Northeast District Vice President of Special Projects

Candidacy Packet

2015-2016

Celebrating Diversity Through Service

Shannon Mackey

Tau Beta Sigma- Delta Delta

University of Massachusetts- Amherst  

Academic Information

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Expected Graduation Date: May 2016

Degrees Pursuing: BA in History; BA in Legal Studies

Minor: Psychology

Long Term Plans:

I plan to graduate from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Legal Studies and wish to take both degrees to the next level. I would like to attend graduate school at the University of Massachusetts through the Accelerated Masters in Public Policy program. Short Term Plans:

I am currently active in the Delta Delta chapter and I plan to stay active until I graduate. I plan to keep participating in the UMass Marching Band, Concert Band, and Hoop Band until I graduate as well. This summer I hope to become the Summer Recruiter for the UMass Minuteman Marching Band.

Instrumental Music Ensemble Participation:

● University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band ○ Clarinet ○ Band Day Coordinator 2013, 2014 ○ Administrative Staff

■ 2013- Library Staff ■ 2014- Library Manager ■ 2015- Band Manager

● UMass Hoop Band ○ Clarinet ○ Uniform Staff

● UMass Concert Band ○ Clarinet ○ Library Manager, 2014 ○ Band Manager, 2015

Sister Achievements 

Initiated into the Delta Delta Chapter:

● December 1, 2012 - Gamma Iota Class Chair Positions Held:

● Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha Iota Liaison (Spring 2013) ● Band Banquet Chair (Fall 2013) ● Retreat Chair (Winter 2014) ● Webmaster (Fall 2014-Present) ● Expansion and Membership Committee Chair (NED Convention 2014)

Offices Held: ● Corresponding and Alumni Secretary (April 2013-April 2014) ● Secretary for Joint Chapter of Epsilon Nu and Delta Delta (April 2013-April

2014) ● Vice President of Membership (April 2014-Present) ● Northeast District Secretary (March 2014-Present)

Committees Served On: ● Fundraising (Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2014) ● Correspondence (Fall 2012, Spring 2013)

○ Chair of Committee (Fall 2013-Spring 2014) ● Membership (Spring 2013)

● Chair of Committee (Fall 2014-Present) ● Social (Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015) ● Joint Fundraising (Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015) ● Joint Band Banquet (Fall 2012, Fall 2014)

○ Chair of Committee (Fall 2013)

Littles:

● Christina Marie Solem, Delta Delta (Fall 2013) ● Evan Rogers, EN-KKPsi (Fall 2013) ● Stephanie Vinci, Delta Delta Honorary (Spring 2015)

Travel Experience: 2013

● Northern Precincts- University of New Hampshire ● Southern Precincts- University of Virginia ● NED Convention- University of Massachusetts ● National Convention- Springfield, MA

2014 ● Central Precincts- West Chester University ● Northern Precincts- Syracuse University ● NED Convention- University of Connecticut

2015 ● Central Precincts- West Virginia University ● Northern Precincts- University of Maine ● Southern Precincts- Hampton University ● NED Convention- West Chester University

Constitutional Duties

I have read and understand my duties as District Vice President of Special Projects:

3.404 The responsibilities of the Vice President of Special Projects shall be as follows:

● To maintain and advertise the requirements of the Life Membership Scholarship, Music Education Awareness Award, All Star Service Award, Unsung Hero Award, and Phenomenal Sister Award. The Life Membership Scholarship shall be due no later than December 1 and shall be awarded before the end of the fall semester. The remaining awards shall be due at least two weeks prior to the start of District Convention and shall be awarded at District Convention.

● To work with the District Vice President of Kappa Kappa Psi to arrange joint events in the form of at least one Precinct Day per precinct per year.

● To maintain and make available a database of programs for service and special projects through the Activity Forum on the District website.

● To serve as advisor to the Programs Committee. ● To maintain Project Protect Music, incorporating and developing ways for chapters

and the district to protect and support music programs in our region. ● To facilitate chapter participation with all national programs.

Letter of Intent

Dear Sisters of the Northeast District of Tau Beta Sigma, It is an honor to be writing this letter to you all today. Becoming a District Officer

was an aspiration of mine since I attended the Winter Council Meeting back in January of 2013. After meeting all of the members of the District Council and finally putting names to faces, I knew that being a Council member was more than just being an officer, it was about being an exemplary sister. Being on Council means being someone that others can look to for advice and guidance, but also doing whatever you can do to improve and strengthen your office. This past year has been an incredible experience on the District Council and I hope to further my involvement and contributions through the office of Northeast District Vice President of Special Projects. Getting to talk to other sisters from around the District has been an amazing experience and through this office I only hope to continue learning from others around the NED.

As Northeast District Secretary, I have worked to set up pen pals between sisters around the District. It is amazing to reach out to a chapter and hear their experiences and how their chapter operates. I find it absolutely fascinating how different chapters of the NED are from one another, and yet everyone comes together for a similar purpose: to serve the bands. This is what I hope to do for the Northeast District through the office of VPSP. I want to showcase those chapters with amazing service projects and have them be a guiding force to other chapters who may be struggling with service ideas. Those chapters that do outstanding service projects need to be recognized for the wonderful things that they are doing and become involved on a more District level.

I have fallen in love with this organization and everything that it embodies. Serving the bands is what I live for, and I only hope that with this District office I can further my involvement in helping collegiate bands through promoting service. Getting to meet new sisters from around the District has been an amazing experience that I only hope to continue in the coming years. I ask for your support in my candidacy for the position of Northeast District Vice President of Special Projects for the 2015-2016 term. My desire to run for this position comes from the overwhelming support of my chapter and that of the sisters of the NED. It would be an incredible honor to be selected to serve the NED in this way, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me anything - I would love to discuss them with you. Respectfully Submitted, Shannon Mackey

Delta Delta - University of Massachusetts Amherst Northeast District Secretary 2014-2015 smackey@umass.edu, 978-606-8357

Celebrating Diversity Through Service

Goals and Action Plan for the 2015-2016 Term

Precinct Days: Summer/Fall

In the coming year, I would like to make more of an emphasis on Precinct days so that chapters can not only communicate in a more face-to-face setting. Often times planning these events can be difficult, which is why I would like to put more of an emphasis on the fact that almost any gathering of brothers and sisters in the NED can become a Precinct Day. These would just be something enjoyable to attend, such as a day out in Boston, which I would try to encourage different chapters to host throughout the year. In order to do this, I would like to reach out to those chapters that may be around major cities or tourist attractions and explain more in detail of what these events would entail. This way, chapters have the knowledge of what to do and be inspired to host and show off their campuses or cities. Once a Precinct Day has been decided, I would send out many emails describing the event, including making a Facebook event and inviting brothers and sisters from around the Northeast District to make sure everyone is aware and fully informed of the event. The more people that attend the better!

Participation in District and National Programs: Year-Long

I would like to see more chapters getting involved on a District as well as a National level in terms of all of the opportunities that are available to them. I would like to reach out to more chapters who may not be involved on a District level and really urge those chapters to host Precinct Meetings and potentially put in bids for future Precinct and District Conventions. I would create a contact list of previous Precinct and District chairs so that if a chapter has any desire of wanting to host, I would be able to put them in contact with someone right away who can tell them everything they should know about planning one of these events. I also want to highly encourage these chapters to get more involved in applying for District awards as well as National awards by making them more aware of all of their available opportunities through constant reminders and an easy to use checklist with all of the deadlines and instructions on how to apply for each award. Chapter Recognition Year-Long

As chapters are doing their service projects throughout the year, I would like to recognize them through the NED List-Serv. This can serve as a way to showcase those chapters that are working hard to serve their band community. I plan to do this by

having the VPS’s and VPSP’s email me when they have done an outstanding service project and pick one chapter per month to showcase. Each month I would like to hit on a different subject. For example, one month would be a “Large Service Project to Your Band,” and another month would be “Service to Your Community.” My hope in this is to encompass every type of service that Tau Beta Sigma offers while also promoting Project Protect Music within the NED. Northeast District Service Packet: Year-Long

My goal for the coming term is to create a Northeast District Service Packet that encompasses all of the service projects that chapters from around the NED are implementing. This living document would serve as a guide for those chapters that need ideas on a new service project and learn the steps in how to implement them. In order to collect these ideas, I am going to have a new hashtag for the NED Photo Page that I will monitor to see what service chapters are doing, and if I have any questions about them, I will contact the VPS or VPSP of that chapter. This packet will be updated throughout the year and published on our website for anyone to use. Halfway through my term I would also like to create a committee that would review and add any suggestions that they may have to this packet. One-on-Ones and Chapter Events Calendar: Before Each Semester

If I were to become NED VPSP I would like to continue what has been implemented this past year by having scheduled one-on-ones with all of the NED VPS’s and VPSP’s. I feel that these are a good way to get to know everyone on a more personal level before the new school year starts and help them with any questions that they have about the position. I would also like for these to be an opportunity to talk to everyone about their Chapter Events Calendar so that I can compile them before each semester and publish them on the NED website. These would also be a good way to get everyone thinking about their semester service projects ahead of time and start planning before the semester begins.

Letters of Recommendation

Letter #1

Emily Lowe, Recording Secretary, on behalf of the Delta Delta Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma

Letter #2

Stephanie Vinci, Delta Delta Chapter Sponsor

To Whom It May Concern: My name is Emily Lowe, and I am the Recording Secretary for the Delta Delta chapter 

at UMass Amherst. I was initiated Fall 2013 as a part of the Gamma Lambda class of our chapter. Shannon Mackey, initiated Fall 2012 as a part of the Gamma Iota class, has been very involved in Tau Beta Sigma as long as I have known her. When I first met her she was the Joint Recording Secretary for both Epsilon Nu­Kappa Kappa Psi and Delta Delta­Tau Beta Sigma. Since then I have seen her hold multiple offices and chair positions, both in our chapter and on the District Level. As of right now she is the NED Secretary and our chapter Vice President of Membership. I believe she is a strong candidate for the Tau Beta Sigma Northeast District Vice President of Special Projects. 

Shannon has an incredible love, passion, and appreciation for Tau Beta Sigma. She puts her whole heart into everything she does. As a Big Sister she has mentored her littles well, both of them going on to successfully hold offices. As Recording Secretary for Delta Delta she always did everything efficiently and on time, and as Vice President of Membership she is a loving, kind mentor to the classes that she has had this year. This year’s Fall class was a big class for us, and had 12 MCs (all of whom became sisters). Shannon was able to help them through their process, and help them in any other parts of their life that they may have been struggling in. This semester we have a class of 5, and so far she has also helped them greatly. 

Shannon has also held Administrative Staff positions in our marching band. She has successfully planned our Band Days for the past few years, all of which had thousands of high schoolers and incredible logistics including navigating Gillette Stadium. She has also been our Library Staff Manager, handling all of the music and drill passed out to both the marching and concert band. Shannon was also just recently selected as our Band Manager, overseeing everything the band does, which I can imagine must be stressful. All of these positions, while stressful, Shannon did successfully with pride. 

As Vice President of Special Projects, I believe Shannon would bring a great perspective to the District Council. She has experience on the District Council already, and she seems to love every minute of it. She mentions diversity in her platform, which I believe Shannon has a lot of experience with. Our late band director, George Parks, used to say “band is a place for everyone,” and I believe Shannon also feels this way. In our chapter of almost 40, and in our band of around 400, we are a diverse group of students, all of whom are treated equally and respectfully by Shannon. Our chapter is strong in service, and Shannon rarely misses a service event. She has great, creative ideas, and participates in every conversation regardless of the topic. She works hard, and sets a wonderful example as a Sister. Shannon would truly be a great asset to the 2015­2016 Northeast District Council.  Sincerely, Emily Lowe ΔΔ­ΤΒΣ­ΓΛ Recording Secretary 2014­2015  

To whom it may concern,

I highly recommend Shannon Mackey for the District Office of Vice President of Special Projects. Shannon has held

leadership roles in the Sisterhood and the band, and within each of these positions she has excelled at her duties. I

believe that Shannon has all the qualifications to take this position and bring it to a new level; she is a compassionate

and dedicated Sister who would serve the position with honor.

I have known Shannon since she was a membership candidate in 2012. In her time as an active Sister she has served on

multiple committees and held several offices, including Band Banquet Chair, Corresponding and Alumni Secretary,

Vice President of Membership, and the Northeast District Secretary. In each of these positions she has surpassed the

standard duties. During her time as Vice President of Membership, Shannon has set guidelines for members struggling

academically, held multiple meetings with various members to uphold the values of the Sisterhood, and created a clear

process that has successfully put through two classes of membership candidates. In addition, she created and refined

the chapter schedule and oversaw all recruitment events and post membership education. Serving as Secretary for the

Northeast District, she was able to effectively communicate with the council, put together the monthly newsletter, and

compile all the minutes from the Northeast District Precincts and District Convention.

Aside from being an active member in the Sisterhood, Shannon excels academically and within the University of

Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band (UMMB). She is a double major in history and legal studies, with a minor

in psychology and she upholds a 3.5 GPA. For the UMMB, Shannon has served as Library Manager and was chosen

through a vigorous interview process to serve as the Band Manager. As band manager, she oversees a 400 member

marching band and manages the administrative staff and maintains communication with the directors, alumni, band

parents, potential members, and all actively enrolled band members. Shannon stands out from the crowd and

continually proves to be a leader and role model.

I have no doubts that Shannon would be the perfect fit the Northeast District as the Vice President of Special

Projects. She has proved herself time and time again to be a passionate individual, who is driven by a strong work

ethic and a desire to be the best. I recommend Shannon Mackey without reservation for this position. If you have any

questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Vinci

Tau Beta Sigma-Delta Delta-Beta Psi

Life Member Delta Delta Chapter Sponsor

vinci.steph@gmail.com

973-234-8452