BMOC raises $190,000 for breast cancer

It takes more than talent to be named IU’s Big Man on Campus.

“In order to be in this, you have to be a certain kind of person,” Phi Kappa Psi senior John Smolen said, sporting cutoff overalls and a brown mullet. “You have to be the energetic one, the enthusiastic one, the one that doesn’t mind getting embarrassed on stage.”

On Friday night, Smolen performed “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood at the 10th annual Big Man on Campus, an IU variety show presented by Zeta Tau Alpha.

During BMOC, the biggest single-house philanthropy in the country, 23 young men competed for the title in front of a packed IU Auditorium. The BMOC court consisted of Nick Koricanac, Andrew Morstein and Adam Rochford.

This year, BMOC raised $190,000 for breast cancer

research, thousands more than last year’s $178,00.

“Oh my god,” Stern said. “I can’t believe (we) did that.”

At about 4:30 p.m., people involved with BMOC came in from the rain to finish
transforming the auditorium lobby into a football-themed area filled with clothing and concession sales, items for a silent auction and a green foam yard line.

Cancer survivor Adrienne Harlow, IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, Miss Indiana Nicole Pollard and IU’s Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith were some of the judges. They scored contestants on creativity, stage performance, fan enthusiasm and musical talent.

Emily Stern, a Zeta co-philanthropy chair, said contestants’ fundraising factored into their scores. A contestant, however, cannot win BMOC if he has a horrible talent, she said.

“With all of your help, we do believe there is a cure in sight,” Stern said. “We hope you are ready to team up with us and tackle breast cancer.”

Harlow was booed when she said she attends Purdue University. Diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 19 years old, Harlow was misdiagnosed twice by two different doctors, she said.

“This time last year, I was just finishing up treatment,” Harlow said. “I made a goal to be here at the 2009 Big Man on Campus. And I made it,” she said as she got a standing ovation.

Zeta members, with light pink ribbons contrasting their black dresses, lined up onstage to recite breast cancer facts.

“As actress and breast cancer survivor Cynthia Nixon once said, ‘One day I will wear pink for no other reason than because I like the color pink, because one day, there will be no more breast cancer,’” said Sarah McNerney, Zeta’s co-philanthropy chair.

When awards were given at the end of the show, Smolen was announced Mr. Congeniality.

Phi Mu raised $12,000, the most money a sorority has ever raised for BMOC.

Tyler Webb, from Theta Chi, was crowned BMOC. He raised $18,000.

“When they announced that I had raised $18,000, I had no idea,” Webb said.

Krista Robinson, who graduated in May 2008, was Zeta’s BMOC chair during her junior year.

“I think it just pulls at your heart,” Robinson said. “Until we actually find a cure for breast cancer, we’re not going to stop fighting.”