By Lillie Tretter, Staff Writer
The men of Eta Alpha Omega hosted their fifth annual Barbershop fundraiser this year, where a total of 19 members, the most they’ve ever had, shaved their heads to raise funds for their most beloved event thrown on campus: Muggin. After the last performance of Tiger Tunes, ETA gives out free root beer to all students, bringing the campus together for a night of celebration after the stress of Tunes.
“This event serves as an exclamation point on top of an extremely eventful Tunes week. Our goal with this event is to provide something that the whole Ouachita student body can enjoy,” says ETA President Cole Skelley. Muggin originally began as a weeklong event to encourage students on campus to participate in Tiger Tunes, and over time has evolved into a one-night celebration to recognize those who have participated.
In the weeks leading up to Muggin, members drive all over the state collecting root beer. From Conway to North Little Rock, they picked up more than one hundred cases of root beer in preparation for this event. ETA Member, Ethan Caldwell remembers, “Getting root beer the weekend prior was also a task and just made for a great bonding time with my friends.”
On the Saturday of homecoming and the last Tunes show, members load up hundreds of bags of ice into the back of their trucks, along with the cases of root beer, and head to Ouachita Commons to begin setting up for the party. They hang banners, set up disco lights and create an extensive music playlist for students to dance to. “My personal favorite memory from Muggin was just seeing it all come together this year. After watching all the hard work it took to make it happen, it was nice to sit back and watch everyone party the night away,” says Skelley.
Muggin would not be possible without the thrilling fundraising event that begins weeks earlier: Barbershop. This is a fundraiser where people pay to have pledges shave their heads.
While it is optional for pledges to shave their heads, they do have specific family lines within the club that have shaved their heads since 2020. Caldwell remembers his time participating in Barbershop as one of the most memorable experiences at Ouachita so far. “I remember the feeling of the first time practically being bald. I got to walk up to the stage with my theme song of ‘Free Bird’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Everyone got a good laugh. I am super excited to be part of this ETA tradition,” says Caldwell. Every year, more and more pledges choose to follow in their family barbershop lines or even start new family lines.
Through traditions like Barbershop and Muggin, the men of ETA continue to serve others and share their faith across campus. They work hard to create a Christ-centered environment on campus, and events centered on community, service, building friendships and having fun, like Muggin and Barbershop, are the perfect way to achieve a tighter-knit community among students.
