Photo provided by MOX
Jaiden Smith
Managing Editor
Students on the Jackson State University campus found out just what their peers would do for love On Jan. 29
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 “sold” to the highest bidder.
DeCuir was the last to come to stage but it’s no argument that he brought the house down.
“I expected to do pretty well in the auction but I never expected to earn that much money. It was actually surprising,” DeCuir stated.
DeCuir credits the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm as the reason for “selling” so well.
“I 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,” he boasted.
“If I’m 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.”
After selling at such a high price, students wanted to know if the bidder would be properly compensated for their high spending.
“Each of the highest bids are going to get the chance to go on a date with the MOX member they chose,” DeCuir explained. “I simply plan to go on the date and genuinely connect with her and make sure she enjoys herself.
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.
“I loved the audience’s energy and I would definitely go again,” Larkins exclaimed. “It was so funny and energetic. Everyone had a great attitude and it was very welcoming!”
Larkins also participated in some crowd engagement and allowed herself to go onto the stage to be auctioned as well.
“My friends begged me to go lol! Yes, someone “bought” me for $40 dollars. They didn’t win anything, but I did give them my number,” said Larkins.
Larkins knows the importance of events such as this one and enjoys the opportunity to shave a good time while donating to charity.
“Charity is important to help others and better their situations with the donations we give,” said Larkins. “Events like this are needed because they help the community grow with other people’s help and support to make others better in their situation.”
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.
“My 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,” said Criglar.
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.
“I think I sold because of the song I chose and because of the flier promotion,” Criglar said.
His song of choice was Muni Longs “Made For Me.”
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.
