Andrew Fries danced across the stage Thursday night, wearing American flag shorts and unbuttoning his shirt to LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It."
"Do I hear fourty five? Fourty five? Fifty!" called out the auctioneer as the rabble of excited bidders heightened. Various girls thrust paddles in the air for two reasons: winning a date with Fries and raising money for Riley Hospital for Children.
"I was a little nervous but it was a lot of fun. I was happy to do it for the kids," Fries, junior architecture major, said. "Half of the dance [did on stage] was planned, half was just off the cuff."
Junior pre-med major Anita Rogers, whose winning bid was $50, and Fries knew each other through previous Ball State University Dance Marathon events.
"I chose to bet on Andrew because I know him and he's fun," Rogers said. "And he took off his shirt."
Twenty-six men were up for grabs, most representing a fraternity or other organizations to raise money for the cause.
The room in the David Owsley Museum of Art was full, well over the room's 120 seat capacity. The theme was an American parody, or "‘Merica." Contestants wore jean cut-offs paired with plaid button ups, star-spangled shorts and one fireman's outfit complete with a flag cape.
Megan Gish, senior advertising major, fought paddle to paddle to win a date with the man on stage clad in an army uniform, who happened to be her boyfriend.
"I was determined. There were other girls bidding, like my sorority sisters trying to outbid me, but I knew I had to win," Gish said.
Gish emptied her wallet of $100 to outbid any other takers.
"I was very nervous to be on stage," sophomore radiology major Drew Carrico said. "I saw a couple of girls bid for me that I didn't even know, which was an ego boost. I'm very happy and glad that my girlfriend won though."
Both agreed that it would be for a good cause for Carrico to participate, even though Gish wasn't guaranteed a win.
"We both talked about what would happen if I didn't win, and it wasn't a big deal," Gish said. "In the end, it's to raise money for [Riley Hospital for Children]."
The couple plans to go to dinner at Amazing Joe's, the restaurant in which Carrico received a gift certificate to for participating in the event. Each participant receives a gift card for a dinner for two that was given to the committee from local restaurants to support the cause.
The highest bid went to senior architecture major Paul Desmond who sported jean shorts and a flag tank-top. Gish, who had a friend of Desmond's on the phone who was placing bids, immediately put the price at $100. This quickly escalated to $150 as other girls made daring bids. After conferring with the bidder over the phone, Gish called out $200 and swept away any competition.
"When I was talking to her on the phone, she told me her heart was racing the whole time during the auction. She won with the highest bid but told him to take his girlfriend on a nice date instead," Gish said.
The homecoming king put himself on the market for the cause as well.
"I figured why not since I knew a lot of people that were attending," senior music technology major Sterlyng Powell said. "The girl who bidded for me I knew from the homecoming committee, so that was cool."
Erica Stevens, senior sports administration major, won the lucky date with the king.
"I know him very well and planned on bidding for him. I was determined to walk out of here with a date and am excited for our date," Stevens said.
Junior public relations major Sharisse Horel won two dates during the auction, dishing out a total of $20 for the night.
"I wanted to bid to raise money for [Riley Hospital for Children]," Horel said. "I picked the guys who looked kind of shy up there and bid on them so they could feel more confident on the stage. Plus, any guy willing to stand up for a good cause is great."
During the auction, a masculine voice shouted out bids from the sidelines among the female competitors.
"I was bidding on my roommates that were up there to be funny using a flag as a paddle," sophomore residential property management major Nathan Hesher said. "I did consider if I did win and thought it might be awkward, so I stopped."
At the end of the night, the BSUDM committee counted up the cash to be $1,450.78.
Content with the run-out and donations raised, junior elementary and special education major Sarah Smith said there will be more date auctions in the future.
"It's just a fun, out of the box way to get involved with charity," Horel said. "It's hard for college students to be active in fundraising but this is a great way to pull people in."
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