The Friday after Roundtable, all brothers and new members are
asked to attend an overnight retreat at Roanoke Christian Service Camp.
Twenty-eight brothers and thirteen candidates for membership arrived at the
camp on the evening of February 8th. This is a traditional way
to start the week when candidates are introduced to the principles and fundamental
ideas behind Alpha Zeta and have an opportunity to meet current brothers. Brothers
and candidates ate pizza for dinner. At this time candidates had an opportunity
to get to know each other. Activities allow candidates to learn more about
Alpha Zeta and agriculture. Brothers share expectations for the week and award
each candidate a paddle. They must work together the following week to be
admitted into the Fraternity. Because of this, they are introduced to our
motto: TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More. Candidates and brothers then
enjoyed a peaceful night of sleep away from the noisy campus.
The officers set up breakfast
including bagels and cereal on Saturday morning before the group service
project. Before heading back to Raleigh, the North Carolina Chapter helped
clean out the dining hall of Roanoke Christian Service Camp. A camp manager
explained various tasks and we split up into smaller groups. A group was
assigned to clean up the camp’s food storage area while a couple other groups
were assigned to move heavy kitchen equipment. This was a great time for
brothers to interact with the candidates while giving back to the camp for a
reduction in cost. The cost per brother was fifteen dollars and the big
brothers paid for their little brothers. Everyone returned to Raleigh
around 1:00 pm.