This evening the dining room tables were not for eating—they were a catwalk. All but two men participated in The First Annual Mr. Alpha Zeta Contest. The competition consisted of three components: Q&A, Redneck Formal Wear, and a talent show. A panel of alumni judges asked the brothers questions such as "what can YOU do for the future of agriculture?” Next, brothers showed off their looks with "I Heart AZ” tattoos and hilarious costumes. Finally, featured talents were firebreathing, acoustic guitar, impressions, and more. It was a great time for actives and alumni to hang out, laugh, and have a great time. After an audience-wide vote, Pledge Brendan Sanok ‘15 was crowned with the title of Mr. Alpha Zeta for embodying the most enthusiasm, while active Gianni Parente ’14 was awarded first runner-up. The cover charge of this event helped fund member’s trip to NALC.

During our first Thank-a-thon, actives called over 200 alumni of Alpha Zeta Cornell. Ten active members informed alumni of interesting recent events in the house and thanked them for their continuous support and interest. Local alumni were also invited to attend upcoming events such as the CALS Charitable Trust dinner, Faculty and Alumni Happy Hour, and the Mr. Alpha Zeta Competition. Members and alumni often extended their conversations into casual discussions about the house and exchanged favorite memories of their time as an active...

Five members from Alpha Zeta Cornell re-visited Food Bank of the Southern Tier in Elmira, NY at which they volunteered last semester. They took a tour of the new facility that is being used to store and redistribute food across southern NY, particularly areas recovering from hurricane damage from the fall. Actives helped pack bags for the food bank’s Backpack Program which gives food that can be easily packed into school lunches to families in need.

The first activity for our 10 new members was an outdoor excursion with Pledge Master Gianni Parente ’14 and Pledge Educator Amanda Forstater ’13. Together the group completed a ropes course through Cornell Outdoor Education and the pledges cooked their own dinner over a fire. The group played games like mafia and various ice breakers and thoroughly enjoyed them. Even the heated cabins were too cold to stay in during February, so the event culminated in a slumber party on the comfy convertible couches in the formal room at the house. Pledges enjoyed the opportunity to spend the whole day getting to know each other, and recommend that it be repeated in the future.

This November, members decided to put a new word--brothership--into action. Brothership refers to the tight bond shared between fraternity members--a feeling with which I am sure you all familiar. The week started off with Line Dancing. Both members and friends of the house participated in the "good old-fashioned entertainment." The next day was a Viking Dinner, which, for those unfamiliar with the term, was a utensil-free supper that culminated in a food fight. Vikings took extra care to protect the dining room's treasured murals. Foods sacrificed to the Viking Gods included meatloaf, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, cole slaw, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, juice, and every possible combination of the foods listed above.

During rush week at the Cornell chapter, members and potential new members went on a road trip to Syracuse and the surrounding areas. We decided to take this opportunity to have quality guy/girl time. The men of AZ trekked to the nearest casino where some were rewarded for their poker faces, while others, though not as lucky, still had a blast. The guys concluded their trip with a belt-busting dinner at an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse. The Cornell ladies had other ideas. Some flocked to a local ice skating rink while others visited the zoo. We later met up at the carousel at Syracuse’s famous Carousel Mall and went on it for a few rides...

The Florida Chapter cleaned up our adopted road for the first time this spring. The members that participated in the clean up did not mind taking time out of their schedule on a Thursday evening to put the trash back where it belongs and off the street. Usually our road clean-ups take place on a weekend in the morning to avoid the heat of the day but our service chair, Jaclyn Irwin, planned the evening clean up to help add variation to the times of our events...

The Florida Chapter's spring pledge class held a fundraiser at Red Mango from 8-11 PM where we receive a certain percentage of the profits from the night. Members and pledges came out after the pledge meeting to meet up with each other and get to know each other more so that the pledges can make a good transition into the chapter. The fundraiser gave the pledge class an opportunity to offset some of the fees associated with pledging. Of course, what better way to do this than while eating frozen yogurt! Members and pledges chowed down on frozen yogurt of all kinds with fruit toppings and chocolate while enjoying the company of each other.

Florida Chapter pledges and members sat face to face in a spree of 23 rounds of speed dating! The speed dating gives the members and pledges a brief and fun way to get to know a little about each other. The "big" and "little" give the pledge master, Saajan Panikar, their list of their top 3 choices. After the "little" are paired up with a "big" - an active member who would act as their "go-to" to help them with anything they need even if it is just an ear to listen...

The Florida Chapter had its last intramural sand volleyball game on Sunday. The members who showed up to play that night and were met by a tough team. Both teams warmed up and our team continued to show great improvements every time they have played together! Even though we experienced a tough loss we definitely had a fun last game of the season. As for the game itself it we played Sketchville USA and our member Samantha was sending them hot serves getting aces left and right making their team make some good plays...