The atmosphere in Witherspoon was one of jest and cheer last night, as for the fifth year running Delta Zeta sorority presented Big Man On Campus, an all-male beauty pageant to benefit Gallaudet University and the Delta Zeta Foundation for the hearing impaired.

Ten contestants, representing nine different campus fraternities, presented themselves in three different areas, including personality, special talents and interview skills.

The individuals’ capabilities in these areas were then evaluated by a panel of judges composed of the chapter presidents for six major sororities.

Drew Sykes, a junior in First Year College and a candidate in yesterday’s pageant, said after seeing it last year he knew it was something he wanted to participate in.

“I came to it last year and thought it was really funny, so I made a promise to a friend in Delta Zeta that I would do it this year,” Sykes said.

In the personality section candidates were given one of various personal questions and were allowed to prepare an answer, which they performed on stage. Questions ranged from the individual’s most embarrassing moment on a date to their favorite pick-up line.

The talent section included singing, dancing and musical instrument performances. Here candidates did everything they could to make an impression that in some way reached the judges and audience.

“As long as everyone can handle being embarrassed, it’s a blast,” Tony Baracca, a senior in business management, said.

Stephen Stroud, a junior in paper science and engineering and business management, was a host for the event and commented that, although the pageant is meant to be a casual affair, some contestants go all out to impress the judges and audience.

“They take the talent part pretty seriously,” Stroud said.

Despite this competition Robert Wilburn, a senior in aerospace engineering, said that it is by no means a serious pageant.

“We’re not worried about who finished first, we are just here to have a good time,” Wilburn said.

The final portion involved a randomly selected interview question, which candidates had to answer without preparation.

Philip Snead, a freshman in biochemistry who received first prize in yesterday’s pageant, said he felt it was his effort in this category that led to his victory.

“I was very personable and all the little errors and mishaps only added to my performance,” Snead said.

Snead said he plans on returning next year to defend his title and take part in an event that he said he feels is extremely rewarding.

“Unless something unforeseen and very unfortunate happens, I’ll be back,” Snead said.