Shippensburg University’s Theta Xi chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority hosted its annual perception-challenging, all-male beauty pageant, Mr. Ivy, Friday afternoon in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) Multipurpose Room (MPR).

The pageant included multiple events that allowed participants to showcase their stuff, with sections for introductions, swimwear, talent, formal attire and questions — in that order.

There were 10 participants from six of SU’s eight Inter-Fraternity Council organizations, and a panel of judges comprised of leaders from SU’s sororities.

The pageant’s purpose was to raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation, which supports women’s heart health.

The charity works in tandem with the American Heart Association, and all the proceeds from the Mr. Ivy event will go toward research and prevention, according to Lexi Magee, the Theta Xi chapter’s vice president of campus affairs.

Last year, the event raised nearly $3,000, according to Magee, who said she was hopeful this year’s event would match or surpass that number.

Money was raised from ticket sales and raffles for various gift baskets.

“[Mr. Ivy] is really, really important to us, especially because we’re very in-depth with our philanthropy,” Magee said.

Participants included Ben Fiorelli, Sam Fritz, from Lambda Chi Alpha; Belmin Kalkan, from Phi Sigma Kappa; Humberto Pacheco, from Kappa Sigma; Luis Broady, from Theta Xi; Brian Riley, from Pi Lambda Phi; Keith Russell, from Kappa Sigma; Clayton Leab, from Lambda Chi Alpha; Tony Shorten, from Tau Kappa Epsilon; and Austin Rivera, from Phi Sigma Kappa.

“(Alpha Phi) couldn’t have brought together a better event,” Kalkan said. “I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”

SU Greek life, and the campus at large, packed the CUB MPR to cheer, support, and at times, heckle contestants.

“What’s your mom’s number,” one person yelled after a contestant made a tongue-in-cheek comment about giving out his number to single women in the audience.

The talent section featured two performances on guitar, a slam poetry reading, a duet of Michael Buble’s “Moondance,” a failed water bottle flip and one contestant who admitted to having no talent at all.

The pageant was capped off with the question section after the judges had whittled down the competitors to five. Each remaining competitor was asked one interview question, and some — like the contest’s runner-up Austin Rivera — gave interesting responses.

“If I had to be reincarnated as an animal, I’d be a koala,” Rivera said. “They just get to chill and be cute and eat eucalyptus. That sounds like the life for me.”

Following some deliberation, judges finally decided who would get the crown. It was awarded to Brian Riley, who said he did not expect to win.

“I just wanted to be in it, that was it,” Riley said.

Magee said that the event is one of Alpha Phi’s most anticipated endeavors throughout the year, and in the end, she was happy with the results.

“I thought it went better than I expected it to be. I was really nervous for it.”

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