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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

    Six TCU men take on pageantry

    Six TCU men take on pageantry

    With weeks of preparation, six TCU men put forth their talents to perform in traditional pageantry categories with hopes of being crowned at the annual Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Mr. Crimson and Creme Scholarship Pageant Friday. 

    TCU’s chapter of Iota Eta put on the pageant, now in its 11th year of production.

    “This year we had more hands on deck…and we also had a lot more time to prepare for this and fine comb everything…without the contestants, it wouldn’t have been as great as it was,” said Diona Willis, sophomore political science major and one of the Crimson and Creme Pageant chairs.

    While the swimwear portion of the contest provided laughter, some of the contestant’s talent category performances silenced the crowd and ignited standing ovations, despite who audience members came to root for.

    “What I liked most about the pageant was that it provided a great sense of community,” said Bria Price, junior fashion merchandising major.

    Iota Eta’s budget and advertisement sales by the contestants and members of the chapter funded scholarships for the winners and helped benefit the chapter’s national philanthropic endeavors, said Samantha Koehler, junior sociology major and member of Iota Eta.

    A portion of the raised money went to March of Dimes, an organization that strives to combat premature birth and birth defects in infants through increased advocacy and awareness.

    Three of the six contestants won scholarship cash prizes, Willis said. The first place winner, “Mr. Crimson and Creme,” received an $800 award; second place, “Mr. Crimson,” received $600; and third place, “Mr. Creme,” received $400. 

    While there was only one overall winner, weeks of practice enabled the six contestants to create unexpected bonds.

    “I have been able to come here with a bunch of new relationships built with my friends and just been able to open up to them and…learn from them and grow. It’s been a great experience,” said Yusef Reown, junior nursing major. Reown was contestant No. 4 and the second place winner.

    For the last competition, contestants answered questions asked by the hosts.

    The judges deliberated for several minutes and crowned contestant No. 2, Marquis Harris, the winner of the competition.

    “This is the one thing that I said: I wanted to leave with a big stamp, do something big, and this was that thing,” said Harris, senior Spanish and Hispanic studies major.