User:Jamesat01/Zeta Iota Tau

Zeta Iota Tau, or "ZiT," is the satirical name of the drumline at Texas Tech University. It is not a Greek organization, but rather an independent "mock fraternity" whose activities are intended to poke fun at the ridiculousness of Greek life.

The Foundations of ZiT
In the early 1970's, drumlines were not as firmly established as they are today. The Goin' Band Drum Section, as it was called, consisted of snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums (all of which were carried on straps), crash cymbals, and a glockenspiel. The snares did not use kevlar heads, as is customary today, but instead used the mylar heads that are found on most other drums and are not capable of stretching as much. Tenor drums were carried individually, sideways, and played like bass drums. There were two bass drums who stood back to back in the center of the field and played nothing but quarter notes to keep the band in step. Finally, the glockenspiel was carried on a "bell lyre," which was attached at the waist, held up with one hand, and played with the other.

At this time, Dean Killion was halfway through his tenure as director of the Goin' Band from Raiderland. Killion was the first to split the winds into two equally instrumentated halves to ensure quality of sound for the whole stadium during performances; however, the Drum Section, guard, and twirlers were largely ignored in favor of the wind players. As a result, the Drum section were given mostly uninteresting parts, remained stationary during halftime shows, and were extremely bored during rehearsal. It was out of this boredom that the idea for Zeta Iota Tau was formed in 1971. The purpose of ZiT was to belittle and make fun of the Greek system, which ZiT saw as pointless and problematic.

ZiT's Early Shenanigans
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Throughout ZiT's early years, it was not recieved very well by the band and its directors, who shunned and discouraged it to no avail.

Reception
Over the years, Zeta Iota Tau has implanted itself into the culture and structure of the Goin' Band and Texas Tech as a whole. It is referred to by everyone, including the band, directors, and the student body, as "ZiT" and "Band III." ZiT Tunes are a fundamental part of the band's ceremonial march to the stadium before every football game. The members of ZiT are respected and revered by the wind players (who they unaffectionately refer to as "goombas") and adored by students and football fans alike. ZiT is also sponsored by major percussion equipment names such as Remo, Pearl, Paiste, and Vic Firth.

Non-drumming activities and other traditions
While The Drum Clique only gets the occasional revival, other ZiT traditions survive strongly to this day. The most notable of these is the continued existence of the class system of "rookies," "old guys," and "Ex-ZiTs." Because ZiT still looks down on actual Greek life to this day, no hazing takes place; however, small jokes are thrown around at the expense of the rookies and playful pranks are frequent. There is no pledgeship to ZiT; anyone who passes the professor-adjudicated audition at the beginning of the year becomes a member. Additionally, ZiT jokingly worships their fictional deity known as Kerchak with a "prayer" before every game and pays homage to their fictional patron saint, Harvey J. Neptune. Most other ZiT traditions, of which there are plenty, are kept secret from non-members lest the surprises be spoiled for rookies and goombas alike.