Miss IU crowned

With only a couple of hours to go before the Miss IU pageant, the setup is typical. With curlers in their hair and mascara wands in their hands, the girls hover in front of the mirrors. The atmosphere is one of nervous excitement. The picture is what some might predict from a beauty pageant, apart from one element: food. \n"It's food time!" one contestant said, as she simultaneously applied her makeup. "Let's do this."\nThe room empties and eventually fills back up with multiple plates of pasta and salad, and the girls gobble them down at unexpected rates.\nThe 12 contestants arrived at 9:30 a.m. at Alumni Hall, more than eight hours before the start of the Miss IU pageant. After nearly three hours of competition, graduate student Betsy Uschkrat was crowned the first Miss IU in 37 years. \n"(I'm) excited and looking forward to the future," Uschkrat said between photo shoots and hugs after the competition.\nEmcee Jean-Paul Etienne said he was glad the competition's long hiatus was over. \n"We are very excited to bring this tradition back to IU," he said.\nThe Miss IU Pageant is one of many small Indiana pageants, with the first-place winners of each competition advancing to the Miss Indiana pageant in June. The winner of the Miss Indiana competition will then go on to compete at the Miss America pageant.\nSecond and third runner-ups were junior Erin Parks and senior Lisa Hennessy.\nThe girls' long day consisted of private interviews, worth one-fourth of the final score, as well as a dress \nrehearsal.\nThe incentives for competing in the pageant include a $3,500 cash scholarship, among other prizes. \n"I got into it for the scholarship money ... and, of course, the title," Ortman said. \nIn order to compete, contestants must be full-time students at IU between the ages of 17 and 24. \nBut Hennessy said more is required of those who enter.\n"You have to make sure you stay up on current events," Hennessy said. "You have to know the background of Indiana University."\nPrior to the pageant, protesters outside Alumni Hall quietly held signs expressing their disagreement with the event.\nExecutive director of the pageant, Lindsay Shipps Etienne, briefly commented on the protesters during the competition. \n"There's nothing old-fashioned about winning money for school," she said.\nThe event consisted of four separate competitions: casual wear, swimsuit, talent and evening wear. The casual wear portion also featured an onstage question about each contestant's platform. The girls each picked a humanitarian platform for the competition.\n"It's what you support," Ortman said. "It's something close to your heart that you care about."\n"As far as I'm concerned, Miss Indiana is a formality," Shipps Etienne said as she gave Uschkrat a congratulatory hug. "We're going to Miss America"