Zeta raises $53,000 in annual event

Zeta Tau Alpha sorority raised more than $53,000 with its annual philanthropic event, Big Man on Campus, Friday at the IU Auditorium.\nThe amount was over $10,000 more than last year's donations, according to sorority members.\nThe event allows one chapter member from every fraternity on campus to perform a talent segment, give off a positive representation of their fraternity and sell tickets to the show to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. \nKyle Ericksen of Delta Upsilon was named the winner of the event. He raised a personal amount of $3,500, which results in 60 percent of his total score.\nEricksen took home around $13,000 of the profits for the fraternity, and the rest was donated to the foundation.\n"We host the show every year, and we were extremely pleased with the outcome on Friday," said philanthropy chair and junior Ashley Stetter. \nParticipants in the event said they had a great time.\n"It was definitely a big time commitment, but I would love to do it again if I had the chance," said Sigma Pi contestant and junior Matt McLellan. \nThe sorority raised money through T-shirt and ticket sales, a calendar of the contestants and donations from family members, friends and local businesses. \n"Being the philanthropy chair of my own chapter really makes me appreciate BMOC," McLellan said. "I love that it combines philanthropic efforts with entertainment and fun."\n"Bad Boys" was the theme of the show, which featured stints on celebrities, such as Eminem, Clint Eastwood and James Bond. More than 2,000 tickets were sold for the event.\nZTA chapter member and junior Kealy Christle said she could not believe the enthusiasm of the audience, and said she was proud to represent something of that proportion. \n"I would highly recommend going to the event if you missed it this year," she said. "I know all of the hard work that was put into it and I was extremely impressed."\nThe foundation was started by a relative of Susan G. Komen and ZTA has supported the cause since its inception. Several breast cancer survivors were invited to tell their own personal stories during the event as a reminder of the main reason ZTA hosted the show. The survivors also participated in a candlelight vigil ceremony.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Kaplan at lkaplan@indiana.edu.