Greek organizations at Wofford all pride themselves on their dedication to their philanthropies. Sororities and fraternities have engineered creative, fun and successful ways to meet their fundraising goals. However, this commitment to service and philanthropy does not mean that these organizations are afraid to switch things up.
Fundraising for the women in Wofford’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha has always consisted of two major events dedicated to raising money for their national philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness with “Shagathon” in the fall and “Crown Classic” in the spring. The key features of each event are similar, a ceremony honoring survivors and those who lost their fight to breast cancer, live music, picnic-style food and local vendors. Yet, despite the past success of Crown Classic, the sorority has funneled its spring fundraising efforts towards a new event, “Big Man on Campus.”
This event is an annual staple for Greek fundraising at other universities. The Big Man on Campus event held in the fall by the Clemson’s Zeta Tau Alpha chapter raised over $200,000, making it the highest-earning philanthropy event for the sorority nationally. Considering this success, there is no question why the women of Zeta at Wofford are eager to give this event a try. But what exactly does Big Man on Campus entail?
The event, much like Wofford’s familiar and fiercely competitive Greek Week, is largely fueled by social media wars, points, and team-based donations. The event was officially launched to the Wofford community on Feb. 24 via an Instagram account, @woffordztabigmanoncampus, which described it as an “all-male pageant,” where contestants are nominated to represent their respective organizations across campus.
Finley Melvin ‘28, the philanthropy assistant for Wofford Zeta Tau Alpha, differentiated the event from the annual Mr. Wofford pageant by emphasizing the impact of the philanthropy goal and the longevity of the competition itself. While the pageant itself may be similar to Mr. Wofford, Melvin added that only contestants who survive the weekly social media eliminations will be able to compete on stage.
Despite the success of Crown Classic in the past, the sensationalized and interactive nature of Big Man on Campus is arguably what makes it such an appealing and lucrative approach to fundraising. Melvin added that alongside hopes of increased fundraising for the sorority’s philanthropy, the chapter is looking forward to getting more of the campus involved and educated about their key cause.
“Specifically with this event, our goal is to bring awareness to more of the campus. We’re hoping that the [philanthropy aspect] increases engagement even more,” Melvin said.
It seems that for Wofford Zeta, Big Man on Campus will have some similarities to past philanthropy events, still featuring local vendors, food and a dedication to breast cancer survivors. Additionally, as a nod to Crown Classic, the pageant itself will still feature a cornhole tournament during its intermission.
The competition and other fundraising events, like a “color run,” will take place throughout March and April, concluding with the official pageant at the Greek Village on April 16th. The form for participants to enter can be found on the fundraiser’s Instagram account. The last day for contestants to enter is March 12.
