As one of the largest chapters in the Western District and installed at one of the greatest schools in country, the Psi Chapter is a prominent and respected group within the UCLA Bruin Marching Band.
Chapter Mission
In pursuit of the Purposes of the Fraternity while upholding the ideals of the Creed, the Psi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi promotes the advancement of college and university bands through drawing members from the wide array of interests, backgrounds, and abilities of the high caliber student body of UCLA; the national exposure and opportunities to serve and interact with other bands and Chapters provided by UCLA’s elite athletic program; the ample availability for music outreach, fundraising, and cultivation of a broad understanding and appreciation for music in the city of Los Angeles; the collaboration with our strong sister chapter, Epsilon Kappa of Tau Beta Sigma, to combine our efforts to better pursue larger goals for the greater good of our band program; and in striving to promote the highest musical achievement in the members of the Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, internationally renowned for a tradition of excellence.
History
The Psi Chapter was founded on May 4, 1929, when UCLA moved to its current location to accommodate the increasing student population. It was the 23rd chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi to be founded and the fifth on the west coast. However, just four years later, the Psi Chapter went inactive due to the effects of the Great Depression and stayed inactive through World War II. In 1953, UCLA Band Director F. Kelly James (arranger of the UCLA Fight Song) reactivated the Psi Chapter.
Up until 1972, the UCLA band had excluded women, but Psi led a movement to change that. Along with be a monumental occasion for the UCLA bands, it was a landmark for Psi, too. In 1973, one year after women’s admittance to the band, Psi’s sister chapter, the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, was chartered.
Psi has been active on the National and District levels, too. We hosted one of the largest ever National Conventions in 1977 and have sent many Brothers to subsequent conventions. Fourteen Brothers attended the 2009 convention, where Psi won a Chapter Leadership Award and was nominated for the William A. Scroggs Founders Trophy Award. Along with Epsilon Kappa, we hosted the first Western District Convention in 1988 and two more after that, in 1998 and 2006. We have also hosted California’s State Days in 2005 and 2011.
We have also had the honor of guiding other chapters through the stages of colonization. We aided in the colonization of Zeta Rho at Modesto Junior College in 1972 and Eta Mu at San Diego State University in 1978. We also aided in the colonization of our sister chapter at UCLA, Epsilon Kappa, in 1973. More recently, we were the Advising Chapter to the Mu Phi Chapter at Fullerton College in 2009.
Despite being founded over 80 years ago, the Psi Chapter is still going strong. Our chapter has been growing recently and we now number over 50 active members. Events like our Brotherhood Week help a chapter of our size still be extremely close knit. We are also fortunate enough to have a sister chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, with whom we work closely to do all that we do for our band.
Up until 1972, the UCLA band had excluded women, but Psi led a movement to change that. Along with be a monumental occasion for the UCLA bands, it was a landmark for Psi, too. In 1973, one year after women’s admittance to the band, Psi’s sister chapter, the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, was chartered.
Psi has been active on the National and District levels, too. We hosted one of the largest ever National Conventions in 1977 and have sent many Brothers to subsequent conventions. Fourteen Brothers attended the 2009 convention, where Psi won a Chapter Leadership Award and was nominated for the William A. Scroggs Founders Trophy Award. Along with Epsilon Kappa, we hosted the first Western District Convention in 1988 and two more after that, in 1998 and 2006. We have also hosted California’s State Days in 2005 and 2011.
We have also had the honor of guiding other chapters through the stages of colonization. We aided in the colonization of Zeta Rho at Modesto Junior College in 1972 and Eta Mu at San Diego State University in 1978. We also aided in the colonization of our sister chapter at UCLA, Epsilon Kappa, in 1973. More recently, we were the Advising Chapter to the Mu Phi Chapter at Fullerton College in 2009.
Despite being founded over 80 years ago, the Psi Chapter is still going strong. Our chapter has been growing recently and we now number over 50 active members. Events like our Brotherhood Week help a chapter of our size still be extremely close knit. We are also fortunate enough to have a sister chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, with whom we work closely to do all that we do for our band.
