After 13 years of a pageant dedicated to showcasing the talents of males around campus, Essence of a Man has been rescheduled to the Spring Semester for revamping.

The pageant is now set to happen April 2, 2016 in hopes of making it a bigger event. The Black Student Union usually puts on the pageant in the fall semester and it is normally for a scholarship.

Nathan Wehr, the advisor for BSU, said the pageant was based off Miss Black EIU and was started as a way to showcase the struggles, tribulations and triumphs of African-American men on Eastern’s campus. He said sometimes the word pageant scares the men so many do not participate.

“They could see it and perceive it as a pageant, but it’s more than that” Wehr said. “We want it to be more of a program to get more men involved so they can get a chance to express who they are and what they are going through as a male.”

Wehr said BSU wanted to take the time and be able to do Essence of a Man in a better way. He said with the current budget, the organization did not have enough to be produce Essence in a huge way. Wehr said the one of the problems was getting enough money to put on the kind of show they wanted.

Aaliyah Stephens, the parliamentarian for BSU, said Essence originally was presented in the 7th Street Underground, but as the event evolved, it was held in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Ballroom. She said BSU wanted the event to continue to grow, so they needed a revamping period to plan.

“We don’t want to limit the men who are competing and we want more men to compete so that it’ll be a great event because it has BSU’s name on it,” Stephens said. “We don’t want anything that’s little, we want to strive for the best.”

Last year’s Essence had five contestants, Wehr said and this year three men signed up. Wehr said extending the event to April will give people a chance to see what it is all about and it will give them time to plan.

Tylen Elliott, the president of BSU, said in recent years there has been low attendance at the pageant, he said the lack to participation was probably because if the limited amount of time BSU had to plan. He said another reason men sometimes do not sign up is because they are not sure what a pageant is.

“We want to give Miss Black EIU the chance to go first and then Essence will follow up after that,” Elliott said. “We are looking to revamp the pageant completely so it will be bigger and better and we just needed the time to see that.”

Like other organizations around campus, BSU has to raise money for events on campus like Essence, but Elliot said if there are not a lot of members, fundraising can be complicated.

“With enrollment being low we have membership being low and it’s kind of a trickle down affect,” Elliott said.

DeVonte’ Dixon, a senior communication studies major, is the reigning Mr. Essence and the coordinator for the event. He said he thinks the numbers of contestants have been fluctuating because some are scared to express themselves.

“There are only three men because I feel men are scared to peel the layers of their true selves,” Dixon said. “These men on this campus are frightened to open up and show a different side of them and that’s why we only receive three brave men this year.”

Dixon said since being crowded he has had a vision for the event and wants to see it fulfilled. He said the extra time will only bring a better show. Dixon said Essence is more than an event, he said over time it has become a tradition.

“The extra time will make Mr. Essence electrifying and something different than ever seen before,” Dixon said. “More events, better productions and a great event that (the) EIU campus won’t be ready for.”

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]