Laughter echoed through the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) on March 18 as 11 men competed for the chance to be crowned Mr. Ivy.

Shippensburg University’s Alpha Phi held its annual Mr. Ivy pageant in the CUB multipurpose room to raise money for women’s cardiac care and prevention. It cost $5 for admission and to enter in a chance to win one of the many different baskets, such as a sports or a spa raffle.

Jessica Malick, a sister of Alpha Phi, said the philanthropic event raised $2,328.51 for the Alpha Phi Foundation. The event also held a silent auction, at which clothing for each sorority and fraternity was available to openly bid on, courtesy of Robert Smith, associate dean of students veterans affairs.

“I think Mr. Ivy is a great way to have fun and raise money for a good cause,” said Alpha Phi’s Jessica Richardson. “It’s funny to see what the guys come up with for each section of the pageant.”

The pageant featured members from each fraternity on campus competing in swimwear, talent, formal wear and interview questions. A member from each sorority’s executive board served as a judge for the pageant.

Members competing for the title were Artie Millner, Tau Kappa Epsilon; Chris Bishop, Phi Sigma Kappa; Colin Schmitz, Kappa Delta Phi; Garrett Graybill, Phi Sigma Kappa; Greg Fry, Lambda Chi Alpha; Jay Jackson, Theta Xi; Jimmy Rodgers, Pi Lambda Phi; Kenny Miles, Tau Kappa Epsilon; Nik Romage, Phi Delta Theta; Raul Gonzalez, Kappa Sigma; Travis Dasher, Lambda Chi Alpha.

The afternoon started off with a small introduction of each contestant so the crowd could get to know them a little better. From there, the boys brought summertime to the stage in the swimsuit portion. Some tried to spice it up a little bit with an inner tube or other pool toys, hoping to get the most laughs out of the crowd.

The talent portion featured contestants giving bad advice, playing the guitar, showing card tricks and athletic talent, lip-syncing, actually singing, playing the piano and eating chicken wings.

The one that got the most positive feedback, though, was Kenny Miles of Tau Kappa Epsilon reciting a poem he had written for the pageant. He talked up each sorority, giving reasons why he loves each one and stating, “no matter the letter, we’re all Greek together.”

After the Top 5 were announced, each contestant was asked a formal interview question. Some had lengthy responses and others kept it short and to the point. One contestant, asked what the perfect day would be, recited the famous line from “Miss Congeniality,” saying the perfect day is probably April 25.

After some more deliberation, the judges announced Miles as the 2016 Mr. Ivy winner. Garrett Graybill, who wore a wig and jammed out to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” came in as first runner up.

Congratulations to all of the contestants and to Alpha Phi for raising more money than they have in previous years.

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