Panel crowns 2012 Miss IU

Miss Indiana University 2011 Jaclyn Fenwick walked the stage for the last time Saturday night in a black and gold evening gown picked out by her father.

She then passed the title to junior Brianna McClellan.

Seven undergraduates competed in the Miss IU pageant, a preliminary to the Miss Indiana and Miss America competitions, vying not only for the title but for more than $3,000 in scholarships.

Fenwick said the importance of the Miss America organization lies in the scholarships it provides to young women.

In total, Miss America presented more than $45 million to local, state and national competitors last year.

“I just want it to be known that it’s not a pageant. It’s not a thing about beauty,” she said. “It’s about volunteerism — because we all have a platform — and community service and having a venue to express yourself, and it gives you a megaphone for your platform. It’s the inner beauty and scholarship.”

Miss IU Director and professor Teresa White said the local competition provided opportunities for participants to win multiple scholarships.

Catherine Gibson won a $200 scholarship through the Kiwanis International “One Can Make a Difference” service award for her platform, “Know Your Status: HIV/AIDS Awareness.”

Second runner-up Kaitlin Karr received a $500 scholarship, and first runner-up Jessica Linxwiler received a $1,000 scholarship. Along with the title of Miss IU 2012, McClellan received $1,500 in scholarships.

The pageant consisted of five phases: private interview, talent, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, evening gown and onstage question.

The talent phase of the competition was weighted most heavily for the contestants, White said, adding that this year’s mix of talent was unusual because there was only one vocalist, which was fewer than in previous years.

Talent acts included an African dance, an Irish fiddle performance and a rendition of Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.”

McClellan, a junior studying theater, sang “Cry Me a River,” originally performed by Ella Fitzgerald.

“I love the 1950s, and it was written in the 1950s,” McClellan said. “It was a beautiful era, and it’s absolutely classic. It’s a gorgeous, beautiful ballad that has a little bit of soul, so it’s a bluesy, powerful woman song, and I’ve always enjoyed singing it.”

McClellan’s platform, “Safe Schools for Every Student,” aimed to stop bullying of homosexual teenagers in schools.

She said that because she grew up with a gay older brother, her platform had personal ties, as she had witnessed the consequences of bullying firsthand.

During the next year as title holder, McClellan will participate in community service and advance her platform.

She will advance to compete in the Miss Indiana pageant in June. In the meantime, her duties as Miss IU will be varied.

“I got to be in the Homecoming parade with my own car and people were shouting out my name, and it was just a really neat experience,” Fenwick said of her time as Miss IU.

“Also, I got to throw out the first pitch at one of the IU baseball games, and I actually threw a strike wearing heels and a dress. That was an accomplishment.”

McClellan said she is looking forward to her title as Miss IU 2012.

“I was completely humbled and blown away and shocked and honored and excited and freaking out all rolled into one word that doesn’t exist, but I’m very, very blessed and very, very honored,” she said.