Audrey Dighans | reporter

‘TSM’, Niki Minaj and some not-so-super superheroes all made appearances at Pitt State’s first “Pitt State Live!” on Monday, Feb. 18, in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom.
Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Sigma Sigma (Tri-Sigs) held the event to raise money for Wesley House, a Pittsburg-area food pantry. Four campus fraternities and sororities participated, performing sketches based on or styled in the fashion of TV’s “Saturday Night Live!”

‘Beyonce’ gets a visit from ‘Prince’ during a skit for Pitt State Live held at the Overman Student Center on Feburary 18.

Enrique “Henry” Larroucau, graduate student in business and accounting, Jason Jones, junior in electronics engineering, and Mark Flood, junior in mechanical engineering, and all members of Pike ran the event along with Katie George of Sigma Sigma Sigma, junior in graphic communications.
“We knew we wanted to host an event themed like SNL,” Larroucau said. “We contacted the Tri-Sigs about co-sponsoring last spring and the planning started from there.”
As with many large events, the first year is always the most challenging when it comes to organization and production. “Pitt State Live!” proved to be no exception to the rule.
“It was difficult to find organizations to participate in the event since this is the first year that it has been done,” George said.
Communication and advertising for “Pitt State Live!” also proved difficult. They tried to write advertisements on campus sidewalks with chalk, a popular option at Pitt State for event promotion, but rain washed it away.
“There are always communication problems when doing an event with another organization,” Flood said. “The Tri-Sigs were good at helping us recruit organizations to participate and advertise.”
Event planners say they couldn’t seem to catch a break.
“Originally we had seven or eight groups interested in performing,” Larroucau said. “Several groups dropped out literally last minute because they couldn’t do it or didn’t come up with a sketch. Pretty much every roadblock we could hit, we hit.”
The four groups to participate in Pitt State Live included Phi Sigma Kappa, with a sketch on Superheroes, featuring the “Karate Kid,” “Captain Obvious,” “Mr. Clean” and “Captain Canada” interviewing for a newly opened superhero position with “Batman.”
Alpha Sigma Alpha presented its parody of “Beyonce and Jay-Z bring home baby Blu Ivy,” which aired earlier this season on SNL. Pi Kappa Alpha also took their sketch’s idea from SNL with the “Greek Gods Economy.”
“If we would have had more time rehearsing, it would have been much better,” said Logan Dillinger, member of Pi Kappa Alpha and freshman in computer information systems. “We were much more focused on planning the event than on our sketch. Hopefully next year we can have a week’s worth of rehearsal time.”
Sigma Sigma Sigma took the stage last with its sketch on sorority girls, covering many topics of sorority life, including Pintrest, boys, “Total Sorority Move” and Facebook profile pictures.
“I wouldn’t have changed a thing about my sorority’s skit,” George said. “I think the girls did an awesome job coming up with an original skit and I know they had fun doing it.”
“Pitt State Live!” also had an element of competition added to it with a panel of judges composed of David Adams, Ashley Mestepey and Meagan Smejdir.
Alpha Sigma Alpha was declared the winner at the end of the show.  In between sketches, the show’s host Rob Cicero held a raffle. Winners obtained coupons to local Pittsburg restaurants.
“Alpha Sigma Alpha’s skit was absolutely hilarious,” Flood said. “The Taylor Swift impression was spot-on.”
Audience members, too, were impressed with the success of “Pitt State Live!” There were about 125 students in attendance with a total of $500 raised for Wesley House.
Courtney Coda, undeclared freshman, attended after she encountered Pi Kappa Alpha members advertising in the Campus Oval.
“It sounded like it would be fun and it was,” Coda said. “It was for a good cause and a lot of my friends are in Pike and I wanted to support them. I think with more clubs there would be a better variety of skits and it would last longer. I hope they do it again next year.”
Indeed, Pi Kappa Alpha does intend to run the event again next spring with goals of increased advertisement, club participation and fundraising.
“The enthusiasm we got from the crowd tells us it’s gonna be a hit,” Larroucau said.
“Pitt State Live!” is just one of the ways Pi Kappa Alpha plans to increase its involvement with the community.