By Jillian Hammell
Staff Writer
Five Bonaventure gentlemen paraded around in eye-catching outfits and displayed their special talents for the title of “Mr. SBU” at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Tuesday.
Mr. SBU showcased a group of male students’ and their ability to impress classmates and faculty.
The contestants, Colin O’ Donnell, Jon Garbin, Anthony Watts, Mike Loffredo and Sean O’Brien, lit up the stage. Between O’ Donnell’s country serenade, Garbin’s ukulele number, Watts’s stand-up, Loffredo’s rap and O’Brien’s interpretive dance, the audience was set for an evening of entertainment and laughs.
The Event and Sponsorship Marketing class taught by Michael Russell, professor of marketing, organized the show. According to Russell, the students enrolled in the business class work together to create and implement an event they brainstormed.
The students in the class were required to gain sponsors for their function. Olean’s Sports Locker, Skinny’s Pizza and Pit-Stop restaurant and bar sponsored Mr. SBU by donating prizes such as gift cards, pizza and sunglasses.
The event, coordinated by business and marketing majors, Matt O’ Connell, Peter Mulherin, Scott Warren and Vianny Gutierrez, was a way to give back to the St. Bonaventure community, on and off campus, according to Russell.
Tickets sold for $1, and food and clothing donations were accepted. According to O’Connell, a junior marketing major, $125 of the ticket sales were donated to the Warming House.
O’Connell, a volunteer for both BonaResponds and the Cattaraugus County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has given back to the community on several occasions.
“I have only been to the Warming House once, but to be able to help through this event felt great,” O’Connell said.
The group members believed Mr. SBU would be an outlet for a successful night and generous sum of donations.
But in order to achieve this goal, Scott Warren, a senior business major, felt the group needed to “take it up a notch” from last semester’s Mr. SBU show.
“During this year’s Mr. SBU, we wanted to add a question-and-answer portion to the show so the contestants could interact with the audience,” Warren said.
Contestants had to answer cringe-worthy questions like “What’s your best pick-up line?” and “What was your first kiss like?”
Openings for the competition were advertised through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The outgoing men were then chosen to compete in Mr. SBU by the coordinators of the event.
“The guys on stage had a great sense of humor,” said Alison Thomas, a freshman marketing major.
Thomas said the contestants had great attitudes during their performances.
“They did not take themselves too seriously and made us laugh at their expense,” she said.
Two other shining personalities of the night came from the masters of ceremonies, Waheed Ameen, a senior journalism and mass communication major, and D’mitri Thompson, a senior physics and computer science major, who introduced the talent and provided quirky commentary. Ameen even performed a short rendition of a rap song he created in first grade.
For Youssou Ndoye, sophomore journalism and mass communication major, Mr. SBU was an opportunity to relax and laugh with his fellow basketball teammates after a three-hour long practice.
“After a really hard day at basketball, it was nice to come together as teammates and enjoy the entertainment,” Ndoye said. “It was pretty funny.”
Dion Wright, a freshman journalism and mass communication major, also enjoyed the evening with Ndoye and his teammates.
“I liked the performances,” Wright said. “It is not like we see our classmates acting this way everyday. It is more fun.”
After the hour-long event, Jon Garbin, senior marketing major, finally became Mr. SBU 2012.
“I participated in the event last semester but lost,” Garbin said. “It feels awesome to have won this year. We can show off our talents and entertain the audience.”
Whether the contestants strutted their stuff in tight costumes or performed a number full of impressive dance moves, the Quick Center was filled with laughter and memorable moments.
