Monmouth University found out who was man enough to wear the crown on Wednesday, March 2 as Zeta Tau Alpha held their annual philanthropy event “Big Man on Campus.”
For many years, ZTA has held their annual “Big Man on Campus,” which raises money for their national philanthropy, Breast Cancer Awareness and Education. Big Man on Campus is essentially a male beauty pageant where various men compete for the title of the “Big Man” on the University’s campus. This year, there were nine men that volunteered to be put to the test to try and win the competition. The nine men consisted of various students from different fraternities on campus, as well as members of different athletic teams. The event was hosted by sisters Amanda Caruso and Carly Pane, who added their own commentary throughout the show and informed the audience that they were able to participate in the fun via social media by using the hashtag #BigMan2016.
“The process was really exciting for me. I had known since Big Man last year that this event was something I wanted to put together during my time at Monmouth. Working with the boys and seeing what they were going to offer to the competition and how excited they were for it was really great,” said Danielle Pinelli, ZTA’s Director of Philanthropy. “This event is so special to ZTA because it gives us the opportunity to raise money for a cause that we are so passionate about. ZTA loves raising money and doing anything we can to support Breast Cancer Awareness and education and to get the support that we did from our peers is really just phenomenal.”
There are four different sections of the event that all contestants must complete. The first part that occurs is an introduction of who the contestants are as they are escorted on stage by graduating sisters. This is followed up by a question in which they pick out of a hat and have to answer off the top of their head. After each man has been introduced, they participate in the swimsuit portion as well as a question and answer. The third section is the talent portion. Each man that is running for Big Man performs for the crowd, ranging from singing a song, dancing to music, or performing exercises. Lastly, the men impressed the crowed with their formal wear to finish the competition, answering their last question.
After the scores were tallied, the hosts announced this year’s Mr. Congeniality, Big Man on Campus, as well as the runner ups. Mr. Congeniality, the contestant which raises the most money for Breast Cancer Awareness and Education, was awarded to Anthony Ferrise, a brother of Delta Tau Delta. Coming in third place for Big Man on Campus was brother of Alpha Kappa Psi, Austin Skelton. Shawn Clark, a member of the Monmouth football team, came in second, leaving Rob Panasuck of the men’s basketball team to wear the crown.
When asked how it felt being Big Man 2016, Panasuk said, “It feels great to be this year’s Big Man on Campus. I’m just glad the event was extremely entertaining and the sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha were able to raise a ton of money for such a great cause that will benefit many people.”
“It was really neat to see support from all the other Greek chapters there as well as other athletic teams and groups on campus in addition to how well thought out the acts were and how creative they were and the support from all the campus community that came out because it was packed and everyone was really excited,” said Lindsay Smith, the Assistant Director of Student Activities for the University.
PHOTO COURTESY of Tommy Foye
