KANSAS GAMMA at Kansas State University invites fellow Tau Bates to enjoy the scenery of the Konza Prairie around Manhattan while attending this annual October event. Located in the “Little Apple,” Kansas State started in 1863 as a land-grant school with an enrollment of 106 and has grown to a university of more than 20,000 students. The institution owns or leases more than 14,000 acres in 19 counties for agricultural research.

The college of engineering is home to nearly 2,000 under­graduate and 500 graduate students. Offering degrees in the traditional engineering disciplines, the college has eight depart­ments and is recognized for facilities such as the advanced manufacturing institute, the center for transportation research and training, and engineering outreach programs.

Since its founding at the university on January 27, 1974, Kansas Gamma has proudly carried on the ideals of Tau Beta Pi through the election of members who demonstrate outstanding scholarship, exemplary character, and benevolent service. Its members are excited and proud to be your hosts for the 1998 Tau Beta Pi National Convention. Arrangements Co-chairs Heather V. Rectanus, Kansas Gamma '98, and Brian J. Budke, Kansas Gamma '99, and their enthusiastic crew have booked the Holi­day Inn Holidome two miles from the engineering campus to accommodate the 400-plus attenders.

All meetings and four meals will be at the hotel. Attend­ees will enjoy lunch, view the model initiation, and tour the campus on Saturday. Most delegates, national officers, and other attendees will fly to Kansas City, MO, for the October 8-10 meetings, tours, Engineering Futures sessions, chapter and individual awards, Executive Council installation, and other activities.

Expenses of one student delegate per chapter and the on­site expenses of chapter advisors will be paid by the Associa­tion. Nonvoting delegates and alumni are welcome to attend at their own expense. For more information and reserva­tions, contact Assistant Secretary Roger E. Hawks, Tau Beta Pi Convention, P.O. Box 2697, Knoxville, TN 37901-2697 (phone: 423/546-4578; fax: 423/546-4579; e-mail: tbp@tbp.org; or visit our webpage: www.tbp.org) during August.

Tau Beta Pi’s 93rd national Convention may be your convention opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t miss this won­derful experience!

Future engineers from across the United States will be in Manhattan this weekend for the annual Tau Beta Pi National Convention. This is the first time the convention will take place at K-State.

Tau Beta Pi is an honor society that encompasses all fields of engineering. The organization recognizes scholastic achievement in the engineering field while also doing community-service projects.

Scott Coatney, editor of the newsletter for K-State's chapter of Tau Beta Pi, said 470 members will be attending from all over the country, from states such as Massachusetts, Arizona, California and Minnesota.

The convention began with business meetings Thursday afternoon and will conclude Saturday. K-State's chapter has been planning the event since last year.

Seven Tau Beta Pi members were sent to the national convention in fall 1997 in Minneapolis, Minn., to be trained and to see how the convention works.

So far, the convention has received good reviews from some national officers of Tau Beta Pi in the areas of participation of the host chapter. Also, souvenirs are being given out to those who attend, said Brian Budke, arrangements chair for the convention.

"We got funding from corporate sponsors, so we got to do a lot more with our souvenirs than other host chapters have done," Budke said.

Activities during the convention include a tour of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area and a volleyball tournament, as well as the usual business and district meetings throughout the weekend.

There is also an Engineering Futures meeing, which teaches management and team-leadership skills.

Coatney said being host to the convention is not only helpful to the chapters but also to the campus and the state.

"This gives everyone a good chance to look at K-State. It is the first impression that most people will get of the campus and of Kansas, and we want them to walk away with a good feeling," he said.

THE SIXTH-LARGEST GATHERING Of Tau Bates ever participated in the business of the 93rd Convention — in Manhattan, KS, October 8-10,1998. These 447 members represented 209 collegiate chapters, three alumnus chapters, and the national organization. Of the total, 321 were students and 126 were alumni.

Chapter advisors totaled 39, all invited and many partially reimbursed by the national organization; 24 nonmember guests, petitioners, and consultants participated, several enjoying special tours and the banquets.

The Kansas Gamma Chapter at Kansas State University was official host of the second national meeting held in its state. The general arrangements chair for this meeting was Brian J. Budke, KS G ’98, who, with Kansas Gamma President Elizabeth R. Verderber and Advisor Eddie R. Fowler, led the host committees for such duties as transportation, housing, registra­tion, meals, publicity, tours, souvenirs, guest programs, and hospitality.

Headquarters for the national meeting was the Holiday Inn Holidome, where most of the delegates were housed, four meals were enjoyed, and all meetings were held. Conventiongoers lunched on campus and conducted the model initiation in Forum Hall in the Student Union.

The Convention formally opened in the Regency Ballroom of the hotel on Thursday afternoon. It closed on Saturday night with the Initiation and Awards banquet in the same room -- followed by delegate visits to various social establishments in Manhattan. Four business meetings were held, beginning with Thursday's session, when the Presidents report for the Ex­ecutive Council was presented, and end­ing with the busi­ness actions on the banquet program on Saturday, when two Tau Beta Pi Laureates, the Na­tional Outstanding Advisor, the winner of the 1998 Standard of Excellence Award and national chapter award winners were honored.

Almost all business at Tau Beta Pi Conventions is handled by committees. Seven standing committees are called for in the Constitution, and every collegiate chapter voting delegate served on a team. Full details of the business meetings are recorded in the official minutes and in some detail in the December 1998 BULLETIN. Major actions of the Convention are reported in this article.

Chapter Programs & Practices

Understanding the complexity of Tau Beta Pi's financial status presents a problem to students, but the Financial Affairs Committee democratically reviewed all financial matters, including the Secretary-Treasurer's and auditor's reports, stated its approval of them to the Convention, and concluded that the Association's finances are strong and in sound order.

The committee recommended, and the Convention adopted, specific allowable Convention expenses beyond those specified in the Bylaws for delegates to the 1999 meeting. Delegates also decided to use the 1998 expense-reimbursement schedule for the 1999 Convention, except that vehicle mileage reimbursement will increase from $0.20 to $0.25 per mile.

Three topics had been referred to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for study and recommendation. After careful consideration, the Convention approved (by the required three-fourths favorable vote) a package of Constitution and Bylaws amendments to eliminate a requirement for Corresponding Secretaries to the names/addresses of Advisory Board members -- as well as to delete a related phrase overlooked by an amendment passed in 1996 (affected were Bylaw III, Sec. 3.01[e][4]; B. V, Sec. 5.03[d][1]; and B. VIII, Sec. 8.01[a]. as we;; as a cross-reference in Constitution Art. VII, Sec. 1[c]); final approval of the changes is subject to chapter ratification. Secondly, the committee recommended, and the Convention adopted, an amendment to Constitution Art. IV, Sec. 2(c), to add the title of Executive Director to that of Secretary-Treasurer; final approval is subject to chapter ratification. Third, the group reviewed the listing of chapter fines in Bylaw VIII and recommended a higher schedule; this amendment was approved by the Convention.

Finally, the group recommended and the Convention adopted an amendment to Const. Art. III, Sec. 6, to delete one sentence overlooked by an amendment that was ratified in March 1998; final approval is subject to chapter ratification.

The Rituals Committee recommended that minor changes in the Ritual be made to prevent situations in which students decline initiation and that a design competition for chapters be held to acquire innovative designs for a change in the equipment controls. The team also helped to organize an impressive model initiation ceremony for the Kansas Gamma Chapter on Saturday afternoon.

The Awards Committee worked long hours in reviewing the 1997-98 records of the chapters and in selecting the recipients of the R. C. Matthews Outstanding Chapter and R. H. Nagel Most Improved Chapter awards. Announcement of these awardees, and the 20 honorees in the newly named Chapter Performance Scholarship Program, are reported in detail on pages 44 and 45. The group also recommended, and the Convention adopted, an amendment to Constitution Art. III, Sec. 2(b), to replace the Committee on Awards with two committees; final approval of the change is subject to chapter ratification.

The Convention named The Tau Beta Pi Association Scholarship Program (established by the Executive Council in August) to present award carrying $2,000 stipends named in honor of former Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus R. H. Nagel and future donors.

New Executive Council Installed

A highlight of the Convention was the formal installation of the Mid-Atlantic Executive Council during the final banquet program on October 10. President Edward D. Basta and his Great Lakes cohorts, who had faithfully served the 1994-98 term, turned over to incoming President Douglas M. Green and his board the responsibility for leadership of Tau Beta Pi during the next four years. Elected by the 1997 Convention and attending Council meetings during the year, the Mid-Atlantic team presented appropriate desk clock mementos to the retiring board.

2001 Convention

The 1998 Convention accepted the invitation from Ohia Gamma to host the 2001 meeting in Columbus. This decision was approved on December 5 by the Executive Council.

National Outstanding Advisor

The attendees were pleased to learn of the 1998 Tau Beta Pi National Outstanding Advisor, John A. Tucker, MA-E '49, of Massachusetts Beta. Vice President E. W. Beans presented $1,000 and a commemorative plaque on Mr. Tucker's behalf to Dr. Thomas W. Eager, MA-B '72, along with another $1,000 for MIT's engineering college discretionary fund.

1998 Tau Beta Pi Laureates

The delegates enjoyed meeting and hearing the accomplishments of Laureates Jonathan M. Owens, AL-B '98, and Guang-Ien Cheng, MA-B '97. Councilor Molly K. Brennan presented Mr. Owens with a commemorative plaque and a $2,500 check (Ien's award was mailed to him in England).

Standard of Excellance Award

The attendees were delighted to hear the accomplishments of the winner of the 1998 Tau Beta Pi Standard of Excellence Award: Dr. William T. Snyder, TN-A '54. A $500 Tau Beta Pi scholarship will be presented in his honor to a student. The selection committee modified selection criteria for this award, renamed it for the last year of its three-year trial period, and decided not to establish a Standard of Excellence in Engineering Award.

Other Business

The 93rd Convention carefully handled all of the routine chores of the Society, including the report of the President.

The International Chapter Committee spent its time evaluating the issues that are expected to arise when an international institution petitions for a chapter and referred that topic to a task force for further study and to report to the 1999 Convention.

The Image and Marketing Materials (ad hoc) team decided that Tau Beta Pi image materials and promotional literature (including posters and brochures) need drastic improvement, and then recommended that the Council contract with a firm to develop those materials for the 1999 Convention.

In a brief New Business session, a delegate recommended that:

• The Executive Council review processes to establish a new electronic membership reporting system, and

• The Executive Council investigate the construction of a new Tau Beta Pi headquarters building.

The Chapter Development Program, including improved Interactive Chapter Exchanges and Engineering Futures and District meetings, is reported in a separate article in this issue. Many delegates expressed appreciation for the usefulness of the exchanges and the EF session.

The Resolutions Committee is always responsible for thanking the appropriate persons for all the good things that happened to the Association during the past year and for closing the Convention with an inspirational message to the delegates. The 1998 team did a splendid job in this respect, as follows:

We express our sincere appreciation to Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Robert H. Nagel for his 55 years of devoted service to Tau Beta Pi. The Association is forever touched by his legacy.

We hope that many of the new ideas we shared this weekend and the actions of the committees will make running your local chapter an easier, more rewarding experience. More importantly, we hope that your new-found friendships formed this weekend will withstand the pressures of distance and time and prove to be continuous sources of ideas and encouragement for years to come. It is our responsibility not to allow all that we have learned at this Convention to fade away. Rather, it is our duty to keep the spirit of Tau Beta Pi, as the foundation of all we do. Long after we leave the Flint Hills of Kansas, our renewed pride and commitments to Tau Beta Pi will inspire us to act with honor, to live with integrity, and to perform with excellence. We sincerely thank you!

As the reality sunk in that the Kansas Gamma Chapter at Kansas State Univer­sity in Manhattan would host the 1998 Convention, members lost no time in seeking help from other chapters in Dis­trict 9, particularly to ease the logistic burden of most Convention delegates arriving at the airport in Kansas City. While maps show Manhattan to be 110 miles west of Kansas City, the road mile­age from the Convention hotel to the airport is more nearly 125 miles, easily a two-hour bus ride.

Kansas Alpha, located in Lawrence, and Missouri Alpha's sub-chapter, at UMKC in Inde­pendence, were recruited to help staff the Tau Beta Pi arrival desk at the airport. It was necessary to meet planes at the three-terminal complex to instruct attend­ees how to get to the location where the buses were loading.

Prudence dictated that planning in­clude preparations for the possibility that inclement weather in virtually any part of the nation could cause flights to arrive late and produce missed connections for some Convention attendees. Having ready and even continuous contact between the Convention headquarters and the airport arrival desk seemed a necessity.

The possibility of using cellular phones seemed promising but could be­come expensive not only because of the cost of special activations at the terminals but also if high usage were required as a result of poor weather con­ditions and many changes in arrival times and bus departures.

Armed with these considerations, an alternative was proposed. Recent changes in FCC regulations had removed a cloud concerning the legality of using amateur radio to further the regular business of any entity, and the regularity of the annual Convention could have fallen under this interpretation. The FCC clarified that pub­lic service use of amateur radio was legal for special events that occurred infre­quently, and once a year was well within the definition of infrequent.

Dr. Norm Dillman of the electrical and computer engineering faculty at KSU, and one of several hams on the faculty, undertook to test the feasibility and reli­ability of the possible circuits that could be used. He considered the ability to talk directly from the airport desk to the head­quarters registration desk to be a must, and the portability of VHF-equipment and antennae meant that medium power would likely be required, at least at the terminals. The distance between the two points was distinctly “over the horizon,” which hindered direct propagation be­tween the two points. On the other hand, high-frequency propagation was quite variable during the day, and few ama­teurs were equipped to interconnect their HF gear to the VHF bands.

The solution took the following form. Greg Cemy, WQ0P, of Belvue, KS, had a station capable of bouncing VHF signals (440 MHz) off the moon. He could also receive the Clay County Amateur Radio Club repeater (which was easily acces­sible from the airport with a hand-held transceiver) and relay it automatically via the 440 MHz-equipment beamed di­rectly toward Manhattan, where Norm connected an automatic relay between his own 440 transceiver and a two-meter transceiver operating on simplex that was readily copied at the headquarters desk!

With the help of their wives, who are also hams, Norm and Greg tested this circuit before the Convention started and found it to be better than 95% reliable and apparently capable of meeting the com­munication needs during the arrival phase. The connection was ready for business after licensed operators were recruited from the District 9 attendees to serve as control operators at the two terminals. These included Dr. Eddie R. Fowler, Chief Advisor of Kansas Gamma — an amateur radio operator who was scheduled to be at the headquarters desk anyway!

Ready though we were for the worst the weather had to offer, in reality the weather on Wednesday and Thursday, when the throng of arrivals peaked, was ideal. All flights arriving at the Kansas City airport were either on time or slightly early. Every passenger was accommo­dated on the bus that had originally been scheduled for him or her, and the com­munication link actually carried only con­firmation news that all was as planned. Only two passengers arrived after the last bus left; that was known beforehand, and alternate shuttle transportation was used. The fact that the communication link may not have been needed was over­shadowed by the knowledge that Kansas Gamma was prepared if it had.

No tornado roared across the plains to disrupt our 1998 Con­vention, at least not one of the real variety. Plenty of other excitement awaited as our student leaders from across the country gathered in Manhat­tan, KS. There were new friends to meet, journeys to discuss with some­one who has traveled the path before, Tinker-Toy® towers to construct, and decisions to make about the future of Tau Beta Pi. While some became com­mittee leaders, others caught the flow of Robert’s Rules. Chapter develop­ment means training students and advi­sors, who returned home with new ideas and enthusiasm.

The Convention opened with basics for survival in the business meetings that would follow. Convention Chair Steve Pierre and Parliamentarian Jim Johnson guided delegates through the proper techniques of basic parliamentary procedure using Robert’s Rules of Order. Once understood and properly used, these guides helped the meetings to proceed in an orderly fashion. Chapter presidents were well served to study and apply this knowledge on their campuses.

After the first business meeting, com­mittees met to select chairs, vice chairs, and secretaries. These student leaders guided their teams and gained valuable experience presenting reports before the entire body. While voting delegates met in committees, their nonvoting counterparts built important interper­sonal, team-building, and meeting-man­agement skills at Engineering Futures sessions. Newly appointed Facilitators gained valuable training at these ses­sions as well. Delegates then regrouped for District meetings to renew old friend­ships and begin new ones as the bonds among chapters grew stronger. Dis­trict Directors provided valuable guid­ance for their delegates, drawing from their own experiences as they provided a vital link between individual chapters and the national organization. Partici­pation in the program helps many offic­ers to improve their chapters.

Friday’s business meeting provided the first opportunity to practice Robert’s Rules. Motions, amendments, and points of information flew as delegates debated the issues with such efficiency that they completed the day’s business ahead of schedule. Chapter develop­ment moved to the fore as delegates met with their counterparts from the other schools in their Districts. Nine­teen chapters whose project activity was outstanding received Project Awards as recognition for work well done. Their service to school, community, and the profession generated many ideas for officers to carry back and implement. Sixty-six chapters, which completed all their reports properly and submitted them promptly, received Secretary’s Commendations.

The ever-popular Interactive Chapter Exchanges provided opportunities for all to brainstorm solutions to shared prob­lems. District Director and Engineering Futures Facilitator Annette Brenner again led the 15 teams of Directors and Facilita­tors in steering chapters through the pro­cess. These afternoon sessions seemed to increase the energy level of partici­pants. Assistant Secretary Roger Hawks set the tone for the exchanges with his entertaining slide-show and rapid-fire re­view of the membership process. Interac­tive exchanges have greatly helped many chapters to improve operations by provid­ing the participants with novel and useful ideas.

On Saturday, the third business meet­ing generated the usually high level of debate as students honed their Robert’s Rules skills. Final reports and conclud­ing arguments helped them to arrive at their decisions. Everyone departed with a new appreciation for the proper way to conduct a large meeting.

After lunch on campus, members viewed the initiation of the Kansas Gamma candidates. Director of Rituals Alan Hirsch, Secretary Jim Froula, and the Rituals Committee demonstrated how the ceremony should be conducted.

Advisors play an important role in chapter development, and they also served on the International Chapter Com­mittee. Councilors Bill Beans and Bob Barr again conducted special sessions for these mentors, who were filled with renewed enthusiasm to continue their important function. The 1998 National Outstanding Advisor, John A. Tucker of Massachusetts Beta, was recognized at the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.

The final banquet provided another educational experience for delegates as the outgoing Great Lakes Council trans­ferred leadership of the Association to the Mid-Atlantic Council. Chapters are encouraged to follow their example when the time comes to transfer their gavels.

As always, the Convention provided numerous opportunities packed into the busy hours. Each student, advisor, alum­nus, and national official gained some­thing valuable before returning home, tired but filled with the satisfaction of a job well done.