Last Tuesday, November 20th, the Florida Chapter of Alpha Zeta had the privilege of initiating 10 new members.  The evening started out with mingling and networking between sponsors, pledges, and others in attendance.  Initiation rituals were conducted and the pledges became official members of the Florida Chapter of Alpha Zeta.  It was an exciting night for everyone in attendance.  Pledges finally saw all their hard work during the semester pay off.  The evening continued with a delicious dinner, speeches, and awards for the pledges.  All officers in attendance voted on the best pledge paddle, and that person was recognized with a gift basket of goodies!  All the pledge paddles looked great, so it was a tough decision!  We were unexpectedly honored to have the dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Dean Balser, in attendance for the ceremonies.  All in all, it was a joyous night for everyone and we wish the best of luck to our new members of the Florida Chapter!

Members of the Cornell chapter celebrated Halloween with pumpkin carving! The night before Halloween actives gathered to show off their pumpkin carving skills. Some members carved their pumpkin in the traditional jack-o-lantern style while others took a unique approach and carved something related to agriculture. Of course the night was completed with roasted pumpkin seeds and lighting the candles inside the jack-o-lanterns to show off everyone’s hard work.

Actives from the Cornell chapter joined other agricultural organizations on campus to participate in a corn maze. A few of the other clubs who participated included Collegiate FFA and the National Society for Collegiate Scholars. Since we attended the maze at night it proved to be spooky for some! However, many choose to find their way out of the 10 acre maze without a flashlight. Everyone had a great a time and we look forward to attending again next fall. The theme for the maze changes every year, this year it was in the shape of a miniature golf course. The event was a success last year and proved to be just as much fun this year.

This semester, NC State University’s Campus Recreation hosted a Pool Battleship Tournament on November 8^th. Six brothers of the North Carolina Chapter participated in the event for the first time with an Alpha team and a Zeta team. Brothers registered online with Campus Recreation, who divided teams into five heats of eight canoes. We arrived at the campus pool fifteen minutes prior to our 6:30 start time. The object of pool battleship is to be the last boat floating, so brothers had to bring tools. Three brothers were in a canoe and either threw water into other canoes with bowls or used a plastic shield to block water. There were no paddles, so teams had to work together to stay balanced while moving...

Ten brothers of the North Carolina Chapter sent at least two Christmas cards for troops. The service committee sent out information about Operation Christmas Cards requirements so that brothers could turn in cards at our regular business meeting on November 14^th. Cards were filled with encouraging words to thank soldiers for their service and sacrificing their time over the holidays. Brothers enjoyed decorating the cards and envelopes. The service committee mailed the letters to meet the November 25^th deadline. This project is a great way for our chapter to support and show appreciation for the sacrifices of America’s amazing servicemen and women.

When brothers of the North Carolina Chapter heard about Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child program, they were eager to participate. The service committee sent out information about the boxes, label and shipping fees so that brothers could turn in boxes at our regular business meetings on November 7^th and 14^th. Twenty brothers filled empty shoe or plastic boxes to send to children around the world. Boxes could be designed for boys or girls ages 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Items in the boxes included toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, t-shirts, and personal notes. Brothers paid a $7 shipping fee for their box. The service committee delivered the boxes to a drop-off location so that the boxes could meet the National Collection Week deadline of November 19^th. This project is a great way to spread joy during the holiday season and put a smile on a child’s face.

The Cornell Chapter of Alpha Zeta Fraternity hosted an Alpha Zeta booth proudly representing the National Alpha Zeta Fraternity in the FFA Career & College Expo at the 2012 National FFA Convention...

Three brothers of the North Carolina Chapter formed an intramural basketball team by signing up with campus recreation. Jacob Pearce, Will Graham and Benjamin Mills finished the season with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses. They were one of the few chapter teams to make it to the playoff round in campus intramural events.  Games were 20-minute continuos periods each Thursday in October and November. They had a lot of fun working together and enjoyed playing against other students. In the spring semester, the chapter hopes to participate in regular 5on5 basketball as well.

On October 31^st at 9pm, four brothers played in two rounds of volleyball against another campus group. Although we did not come out with a victory, our team worked well together to play over 30 minutes of volleyball. Six brothers were ready to play the next game on November 7^th. The team won after three rounds and close to an hour of volleyball. The team enjoys laughing and spending time together. This also provides an opportunity to network with other campus groups.

The North Carolina Chapter participates in the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Agri-Life Council with other groups within the college. The council invited brothers to participate in a service project with Wake Interfaith Food Shuttle on November 9^th. Four brothers traveled to Johnston County to glean sweet potatoes. We collected leftover potatoes that were not picked up with tractors. We enjoyed digging around the roots for over two hours and collected about 100 pounds of potatoes per person.  It was surprising how relaxing the dirt was and we really enjoyed the project which helps feed hungry people. The event was a great opportunity to interact with students from other organizations within the college.