by Jamie Weisel, ΓA

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 29th, the active brothers and the candidates of Psi gathered for the first degree ceremony. With the first four weeks of winter quarter being held online at UCLA, which served as another COVID-19 precaution with the spread of the omicron variant, the hybrid format of this degree made it one for the books. Some candidates and actives were taking their online classes from home, so they were not able to join first-degree in person. Even though this was the case, the executive officers made sure to make accommodations by hosting a zoom meeting at the same time. Multiple laptops were brought to first degree, and they were placed around the steps and patio outside of Schoenberg’s entrance. Luckily, the weather was clear, and brothers who were online could still see the ceremony take place, and could experience it with everyone.
One of the impacts of this degree was the acknowledgement of the new candidates of the Psi chapter as this marked the beginning of their candidate process. Furthermore, bigs and littles were revealed towards the end of first degree. Everyone was very excited to meet their new family members, including those online who were added to their respective breakout room on zoom. This allowed them to have each person on a device, so they could be brought around and included in their family getting to know each other. People proceeded to take pictures in (as in climbing in) the tree outside of Schoenberg, to symbolize a family tree being expanded by the addition of the new Gamma Alpha class as littles.
​From their candidate presentations, a few candidates pointed out a couple things they realized by attending first degree:
1. How to pronounce Kappa...Kappa...Psi...
2. “Business Casual” means pretty formal
3. The Fraternity Hymn contains a repeat and a visual on “bRotHeRrrr”
​4. Reserve time for family hang out after degree
5. Don’t show up hungry to a degree.
The day was quite busy as most families hung out for a couple hours after the ceremony, followed by National’s zoom meeting for first degree that everyone had to log on for. Additionally, there was a men’s basketball game gig that same night (and yes - we chopped the trees)! Overall, hybrid first degree was a memorable event of winter quarter and was an exciting start of the candidate journey for Gamma Alpha class of the Psi chapter of KKPsi.

​By Fidel Negrete, B​Ψ

Throughout our very successful marching band season this past fall quarter, our Vice President of Membership, Ariel Fernandez, was hard at work organizing five wonderful recruitment events for our Gamma Alpha class. Three of these events were new for us returning in person, and we were very excited to see so many new and familiar faces join us after last year’s online membership process. Hype for in-person recruitment events!

Joint Info Night 
In spite of some technical difficulties with the slide presentation, officers from both Psi and EK were eager to introduce the prospective candidates to the orgs. They were invited to learn about our history on this campus and our purposes, allowing them to ask questions about the candidate process. 

Joint Speed Dating 
Once again, Brothers and Sisters collaborated to organize our “speed dating” event, with actives and prospective candidates forming concentric circles and briefly getting to know each other through thoughtful and wacky questions (e.g. If the Starship bots started taking over the world, what would you do?). I had a blast with actives Angel Lopez and Natalie Wang, learning more about these great people! Through brief interactions, both actives and prospective candidates were able to get a better introduction to these new faces. 

Cards and Coffee 
For our service recruitment event, prospective candidates were invited to dip into their creativity and make some cards on a pleasant Saturday morning for nearby children’s hospitals. This event proved to be my personal favorite because of the calm and relaxing vibes, and because we were happy to spread love and kindness through our crafts. 

P(s)izza Night 
Brothers were happy to gather over some pizza and share their values to prospective candidates after band rehearsal. With presentations from current officers about their positions, as well as actives Alexis Arredondo, Sophia Buraglio, and Thong Dinh sharing their experiences, prospective candidates were able to hear first hand what it is like to be an active member of chapter! 

PsiEK Self-Care Day 
Prospective candidates were able to disengage from academic stress during week ten for our last recruitment event at the Hedrick Hall movement studio. Refreshing face masks and chill music set the relaxing atmosphere, as everybody got to chat and reflect on their fall quarter. The many laughs and experiences shared over these five recruitment events are sure to have inspired prospective candidates to join our chapter. We are thrilled to welcome our Gamma Alpha class!

by Sophia Buraglio, B​Ψ

On October 24th of 2021, members of the Psi chapter’s Beta Psi class gathered in Schoenberg Music Building to complete the Ritual of the Third Degree, thus finally bringing to a close their year-and-a-half-long candidate process–which began on January 18, 2020. The class completed the First and Second Degrees in early 2020 (prior to UCLA’s transition to online school), and gained Active status later that spring after a replacement ceremony over Zoom, but had yet to experience Third Degree in person. The day was marked by mixed emotions; while Beta Psi expressed excitement and nostalgia about reuniting as a class and being met by Erica Vellanoweth, their Vice President of two years prior, an undeniable air of melancholy hung over the ceremony as well. Many were without their Bigs or family members who had graduated, and fewer than a dozen total Actives and Alumni attended the ceremony. Beta Psi itself was somewhat diminished, missing several members who had assumed Conditional or Inactive status, or else had scheduling conflicts. After the Ritual completed, the few “candidates” who had family present received gifts, took pictures, and left to celebrate elsewhere, but many milled around, unsure of how to celebrate or with whom. A handful of those without their Bigs/families present eventually joined up and went out to eat as a group, and others left alone.
For current Sergeant-at-Arms Natalie Wang, of Beta Psi, this event posed a particularly strange challenge: she was perhaps the first Sergeant to plan her own Third Degree. Because she had no reference point for the in-person ceremony, Wang relied on older Brothers and previous officers for input. She described the experience as “really weird, because obviously I was still participating as a “candidate”... I probably spent most of Third Degree worrying about if everything was going well.”
Only a few weeks later, members of Beta Psi convened again for Degree–this time joining their older Brothers as Actives–to welcome the Beta Omega class during their round of make-up, in-person Degrees. While Beta Psi was able to experience First and Second Degrees before the pandemic, Beta Omega joined Chapter during the 2020-2021 school year, becoming the first ever class to complete their entire candidate process online. This included slideshow recreations of the Ritual, created by Nationals and presented over Zoom, which took the place of each Degree. While the Beta Omega class was officially classified as Actives by the end of the school year, they still had not gone through any Degree in person. So on November 7th, 2021, the Psi chapter hosted a marathon session, performing First, Second, and Third Degree back-to-back with interludes of forty-five minutes between each ceremony.
Wang believes that there are certain elements of Degree that simply can’t be replicated over Zoom, so she was excited to finally give Beta Omega the chance to experience Ritual as it was intended. Still, the three-in-one event required a tremendous amount of preparation and work. “I pray that no Sergeant will ever have to do that again,” she joked.
Vivian Yee and Jack Nelson of Beta Omega both expressed gratitude to Chapter and to Nationals for their dedication to preserving as many of the traditions of Degree as possible during the stretch of online instruction. “They did a great job of helping us candidates feel like we were part of the process throughout the whole thing,” Nelson said, noting the compassion and flexibility shown by the then-Vice President, and the use of resources such as breakout rooms to preserve the secrets of the Ritual and facilitate components such as family reveals. “They definitely did the most they could with the ceremonies online.”
Still, Nelson noted of the virtual Degrees, “There was only so much we could do to honor the traditions and everything we usually do... because so much of it is steeped in tradition.”
Yee agrees. When Beta Omega was able to attend in-person Degrees, my pride in Psi grew even further,” she said. She described the experience of witnessing, for the first time, her Brothers assembled under the Chapter flag. “Seeing and hearing the Psi traditions in-person truly was a whole different experience, in the best way possible.”

Hello alumni!

Here it is, the last edition of the Encore for the 2020-21 school year. Hopefully (and I say this with nearly full confidence, but you never know) this will also be the last edition of the Encore brought to you during this era of completely remote learning. I'm sure you're as excited for a return to normalcy as I am! Summer is in full swing but we would be remiss without a recap of this past spring quarter. 

As always, our Chapter had an ambitious quarter full of projects and events. Some were new -- like our Alumni v. Active Jeopardy Trivia night -- while others were more familiar -- like our 4th annual Day of Music and Leadership (DOMAL). All events provided opportunities for our Brothers to engage in service, music, leadership, and brotherhood whilst staying connected. Continue reading to see what we've been up to, as well as to celebrate some new and old faces: particularly in our Senior Spotlights and in messages from your new Psi President and Alumni Relations Officer. 

Speaking of our new officers... Without further ado, I am incredibly proud and excited to present to you: the Psi Chapter Officers for the 2021-22 school year!

President: Gina Talcott
Vice President of Membership: Ariel Fernandez
Sergeant-at-Arms: Natalie Wang
Director of Service: Joshua Cielo
Director of Music: Renee Shanteler
Treasurer: Samuel Black
Brotherhood Relations Officer: Alannah Linden
Director of Brotherhood/Sisterhood Relations: Sheryl Ocampo
Director of Band Activities: Brianna Becerra
Secretary: Bryan Jefferson
Alumni Relations Officer: Angel Lopez
Historian: Olivia Raskin
Webmaster: Adam Traut
​
Congratulations to all our new officers! I am grateful to know this Chapter is in great hands as I graduate and join you all as a Psi alumnus. With that being said, I want to offer you all my sincere thanks and appreciation for embracing me as your Alumni Relations Officer this year. I was able to meet and reconnect with many of you, and I hope the future holds even more of those relationships to be created and cherished. Thank you for trusting me as your point-person of contact, allowing me to try new things in this role, and for coming to my events (I hope you had a great time). Above all, thank you for trusting me with the legacy of this Chapter's alumni base. I am extremely grateful for your Brotherhood, and your involvement -- in ways both large and small!

AEA, 
​
Carrie Appel
Beta Chi
Alumni Relations Officer, 2020-21

If you would like to get more involved in our Chapter this summer, here are some great ways to do so:

• If you participated in the Alumni Mentoring Event this quarter (especially if you haven't gotten to talk to your active pair yet), please feel free to keep in touch your mentee!
• Work with actives in your family line to plan a virtual (or safe in-person) bonding activity, meal, or other meetup to stay connected!
• Have any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions about (likely in-person!) events for the upcoming year? Let us know at [email protected]. We always love hearing from you!

Keep an eye out for emails this summer, which will start to detail exactly how our Chapter plans to transition back to in-person business and activities. On behalf of Psi, we can't wait to see many of you all this upcoming year.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Encore. Stay safe everyone, and happy summer!​​

Sara Acosta    
Future Residence: El Dorado Hills, CA    
Instrument: Alto Sax    
Major: Chemical Engineering    
Plans after graduation: I plan to pursue my Master's degree in Bioprocess Engineering at UC Berkeley in the fall. Go Bears? Go Oski?    
Fun Fact: My life changed forever after I tasted the BBQ quesadilla from Rende ♡    
What I’m looking forward to: I'm looking forward to being a part of the alumni band! Can't wait to watch more games in Pauley and the Rose Bowl. ​

Renu Chepuru
Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Instrument: Alto Saxophone 
Major: MCDB
Minor: Study of Religion
Plans after graduation: Continue to work in LA at a private Allergy and Immunology Clinic in Santa Monica and apply to medical school. If everything goes well, I will attend medical school starting in the fall of 2022.
Fun Fact: I grew a lot in my civic engagement and awareness and I am very happy I got to take to the street in LA to protest systemic racism and police brutality after George Floyd's death. 
What I’m looking forward to: I am most looking forward to being a tangible resource for UCLA pre-med's who feel overwhelmed and confused about the application process. ​

Emily Davis
Future Residence: New York, NY
Instrument: Flute 
Major: Biology
Plans after graduation: I will be moving to New York City to complete a Master of Arts in Climate and Society as part of the inaugural class of Columbia's Climate School. 
Fun Fact: I joined the club E3: Ecology, Economy, and Equity my freshman year for fun, never imagining that I would now serve as Co-President and be pursuing a career in the environmental field. 
What I’m looking forward to: I'm looking forward to continuing to learn and grow in a new city with the support of my fellow bruins near and far. ​

​David Matter
Future Residence: Moreno Valley, CA
Instrument: Trombone
Major: Psychology 
Minor: Public Affairs
Plans after graduation: Take a small break, and then apply to grad schools. Not sure in what field yet but thinking about an MSW.
Fun Fact: Nothing too special, but I'm grateful for all of the fun and cool gigs I was able to do for band.
What I’m looking forward to: Seeing new people continue to join the organization and breathe life into it in new ways.

Elizabeth Wan
Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Instrument: Flute/Piccolo
Major: Psychology
Minor: Public Affairs
Plans after graduation: I will apply for law school and study for the LSAT. I am also looking for internships.
Fun Fact: In the span of transferring to UCLA to graduating (two years), I have lived in three different places, worked three different jobs, learned how to drive and got my license and insurance, and got three more rabbits, all while living through a global pandemic and being a full-time student. It's been a wild ride y'all. 
What I’m looking forward to: Not having to take online classes anymore. ​

Due to the global pandemic, the usual Active / New Active basketball game has become a virtual Family Feud night where the returning active members and new active members play for the victory title. This year's event took place on April 23, 2021 at 6 pm via Zoom, featuring questions such as, “name a behavior a dog would get away with that a person wouldn’t,” “how many days can you keep a banana before it goes bad?”, “name something you haven’t done since high school gym class,” and more! 

For those that don’t know, Family Feud is a game in which each team attempts to come up with “popular” items to win points. If one team guesses an item that isn’t on the list, the turn goes to the next team. The event was organized by our Brotherhood Relations Officer Ryan Lee, who said about the event, “I thought it went really well! I was super excited to see the number of returning and new actives that showed up for some friendly competition. It was a great way to break the new active win streak.” That’s right: for the first time in 3 years, the returning active members won, but not without a strong fight from the new actives. 

Once brothers had logged on to the meeting, the two groups split into separate breakout rooms to come up with a game strategy and team member roles. After about ten minutes of deliberation, the friendly competition began. As each team took turns responding to the questions on the board, it became apparent that the returning active members were taking the lead. The event reached the final round, in which only two members from each team had to respond to each question with different answers to get more points (the “fast money” round). Kevin Reidy and Gabriel Ramirez represented the returning actives team, while Connor Lantz and Alannah Linden played for the new actives. Although the new actives scored more points in the fast money round, the returning actives had scored enough previously in the game to win victory. Overall, it was a great game, a fun night, and a brilliant way for new and returning actives to bond as one chapter.