I especially enjoyed helping out with their banner. It needed an armadillo's touch. Additionally, I have spent many hours in the music building visting with students and faculty. One day I was fortunate to be invited to sit in on a drumline sectional. Since a majority of the drum line were my Brothers, they asked me to run the metronome and critique their performance.
    I soon learned Alpha Rho was not immune to the shortage of funds that plagues every chapter. One of their fundraisers was to auction off members to act as servants to the highest bidding bandmember. It went very will, although some members' egos were enlarged due to their high price in the auction. The auction proved to be very profitable and a blast for both members and the bandmembers purchasing them. The latest activity was the annual brotherhood campout on the river. I had a great time hearing about the history of Alpha Rho. They had some great stories about past district conventions, as well as other activities. I was surprised to witness the early morning swim session in the river. I felt inclined to remind the shivering members that the river is usually not warm in October, especially before dawn.
    As you can see, Alpha Rho is keeping be busy, and I am having a great time. I lookd forward to all of the activities they have planned for the remainder of the year involving brotherhood and band service. I am especially looking forward to the Oklahoma Area Workshop in February here in Tahlequah. I know my brothers are putting many hours planning the workshop. I can't wait to see you all in Waco at the Southwest District Convention. See you then!

AEA,

Andy