Photo provided by MOX<\/p>\n

Jaiden Smith
\n<\/span>Managing Editor <\/span><\/p>\n

Students on the Jackson State University campus found out just what their peers would do for love On Jan. 29<\/span><\/p>\n

Celebrating love and charity, Jackson State’s very own Men of Excellence, otherwise known as MOX, gathered students at approximately 7:15 p.m. to auction these excellent men, offering all proceeds to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just three days before February and the ladies and gentlemen of the Jackson State were ready to kick off their week, rushing to the Jacob L. Reddix building, wallets in hand, ready to put a price to love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kobe DeCuir, a junior pre-biology major from Antioch, Calif., stole the audience’s hearts and funds after raking in a total of $400 from the highest bidder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each member of MOX would parade himself down the aisles, letting the audience take a good look at what was being offered, before gracing himself on stage and the bidding would begin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each audience member was given paddles with numbers written on them, and instructed to raise their paddle when a price they were willing to pay was called out. The man currently being presented would then be \u201csold\u201d to the highest bidder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DeCuir was the last to come to stage but it\u2019s no argument that he brought the house down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI expected to do pretty well in the auction but I never expected to earn that much money. It was actually surprising,\u201d DeCuir stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DeCuir credits the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm as the reason for \u201cselling\u201d so well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the energy in the room was really high at the time. Being the last person auctioned probably just made people want to spend a little more,\u201d he boasted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m being completely honest, I had no intention of being in the auction. My goal was to get as many MOX members as I could to participate and in turn, they influenced me to do the same.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After selling at such a high price, students wanted to know if the bidder would be properly compensated for their high spending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEach of the highest bids are going to get the chance to go on a date with the MOX member they chose,\u201d DeCuir explained. \u201cI simply plan to go on the date and genuinely connect with her and make sure she enjoys herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kennedy Larkins, a sophomore biology pre-dentistry major from Memphis, Tenn., was in the crowd and could testify to the high energy of the room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the audience\u2019s energy and I would definitely go again,\u201d Larkins exclaimed. \u201cIt was so funny and energetic. Everyone had a great attitude and it was very welcoming!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Larkins also participated in some crowd engagement and allowed herself to go onto the stage to be auctioned as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends begged me to go lol! Yes, someone \u201cbought\u201d me for $40 dollars. They didn\u2019t win anything, but I did give them my number,\u201d said Larkins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Larkins knows the importance of events such as this one and enjoys the opportunity to shave a good time while donating to charity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCharity is important to help others and better their situations with the donations we give,\u201d said Larkins. \u201cEvents like this are needed because they help the community grow with other people\u2019s help and support to make others better in their situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Apollo Criglar, Jr., a sophomore journalism and media major studies major from Kansas City, Mo., is also a member of MOX and auctioned himself in the name of charity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy MOX brothers influenced me to participate. I did not expect so much support or such a turn out. More people showed up than expected and we raised a lot more money than expected,\u201d said Criglar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each member was asked to select a song to walk out to before approaching the stage. Criglar was among the top three men who sold the highest for the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I sold because of the song I chose and because of the flier promotion,\u201d Criglar said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His song of choice was Muni Longs \u201cMade For Me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Men of Excellence helped students get in spirit for the month of love while donating their proceeds of the night to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. A whopping total of $1,025 was raised.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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