42 apply for calendar spots

All-new organizers create Facebook group, online voting to choose women for its third annual publication, 'College QTs of EC'

By: Nick Halter

Posted: 9/24/07

The votes came in from all over the country last week for the women people wanted to see in the third annual Eau Claire swimsuit calendar.

Forty-two women had their photos on a Facebook event page in hopes of drawing votes and being chosen as one of the 17 models for this year's calendar, titled "College QTs of EC."

Junior Charles Lymangood, project manager of the calendar, said his new management team is growing and expanding on the previous calendars with a goal of raising $10,000 for the American Cancer Society.

"This is bigger than it's ever been," he said.

One of the ways Lymangood said he plans to increase sales is to have premiere-nights at a bar organizers have yet to determine near the UW-Eau Claire campus and possibly a restaurant in addition to selling the calendar in Davies Center, as was the case in previous years.

Lymangood also wants to sell the calendar to people in Minnesota as well as either sell or donate the calendar to troops overseas.

As far as the Davies Center location goes, the calendar can expect to have a Women and Gender Equality booth nearby its stand providing information on media exploitation awareness.

Lisa Cooper-Murphy, coordinator of WAGE, said along with the informational booth, WAGE will look into holding a forum dealing with exploitation of women as has been done previously when the calendar was released.

Cooper-Murphy said she has seen an increase in women approaching WAGE with eating disorders and body image problems.

"We don't feel that a calendar like that is representative of our campus. … It doesn't necessarily perpetuate the ideas that we would like to take hold (on campus)," she said.

Lymangood said he is aware of WAGE's stance on the issue.

"I understand where they're coming from," he said. "I've heard the saying, 'selling sex for cancer' … if they're willing to be a part of it, then I don't think that we're objectifying them … if you want to volunteer and you want to help out, then we're all about it."

Senior Erica Nunn, who was one of the 42 women in the running for the calendar, said she also understands where WAGE is coming from but doesn't feel like the calendar exploits women because they do it voluntarily.

Nunn said she is close friends with Lymangood and the team would never make a woman do anything for the calendar they wouldn't want to.

"It's not like any of the photos have been degrading … it's just been a swimsuit and a pose."

Nunn said cancer has affected many of her family members and the most important thing is the money being raised for cancer.

"It's really one of the biggest killers still and we need to find a cure," she said.

In its first year, the calendar donated $6,454 to the ACS. Last year, it only managed to donate between $2,000 and $2,500, Lymangood said. Last year, the team added a men's calendar, which Lymangood said didn't sell as well as the women's.

His all-new team will not be including a men's calendar this year, but said he hopes to add one next year.

"Since we haven't done this before, we decided to start with just a women's," Lymangood said.

Voting for the models ended Friday and Lymangood said their team received around 500 total votes. The calendar is set to be released in Eau Claire in late November or early December.