By Kristina Wallace
For the Daily Titan

Pi Kappa Phi held its fifth annual Miss Push America Pageant in the Titan Pavilion Thursday, Oct. 21.
With a $10 ticket fee, the proceeds went to the fraternity’s charity of choice, Push America, which helps support children with disabilities.

The pageant is held every fall and last year the fraternity surpassed its earnings goal of $5,000, ending the night with a total of $6,500.

Pi Kappa Phi provided the entertainment, food and raffle prizes out of their own pockets and chapter fund.

The money they received from ticket sales, raffle tickets and auctioning off fraternity brothers for dates, go to different camps sponsored by Push America for kids with disabilities.

The money also goes to renovation projects, such as more wheelchair accessible ramps.

Sorority sisters from six of Cal State Fullerton’s sororities were contestants in the pageant: Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Sigma Kappa, Zeta Tau Alpha and Alpha Chi Omega.

“I’m trying not to be nervous because it’s not an actual pageant. If I mess up, whatever.

The kids are still getting money,” said Suzanne Skirvin, a child and adolescence major from Delta Zeta.

The pageant was split up into five events: spirit, sports wear, talent, evening wear and the question and answer portion, which was more fact than opinion as contestants expressed their knowledge of the fraternity and different disabilities such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

The only open question asked focused on how the women plan to help the disabled community in the future.

Eric Niu, a business major and member of Pi Kappa Phi, said, “Even though there’s competition, sororities and fraternities support each other. Just saying ‘It’s at seven, show up’ doesn’t seem like we care.”

In between each of the events were raffles and auctions where members of the fraternity were auctioned off for dates.

Bids were in abundance and bidding ended with earnings of $40, $60 and $85.

Pi Kappa Phi will also be giving this money to Push America.

While the judges tallied up each woman’s score, the fraternity’s president, Nick Cobb, had his moments of “humiliation.”

The hosts of the evening called him up to the stage with a member from one of the sororities in the audience to play “Pin the Tail on Nick Cobb” and another game that involved trying to grab balls stuck on Cobb’s clothes while he was blindfolded.

The judges that were overseeing the events were members of five other fraternities on campus.

Judges scored contestants from one to 10 on multiple categories and compared their scores.

At the end of the night, in third place was Kimberly Fragola from Gamma Phi Beta, second place was Ashley Markanson from Alpha Chi Omega and in first was Kate Strachan from Alpha Delta Pi.

Winners in the pageant received a bouquet of flowers, with the first place winner receiving a sash hand-made by members of the fraternity.

Toward the beginning of the event, a representative from Disabled Student Services on campus was presented with a check for $750.

This was the fifth time a check was given to Disabled Student Services from the fraternity.

Disabled Student Services hold their annual Special Games for children with disabilities with student volunteers from various schools in Orange County coming together to play games for a day.

The money Student Services receives from Pi Kappa Phi helps support the event which has been happening for the past 24 years.

Last year the event had volunteers from more than 50 schools participate, and they are hoping for the same this year.

Paul Miller, director of Disabled Student Services and the Athlete Assistance Program said, “(It’s) a wonderful example of students not only contributing their time but their money for this special event. They really are a focused group of young men.”