Mr. WSU Crowned

Competition in the Apollo Room was fierce last Friday. Men from all walks of Wright State University life strutted their stuff in front of four judges and hordes of their fellow students, vying for the title of Mr. WSU 2011. They went head-to-head in athletic wear, preened and primped in business attire, and sparkled in their interviews. It came down to the wire, though, in the talent portion of the pageant.

Acts ranged from musical to farcical, from a beautiful acoustic version of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” that had the audience singing along, to a spirited reading of Stephanie Meyer’s Eclipse in the style of actor Christopher Walken.

These 15 contestants from different fraternities and student organizations had a reason to give it their all: The winner of the pageant receives half a quarters tuition.

This year’s winner was Kyle Henneke, Mr. Theta Phi Alpha. Henneke is a nursing major and resident assistant, and volunteers in the new GLBTQA Resource Room. In the athletic wear portion, Henneke wowed judges with a stylish baseball ensemble. His interview was witty and drew cheers from the audience. The clincher, though, was his talent: a stunning Lady Gaga dance medley performed with the aid of glow sticks and tear-away pants.

All profits from the pageant, organized by Delta Zeta, benefit the sorority’s philanthropies for the speech and hearing impaired, including Gallaudet University and the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Profits from Mr. WSU also benefit the Painted Turtle Camp, one of Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps for seriously ill children.

The 2011 Mr. WSU competition raised over $2,000 for Delta Zeta’s philanthropies.