Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority held their nationwide annual male beauty pageant fundraiser, Big Man on Campus, raising over $3,000 for Breast Cancer Awareness and Education, on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
The beauty pageant consisted of 12 contestants, ranging in class and organization involvement, from Greek organizations to both the lacrosse and basketball teams. David Haber, Delta Tau Delta (DTD) Social Chair and business administration major, won the title, “Big Man on Campus” this year.
“Big Man On Campus is a night that brings awareness to our philanthropy,” said ZTA faculty advisor and alumnus Emma Cabán, who works in the Office of Admissions at the University. “Monmouth University students get an opportunity to learn about breast cancer awareness all while having fun.”
Cabán was the host of the first annual Big Man on Campus in her collegiate days. This year, seniors Ashley Berger and Kimberly Cummins of ZTA, and Kevin Gilsenan of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) hosted, introducing the contestants, asking interview questions, and reading tweets from the audience with the hashtag #BigMan2015.
In addition to Big Man on Campus ticket sales, ZTA raised money for breast cancer awareness through the Mr. Congeniality award. Each year the contestants are encouraged to raise funds on their own on behalf of ZTA’s philanthropy and whoever raises the most is awarded “Mr. Congeniality.” Frank DiGangi of Tau Delta Phi (TDPhi) was awarded Mr. Congeniality this year. The contestants raised a total of $150, according to Director of Philanthropy and communication major Lindsay Botts.
Donations to ZTA’s philanthropy raises funds for philanthropic, educational, and leadership programs throughout the nation, according to the ZTA official website.
“In comparison to the other Greek fundraisers, I think Big Man on Campus is different because we try very hard on bringing the entire Monmouth University community into the event,” said ZTA President Charlie Hesse. “We try our best to make sure that the entire crowd is having fun and entertained,” added the business managment student.
Big Man on Campus had four rounds: casual wear, swimwear, formal wear, and a talent round. With the exception of the talent round, contestants picked beauty pageant questions out of a hat to answer.
“My interview question during the formal wear portion was ‘Who do I consider my role model?’” said Haber. “I said it was my grandpa because he is someone I definitely look up to. He doesn’t speak much English, but there is no one I enjoy calling or speaking to more than him.”
Haber said he signed up because he knew the previous Big Man on Campus, his fraternity brother Chris Carter, and wanted to keep the legacy of Delta Tau Deltas winning the title going.
“I was definitely nervous going up on stage at first,” said Haber. “Gradually, I just got more comfortable and stopped caring because I knew all my friends were going to make fun of me anyway, so I had nothing to lose.”
“I thought the contestants did such an amazing job,” said Hesse. “I could tell they really practiced for this event and even got their teammates or fraternity brothers to be involved in their acts, which was so cool to watch. The acts were all so different and really got the crowd laughing and excited.”
The contestants received gift cards and candy from local businesses as prizes for competing, including Scalas, Bagel Guys, and Turning Point, said Botts. The biggest prizes of the night were two tickets to box seats of a Devils game with a VIP parking pass, auctioned off via Twitter hashtag for $65.
“I was beyond happy with the turnout! I saw people standing for the entire event in the back because there were no more seats. I have yet to see that at other Greek events,” said Hesse. “I was so happy with the organizations that came out to support our philanthropy and help us raise money for such an important cause.”
Greek events raising money for various philanthropies throughout the year is a great idea according to Cabán.
“The earlier we start educating students on the importance of giving back to their communities, the brighter our futures will be,” said Cabán. “Civic mindedness is a trait I love to see in our students, and at Monmouth we are lucky enough to have students that acknowledge the importance of giving back and spreading awareness.”
ZTA works to spread breast cancer awareness and education through many different programs. According to the zetataualpha.org website, the organization launched www.takechargethinkpink.com to help spread awareness and educate others on early detection practices. Additionally, ZTA is partnered with the NFL, Self Magazine, Lifetime, and Courage Nights with Betsey Johnson to support breast cancer awareness initiatives, according to the website.
IMAGE TAKEN from ztastocktoncollege.tumblr.com
