Greeks prepare to crown Big Man on Campus

Every male on campus wants to be him and every female on campus wishes she could date him. He will compete with 17 other males on the IU Auditorium stage tonight to earn the title of the "Big Man on Campus."\nZeta Tau Alpha will sponsor its annual Big Man on Campus event at 7 p.m. tonight in the IU Auditorium. All the money raised for BMOC goes toward breast cancer research.\nBMOC is a male pageant show in which a representative from each fraternity on campus will compete for the title of "Big Man on Campus." The contestants will be judged 60 percent on how much money they raise, 30 percent on talent and 10 percent on an on-stage question, said Tara Price, junior and philanthropy chair for Zeta.\n"There will be a panel of seven judges that are members of Zeta," Price said. "These judges are not directly involved with BMOC. The judges don't do any behind-the-scene work besides judge the contestants on talent and their answer."\nThe members of each fraternity on campus picked the male who they wanted to represent the house based on motivation to raise money and talent, Price said. This year, 18 men will compete for the title of BMOC.\nSophomore Adam Green, who will represent Pi Kappa Phi tonight, said he is looking forward to supporting a great cause. Some of Green's family will be attending the event to watch him, along with his brothers in Pi Kapps, he said. Green believes BMOC is a great way to unite the greek community as well as raise money for breast cancer. \n"I think it's a good unifying event for the greek community," Green said. "Everyone can work together for a good cause, especially since a lot of the houses don't interact very often; BMOC is a good way to do that."\nLast year the BMOC raised $40,000, and this year they have a goal to raise $60,000 for breast cancer research, Price said. Zeta is selling T-shirts for $10, along with little pink bracelets that read "Think Pink" for $2. However, Price said Zeta sold out of the 3,000 bracelets within three days. They will be selling the T-shirts at the event and will receive a shipment of 1,000 more bracelets a week after BMOC.\nAccording to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Web site, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the U.S. and is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women aged 40 to 59. Approximately 216,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year, and this year alone, 40,000 women will die from the disease.\nSophomore Sarah Hayes, a sister in Zeta, said one of the many reasons to attend the event is to support the sorority's cause. Everyone knows someone that has breast cancer and everyone should do his or her part to make a difference, she said.\n"BMOC represents breast cancer, which affects a lot of people's lives," Hayes said. "The fund-raiser for breast cancer makes the most money of any Zeta chapter in the nation."\nTickets can be purchased for $10 or $12 at the door. Sophomore Katie Peterson, a sister in Zeta, said she is excited not only to raise money for a good cause ,but also to enjoy the evening with her sisters while raising awareness for breast cancer.\n"I am excited about BMOC because I think it's awesome to be a part of something like this," Peterson said. "The money we raise and the hard work we put in will go toward such a great cause."\n-- Contact staff writer Maggie Bozich at mbozich@indiana.edu.