For the second year in a row, Zeta Tau Alpha hosted Big Man on Campus, their Greek philanthropy pageant, on April 25.
The competition included a series of contests like the most-liked Instagram hype video, a dance competition, a two-question interview, and a bra decorating contest.
Representatives from the other six CPC sororities served as judges for the dance competition and questionnaire.
Jasmine Goretskie, a sophomore business management and marketing double major, was responsible for setting up the event as ZTA’s director of philanthropy and judicial chair.
“It is a competition to raise money for Breast Cancer education and awareness,” Goretskie said. “Last year, we raised close to $2,000, and we are hoping to raise more than that this year.”
Big Man on Campus involved competition among the Collegiate Panhellenic Council Fraternities, which include Phi Gamma Delta, Alpha Chi Rho, Alpha Sigma Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Delta Upsilon, Pi Kappa Phi and Phi Kappa Theta. Each fraternity had volunteer coaches from ZTA to help them throughout the process.
Anna Nocco, a sophomore business management major, is a sister of ZTA and one of the coaches for Alpha Sigma Pi. Nocco was selected as a coach in late February and received Alpha Sigma Pi as her team in March. They started practicing the dance two weeks before the event.
“I was so proud of them for the dance,” Nocco said. “They worked so hard. They did amazing. Obviously, we didn’t place, which was hard on the heart because I felt so bad ‘cause they worked so hard…We will pull the rest of the categories together next year.”
Phi Delta Theta placed first, Delta Upsilon took second and Phi Gamma Delta claimed third.
Dominick Valentine, a sophomore visual and sound media major, is a brother of Phi Delta Theta who competed in the contest for the second year in a row.
“It really is a bonding experience not only with the coaches, but with each other, and raising money for a good cause,” Valentine said. “It is a great experience, and I think Zeta is doing a great job at organizing the event.”
ZTA partners with the NFL, Bright Pink, and the American Cancer Society.
“Our profits go directly toward Breast Cancer education and awareness, and then also some of our profits go to the Zeta foundation which donates to scholarships girls can get,” Goretskie said.
Since last year’s competition, Goretskie said ZTA received lots of positive attention leading up to Big Man.
“We have had a lot of involvement,” Goretskie said. “People were super excited from last year, and with the hype videos we have been posting, our historian has been doing a lot of videos on our Instagram. I have heard a lot of people talking about it.”
Goretskie said to get more representation on campus, the event was made mandatory for sisters of ZTA. They also invited alumni, sisters from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and the dean of student life to watch the show.
“I like seeing people out of their comfort zone and being silly,” Goretskie said. “College can be really stressful sometimes, especially close to finals season with everyone starting to prep for that. It is a fun way to decompress and support your friends in a fun way.”
Goretskie became the director of philanthropy in early December and began planning for Big Man on Campus in January.
“It has been really exciting,” Goretskie said. “I love it. I am a big planner person.”
Valentine said he hopes that ZTA continues to host Big Man in the years ahead.
“I think it is a great experience,” Valentine said. “Everyone looks forward to it. It’s a big event. The seats are always packed with Greek organizations across the board.”
All hype videos and coverage from Big Man on Campus can be found on the ZTA’s Instagram @setonhallzta.
Calla Patino writes for the Campus Life section. She can be reached at calla.patino@student.shu.edu
