On Tuesday, Oct. 30, the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter at Rockhurst University put a new spin on one of the most classic events in the book – a beauty pageant.

Now, don’t jump to the traditional idea of girls walking around in formal dresses – because this event, “Big Man on Campus”, showcased the humor and hidden talents of several male Rockhurst students.

The goal of this event was to raise money for the Zeta’s philanthropy, supporting breast cancer awareness. Participants volunteered to represent their student organizations in the show.

Marc Schneier, a junior, was nominated to represent Student Activities Board. Although he was hesitant at first, he knew that as one of the main male representatives for the group, his participation would mean a lot. “I will admit, I myself, didn’t know what I was getting into,” he said.

According to Schneier, as soon as all the organizations nominated a male to represent them in the show, the group of men got straight to work on their choreographed dances. Yes – there were choreographed dances. And yes, they were hilarious.

While practicing dances two times a week may not seem like a blast, Schneier adds that this was his favorite part of the entire event. “The songs were very lively, and it was easy to catch onto new parts to the dance. I found myself subtly practicing the motions to the dance whenever I heard the songs outside of practice,” he said.

However, the choreographed dances were just the beginning of this exciting event. After the choreographed opening act, all the contestants went backstage to await their formal, individual introduction. Each contestant submitted a short biography of themselves to be read as they made their first solo appearance on stage – which ultimately set the mood for the rest of the night. At this point, the audience got a pretty good idea of the kind of show they were about to see. And it certainly did not disappoint.

The talent portion of the event was undoubtedly the most entertaining part of the night. With each new contestant, the audience was on their toes, wary of what to expect. Schneier explained that, for him, trying to come up with an act for this portion of the event was the hardest part. “I was hoping to do something that would entertain the crowd but would be less predictable to those who know me personally.”

Throughout the night, we saw dancing, we saw painting – scooter riding, nunchuck fruit slicing, vine recreations – one contestant even did the simplest act of making a sandwich, which for some reason, was absolutely hysterical.

These students provided the audience with a memorable and entertaining night. “I think Big Man on Campus​ ​is a great example of a very well-implemented idea that helped Zeta Tau Alpha work toward their targeted goal for their philanthropy week,” said Schneier.

“Service is a major component of being a student at Rockhurst University and it is good to see organizations like Zeta honor that by putting on these kinds of events.”

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