Alpha Chi Omega and Student Program Board teamed up for the first time to crown accounting senior Tyler Milliren as the winner of the third Mr. UH competition Friday night in the University Center Houston Room.
The previous competitions have been hosted by the event’s founders, Frontier Fiesta Director of Productions Kelley Poblete and the Student Government Association Vice President Rani Ramchandani. Now that the two are seniors, they are passing the tradition — centered around promoting school unity, spirit and philanthropic giving — to Alpha Chi Omega and SPB. Ramchandani said they passed the torch to Alpha Chi Omega because they are known to host a similar competition, Mr. Alpha Chi Omega.
“It’s taken on a new life. Partnering up with a sorority, it’s definitely included a lot more Greek life. At the same time, it is incorporating a lot of the other organizations on this campus,” Ramchandani said.
While a majority of the 12 contestants were members of fraternities, including Milliren of Sigma Nu, some were from non-Greek organizations like Mexican American Engineers and Scientists.
After meeting other contestants, Milliren said he could feel the heat of the competition.
“(My brothers) kind of just volunteered me for it and I didn’t think I had the best shot after seeing all the other competitors in the rehearsals,” Milliren said. “I definitely love my brothers for coming out and supporting me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
His name boomed throughout the Houston Room as his fraternity brothers, who came by the dozens, rooted for him. They were not the only group who came to support their brothers. In the the animated crowd were several fraternity and sorority groups, like Kappa Alpha Order.
This was a surprise for supply chain management freshman Vidha Dixit. She said she had seen pictures of the previous competitions on the Internet and knew that seeing the Mr. UH competition was a must.
“We didn’t expect it to be a fraternity/sorority event, but we’re actually really enjoying ourselves. We’ve loved all the talent that is going on. It doesn’t hurt that all the boys are really handsome, so we’re definitely enjoying ourselves,” Dixit said.
Dixit and her friend were not the only two enjoying the lively atmosphere. Students were treated to snacks and had the opportunity to win two baskets in a raffle, one valued for more than $500 and another for more than $250. There was a disc jockey mixing up tunes, which caused a number of the crowd to jolt on stage and bust break dance moves. It seemed there was talent in every corner of the room.
While the crowd danced and rooted for their favorites, the men on stage strutted in their swimwear and formal wear and engaged the audience with talents such as juggling, singing, rapping and acting. The final part of the competition was a round of questions from the four judges. Through it all, Cougar spirit was apparent.
“Now that the competition is in the hands of Alpha Chi Omega and SPB, it seems that spirit will live on,” said supply chain management senior Lindsay Walker, the Alpha Chi Omega member who coordinated the event.
“It was important for us to do it with SPB, especially, because of their resources and how well-known they are on campus. Greek life at UH isn’t extremely (popular), so this was kind of the best of both worlds,” Walker said.
“SPB could tap into a new market that has previously not been available to them as much, and we can promote different organizations as well as Greek life and make it bigger and better.”
The competition raised more than $1,200 for the Houston Area Women Center, a charity Alpha Chi Omega has been supporting for a decade.
