By Christianna Lewis

Three student contenders will battle their way through pepperoni and tomato sauce as they compete in the Consumption Challenge: Pizza sponsored by the ACU chapter of the American Marketing Association on Tuesday.

AMA Vice President of Marketing Communications Johnathan King invites all students to watch Wildcat left guard Royland Tubbs, “everyman” Dustin Rhodes and track runner Lindsey Putman stuff themselves with Little Caesar’s pepperoni pizza at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Room 115 of the Mabee Business Building.

Lindsey Putman, junior exercise science major and Dusty Rhodes, senior management major from Abilene, devour pizza at the Consumption Challenge Tuesday in the Biblical Studies building. HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

The event is free, though “tickets” will be handed out as a promotional tool, said King, senior marketing and management major from Frisco. Free pizza will be provided to the audience.

“It’ll be the organization’s first self-promoted, big event,” King said. “I want to see a large number of new faces at the meeting and see those people get involved.”

The AMA may hold successive consumption challenges, said Austin January, AMA vice president of public relations and junior marketing major from Rockdale. For this challenge, though, January said he is betting on Putman, the only female contender, to win the $25 cash prize. Despite football player Tubbs’ competitive size and appetite, January said Putman might have the willpower to win the competition. Either way, he said, it will be fun.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much pizza sauce, cheese and grease covers these guys’ faces,” he said.

The pizza-eating contest, inspired by similar reality shows, is intended to raise awareness of AMA. The event marks the organization’s attempt to increase the number of non-marketing majors in the group. King, one of the event’s planners, said broadening AMA’s appeal would benefit the club by bringing in new perspectives.

The AMA is a nationwide networking community for college students and marketing professionals. ACU’s chapter works to give its members practical marketing experience before graduation. It also serves the campus and community by providing marketing services to student groups and local businesses, January said.

The association’s ACU chapter recently helped promote ACU women’s athletics and Entra la Plaza and will compete in an annual national marketing competition conducted by the AMA. All students can gain valuable experience from these promotional projects, said AMA President Zachary Cook, senior finance and marketing major from Dallas.

“Marketing is about filling a need with people, at its core,” Cook said. “People are always going to have a need around you. AMA can help anyone address the needs of others.”