“The Naked Truth” was revealed by the Theta Kappa chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Thursday night at Café Reggae when volunteers were sold to the highest bidder.
The Café had only a few empty chairs left when auctioneer Shasidy Stevens, 2003-04 Miss Omega, walked on to the stage to auction off the first “prize.”
“I’m starting the bid at $10,” Stevens said.
The crowd was timid, but when the reggae music in the background started to pick up, so did the bidding.
With the growing excitement, the crowd beckoned for the “prizes” to strip. So, as the audience’s inhibitions peeled away, the clothes went along with them.
“We named it ‘The Naked Truth’ because we wanted to encourage them to get semi-naked, but we also wanted to compel others to know the truth about South Africa,” said Chapter President Steve Brockington.
The first bids ranged between $10 and $50, but when the nationally acclaimed wide receiver Skyler Green walked on stage, the sky — or the checking account — was the limit.
Before Green even took off his shirt, Lena Davis made the top bid of $100.
“He’s sexy and cute,” said Davis, a professional entertainer across the nation, when asked why she quickly outbid the roomful of screaming ladies.
Davis not only purchased Green, but also Marcus Thomas for $50, and then auctioned herself off for $25.
Although Omega Psi Phi made $347 to send to South Africa for better healthcare and education, the auction also showed a great accomplishment among the students of Baton Rouge.
The auction brought together athletes from LSU and Southern University as well as people from a variety of backgrounds, and helped different LSU student organizations support each other.
“It was at EMPOWER weekend that we were able to network with other fraternities and sororities to diversify the event,” said Brockington.
EMPOWER weekend was a leadership retreat for all the University’s Greek organizations that took place last weekend.
Among the “prizes” were LSU football players, Southern University football and basketball players, various members of the Greek community and other Baton Rouge residents, Brockington said.
Omega Psi Phi also was able to reward the bidders for their donations by offering them prepaid dinners with their newly-purchased prizes.
Restaurants donating dinners were Boutin’s, Chili’s, Olive Garden, On the Border, Pluckers, Portebella’s Italian Grill and Walk-Ons.
The Theta Kappa chapter, the district chapter of the year for Omega Psi Phi, also raises money for 15 other programs, Omega Psi Phi Vice-President Collins Phillips said. However, this was the first auction the chapter has held.
The Omega Psi Phi Web site says that this humanitarian project is designed to aid many black South Africans who still suffer from a shortage of adequate resources and necessities.
“Depending on how it goes, it may be an annual fund-raiser for our South Africa Program,” Phillips said.
According to Phillips and Brockington, local venues such as Café Reggae are looking to host student events, and since Omega Psi Phi doesn’t have an official house, it was happy to oblige.