2013 Mr. RLC Crowned

By Eryn Olson

A friendly dorm competition brought spirit, entertainment and a source of community to the students who gathered in the California Mission Room on Tuesday night to watch.

The event, Mr. RLC, organized by the Residential Learning Community Association, has been happening on campus for almost a decade now, and it has become a tradition that many students look forward to each spring. The interactive atmosphere led to many laughs as students cheered on their dorm mates and friends who participated.

RLCA helped each dorm's Community Council host their individual competitions to see which young man would get the opportunity to represent their Residential Learning Community in the campus-wide showdown. The eight men who competed Tuesday night were previously elected by their dorms, and were eager to win the illustrious Mr. RLC title.

Ellen McKay, the RLCA representative who headed this year's event, believes it is "a good way for the RLCs to come together in a friendly competition."

This year began with each competitor strutting down the catwalk as event hosts read their mini-bios. The students pointed, posed and danced, relishing in the spotlight to the cheers of their fans.

The talent portion showcased the individuality and eccentricity that sometimes can be hidden at Santa Clara.

Event attendee Freshman Harleigh Tillman said, "We have quite the characters here."

She was impressed by competitor's various unique acts.
In the third component, the judges posed questions to each contestant. Topics ranged from "What's your favorite part of your body?" to "If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?" The competitors typically used humor to answer their questions and show off their personalities.

Before Mr. RLC 2013 was announced, junior Patrick Neill reprised the act that earned him last year's victory. He played guitar and sang his original song, "Booty Booty," getting many chuckles from the crowd with his clever lyrics.

Freshman David Lyons, representing Walsh Hall as Mr. Unity, took home the bejeweled, gold crown. A juggler since age five, Lyons put his years of practice to the test and added music and LED color-changing balls to capture the attention of the judges and the audience.

Lyons gave credit to the RLCA staff for putting on such a successful show and said they did "a phenomenal job."

Lyons joked that he will use his new title as a way to get out of taking tests for the rest of the quarter simply by writing "Mr. RLC."

Contact Eryn Olson at eolson@scu.edu.