By Lexie Rodenbaugh | Arts & Life Writer
Zeta Tau Alpha put on its annual Big Man on Campus event Wednesday night at Waco Hall. Southampton, N.Y., sophomore and Pi Kappa Phi member Enzo Barranca took home the night’s winning title.
The annual philanthropy event benefits breast cancer awareness and research, and entertains the crowd at the same time.
“It’s unreal,” Barranca said. “The amount of girls calling my name right now is overwhelming. I love my boys. My boys supported me through the whole thing. It’s been amazing.”
The male pageant contest — complete with singing, dancing and costumes — had 20 contestants, each representing a different Greek organization on campus.
“They do an interview, talent and group dance,” Prosper senior and Zeta Philanthropy Chair Alex Vincent said. “They come on stage and give us a show. All the proceeds actually go to our Zeta foundation, which is for breast cancer research and awareness.”
Even though the competition is lighthearted and humorous, Vincent said that the cause resonates with many members of the sorority.
“Although the male beauty pageant is super fun, we’re very serious about our cause,” Vincent said. “The judges of the show are actually breast cancer survivors. So yeah, it’s super impactful.”
Vincent wanted to make sure the event meant something more than just silly dances and costumes, so she decided to implement something new in this year’s competition.
“This year we have a video, and it’s testimonies from girls in our chapter who know somebody who’s been impacted by breast cancer, and maybe lost someone to breast cancer,” Vincent said.
The cause is also close to Vincent’s heart, she said. When she first joined Zeta, she hadn’t known anyone who was impacted by the disease, but that unfortunately changed about a year into her membership.
“My aunt got diagnosed, but now she’s cancer-free, which is amazing,” Vincent said. “I just felt really called to this position because of my aunt and because of what I’ve learned about our girls. … I get to hear their stories, and there’s weight behind them. It’s such an honor to get to do this event.”
The social media competition was a prominent factor in the competition, where the boys competed for the most likes on their respective posts in 24 hours. Barriguada, Guam, freshman and representative for Alpha Delta Pi, Tai Castro won the competition with 600 likes.
The interview portion asked several questions — some silly, some important. During his interview, Mission Viejo, Calif., sophomore and representative of Alpha Kappa Psi, Trey Kelly, said his favorite thing about Big Man On Campus is the friends he made.
“I’m really thankful for the committee,” Kelly said. “They were so good about helping us with the dances. Also, I love these guys. These guys are awesome, I could see myself being friends with them for a long time.”
Frederic, Wisc., sophomore and representative for Delta Tau Delta, Jackson Cramlet, had a personal reason for competing in the competition — someone he cares about.
“My girlfriend’s a Zeta, and she’s very passionate about her philanthropy,” Cramlet said during his interview portion. “I knew I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be a part of this; I just hope I’m making her proud up here today.”
Another new aspect of this year’s event was the guest speaker, Michelle Wilson. Wilson is a breast cancer specialist at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Breast Center, and she said she was excited to be a part of the event.
“I was thrilled when Alex and her team reached out to me this year, and started talking about the event, and what we were gonna do, and how we were going to plan this event to be impactful and different this year, and still educational,” Wilson said.
She also shared her words of wisdom with the attendees in the audience.
“Be aware of your body. know what’s right for you, know when there’s a change,” Wilson said. “And when there’s a change, always, always call your doctor. Don’t let it go. Call them right away, and do what it takes to get in there.”
