Mr. Vassar candidates gear up for fight

Ilyse Kramer Staff Writer

This year’s Mr. Vassar candidates have been described as an unpredictable bunch, which promises to be exciting for the audience. The candidates have distinguished themselves on campus due to their comedic abilities, acting and musical talents. Students are nominated for Mr. Vassar in the weeks prior to the event.

Paul Buffa ’09 and Daniel Kadishson ’09 are the freshman competitors. The sophomore candidates are Rob Voigt ’08 and Austin Clark ’08.

Juniors competing for the title of Mr. Vassar include Michael Sheetz ’07, and Marc Gottlieb ’07. Finally, Luke Frankson ’06 and Keith Croxton ’06 are the senior candidates.
The Mr. Vassar pageant has been produced by the Daisy Chain for the past few years. The purpose of the lighthearted event is to turn the tables on standard beauty pageants that showcase women.

Candidates from each class participate, and judges in past years have included professors, staff members, and alums.

The Daisy Chain ensures that the pageant will represent all classes by using two candidates from each class year.

Daisy Chain Co-Chair Ashley Otremba ’06 and Coordinator Gretchen Colby ’06 noted that expectations for the event are always high, and that this year’s candidates will not disappoint.

Otremba and Colby remarked that Mr. Vassar often brings students together, as it is a wildly popular event. Last year’s hosts were two former Mr. Vassar’s, Philip Clark ’05 and Joe Wildfire ’05, both of whom dresed in cow costumes for the night.
Contestants danced, modeled clothes, and showed videos about their respective quests to be Mr. Vassar.

According to members of the Daisy Chain, the main function of Mr. Vassar is to provide an entertaining look at beauty pageants, and not to make a serious judgement about the individuals involved.

“I think the purpose of the Mr. Vassar competition is to act as a parody of beauty pageants in particular and a parody of the standards with which we judge people in general,” said Daisy Chain member Jason Stahl ’08. “I mean, does a guy truly embody the spirit of Vassar College because he can prance around in nothing but tights and make the best farm animal orgasm sound?”

“Of course not, and it may not be the lesson with which people walk away from the show learning, but I still think it’s more instructive than some self-righteous symposium on gender roles and stereotypes,” continued Stahl.

The talent portion of the pageant has been a showcase of unusual moments, with past participants serenading students in the audience.

The Daisy Chain will present the Mr. Vassar pageant on Friday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Students’ Building.