On March 13, Coleman Morris, senior in marketing representing Alpha Omicron Pi, won Zeta Tau Alpha's 29th annual Big Man on Campus competition, an all male beauty pageant judged by local celebrities based on originality, personality and Auburn Spirit.
Over the past decade, the Gamma Rho Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha has raised over $900,000 in support of breast cancer education and awareness. The Big Man on Campus goal this year, was to reach $100,000, and they surpassed this goal raising over $113,000.
The hosts of the night were Bennett Harris, junior in marketing, and Drew Hammer, junior in healthcare administration. Harris was runner-up in last year’s competition, and Hammer was the winner in 2022 and the host last year, as well.
Amber Pickard, Luke Deal, Reed Hughes, and Marlene Dunbar Conrad judged the competition, which was held in the Student Activities Center.
The contestants were scored on four factors: opening number, talent, formal wear and fundraising efforts. The male participants and their nominated sororities were allowed to hold fundraisers in Zeta Tau Alpha's name based on their philanthropic efforts.
The proceeds go to Zeta Tau Alpha's philanthropic foundation to support areas like educational programming, scholarships and leadership development. It also goes toward the fight against breast cancer, in which they partnered with Bright Pink, the NFL and the American Cancer Society.
In the end, the runner-up was Zack Melton, sophomore in journalism, who represented Student Firefighters. The second runner-up was Feb Aba, sophomore in biomedical sciences, who represented Alpha Chi Omega. The third runner-up was Walker Wilcox, senior in marketing, who represented Kappa Delta. The fourth runner-up was Minh Le, senior in psychology, who represented Delta Zeta.
The Mr. Congeniality Award was given to Aba, who was voted on by the contestants and was recognized for being the most encouraging and supportive toward his fellow competitors. Aba also received the Zeta Favorite Award which is voted on by the Zeta members during Zeta Favorite Chapter, where each contestant comes to the chapter room to win over the hearts of the sorority in their own way.
Aba won the hearts of the audience during his choreographed number to the remix of “Singing in the Rain” by Gene Kelly and “Umbrella” by Rihanna. During the evening wear portion, Aba was asked why he wanted to participate in the competition.
“I think all the guys in Big Man on Campus have my heart and truly, I just want to have fun with them and be a part of something bigger than a male pageant,” Aba said.
A portion of each contestant’s total score for the competition was predetermined by the amount of money they raised to go toward the philanthropy. With this Charlie Fleury, senior in public relations, was presented with the Mr. Campaigner Award.
Presenting the audience with a Just Dance routine to “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce, Fleury captured everyone’s attention. He shared the reasoning behind his parents being his role models during the onstage question portion of the event.
“They taught me what it means to work hard and to see everything glass half-full. I think being an optimist in any situation can make anything better," Fleury said. "Seeing the good things is what I take away from my parents."
Le won the Mr. Influencer Award, which went to the contestant who displayed the most social media presence and effort throughout the process.
Singing “So Close” by Jennette McCurdy, Le combined a remixed choreographed dance to Doja Cat’s “Need to Know”. His onstage question elicited a quick response when asked what advice he would give himself if he could travel back five years.
“I would tell myself to be easier on myself. I know a lot of times I’ve struggled with beating myself down and having a lot of regrets with things I’ve done," Le said. "And that makes me focus a lot on the future and the past, but I really need to stay in the present to make sure I’m making memories with the people around me."
Zack Melton was the recipient of the Mr. Talent Award, which was given to the contestant with the highest talent score who was able to clearly display their skills and entertain the audience in a meaningful way.
Dressed in a Michael Jackson outfit, Melton danced to a mashup between Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” He gave a heartfelt answer about where he would choose to vacation, as he said it matters more about who you vacation with.
“It’s not about where you go, but who you go with. I’ll go with my family. Family isn’t just who you’re related to. I’d bring my family at work, my boys who are a tight-night group that I love spending time with,” Melton said.
The Mr. Formal Award was given to Nate Linn, sophomore in biosystems engineering, who had the highest evening wear and onstage score, exuding confidence during his walk and answering his question.
The Mr. Formal Award was given to Nate Linn, sophomore in biosystems engineering, who exuded the most confidence in his walk during the evening wear category, and while answering his onstage question.
Playing the piano to “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses, Linn had the audience in awe. He shared that his favorite Auburn memory connects the way he felt when he first arrived.
“When I showed up here on the first tour, I loved it. It felt like home, it was a special place with a special bond," Linn said. "When I got here, I knew it was the place for me to go and since then, I’ve loved everything from the people I’ve met, to the things that I’m doing. It’s that sense of feeling you get when you step on campus."
The Crowd Favorite Award recipient was Walker Wilcox, sophomore in mechanical engineering, who had the most memorable and intriguing performance for the audience members.
Wilcox put his all into his rendition of the Auburn night band routine. Firing the crowd up with “Bodda Getta”, “Two Bits” and “Track ‘Em Tigers”, he brought energy to his performance.
Sharing his hopes for the future, Wilcox kept his response short and honest.
“I see myself being happy and hopefully successful," Wilcox said. "I might go to law school or get a master’s degree."
Through its advocacy of breast cancer awareness, Zeta Tau Alpha brought a night of entertainment and support across campus.
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