One of Clemson’s largest philanthropic events returned to campus this fall, boasting cross-organizational involvement and record-setting goals. Clemson Big Man On Campus announced earlier this month that the all-male pageant will return on Oct. 23 for its yearly effort to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
Big Man On Campus is an initiative launched by Clemson’s Zeta Tau Alpha sorority that coordinates the annual fundraiser at its various chapters on campuses across the country. The event has set records for its impact, both nationally and at Clemson.
The fundraiser’s pageant activities consist of multiple rounds, including social media wars, tabling and fundraising. Each round is aimed at raising funds and awareness for breast cancer education, with creative spins on eliminations leading up to the final pageant.
This year’s event launched Sept. 21, as contestants from 40 different Clemson organizations were revealed on the event’s official Instagram. These introductory posts marked the start of the first round of voting, which ends Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11:59 p.m.
Organizations represented in the first round included various sororities, fraternities, Clemson Undergraduate Student Government, Clemson Canine Companions, Collegiate DECA at Clemson and Flying Tigers Booster Club.
Clemson BMOC made 40 separate posts, one for each contestant, and the first-round voting process is scored through three separate engagements with the posts. Liking a post gives a contestant one vote, commenting translates to five votes and reposting garners 10 votes.
In 2023, Clemson BMOC raised over $143,000, a record-breaking amount for the chapter at the time. Ever since, the chapter’s philanthropic fundraising through the event has only increased.
Clemson BMOC raised over $188,000 during last year’s event — the most amount of money raised by a Greek organization in Clemson’s history. This fundraising was also the most raised by any ZTA chapter nationwide.
Since launching the annual event last week, ZTA announced that it has already raised $50,000 for breast cancer initiatives — a number that is continuing to climb. The organization hopes to break last year’s fundraising record, with the goal for this year set at $190,000.
Beyond the nationwide cause, BMOC connects local communities through philanthropy and shared experience, with many of this year’s participants sharing direct connections to the cause they are supporting.
Colby Lubaczewski, a freshman pre-business major representing Alpha Omicron Pi, told The Tiger in an interview that he has lost both grandfathers and, recently, a great aunt to cancer, with another family member currently fighting cancer as well. After learning of the philanthropy aspect surrounding BMOC, Lubaczewski knew he wanted to get involved.
“Everyone in Zeta and my sorority AOII are just super passionate and super supportive to be working for this cause,” Lubaczewski told The Tiger. “It’s really cool seeing the whole community rally around this.”
The connection to the cause extends beyond Zeta’s philanthropy into a larger sense of Greek philanthropy and community. Lubaczewski shares that he has also had a few close friends and family members who have dealt with juvenile arthritis, which is AOII’s philanthropic cause and a key reason he wanted to represent the organization.
Beta Upsilon Chi’s representative, Bennett Lee, a sophomore political science major, has a similar connection to ZTA’s cause. Lee told The Tiger that he has had two family members impacted by the disease, so “it’s been great to see ZTA take such strong pride in raising money for it.”
Lee decided to join the competition because he had known many people over the years who had also participated. However, he didn’t realize the extent of the fundraiser’s impact, beyond taking a few pictures and videos for social media, until he became involved.
“So far it’s changed my perception of how connected we really are at Clemson,” Nico Savi, a freshman pre-business major representing Phi Gamma Delta, told The Tiger. “It’s been very wholesome to see how many people are willing to rally behind this cause and work together as a team to reach our goals.”
Beyond BMOC, ZTA runs several initiatives aimed at raising awareness for breast cancer and partners with various organizations across the nation. Among those partnerships are the NFL and Clemson Athletics.
ZTA has collaborated with almost all 32 teams in the NFL in the past. These partnerships include several of the NFL’s Crucial Catch games that take place each October. The sorority is also the only Greek organization to partner with the Clemson Athletic Department, helping to co-host pink-out games at various Clemson sporting events.
The plethora of initiatives that the organization undertakes in October all culminate with the Clemson Big Man On Campus pageant, where the “Big Man” is crowned.
The final pageant will take place in Clemson’s outdoor amphitheater on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. Students interested in supporting the cause can donate online or purchase tickets to the pageant on ZTA’s CrowdChange.
