Farm is the conclusion of New Member Education Week! This semester, Frank Scott and his family shared their farm with us for the night. When everyone arrived, we ate a home cooked dinner of pork, green beans, baked beans, potatoes, and dessert. Then we played Ag-Olympics, which included an egg toss, tug-of-war, three-legged race, and dizzy bat. Alphas and Zetas generally compete against each other in these games, and they are a lot of fun. The “Branding Ceremony” followed the games, where candidates were asked whether or not they wanted to accept the Brand of Alpha Zeta on a block of wood. Then, they endured another chaotic signature session around a fire, and they answered certain “mule egg questions” that were asked by the Officers.
All of the candidates were admitted into the Fraternity when they initially accepted their bid, but they do not know this. During farm, half of the candidates officially become a Brother by obtaining all of their required signatures on their paddles, and the other half does not get in. The ones who do not get in are typically the team captains of the week, or the stronger candidates. Once we left Farm, we drove back to campus and they were all told that they were all officially Brothers and congratulated them. We then gave them candidate class gifts and took family pictures. They all were able to see how far they had come throughout the week by working together, and we gained 9 strong and dedicated new Brothers in our Fraternity!