Student comedians took the Pere Marquette stage this weekend for the Last Laker Standing finals, hosted by professional comedian LeClerc Andre.  

Grand Valley State University’s Campus Activity Board sponsored the annual Last Laker Standing finals which featured six student comedians. All students were invited to attend the free event on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Kirkhof Center on the Allendale campus.  

The Last Laker Standing competition has been in motion for the last several weeks. The six comedians were all required to audition in front of members of the Campus Activity Board in order to advance to the final competition.  

For the final round, each of the six comedians were required to prepare a 10-minute set of their best material. On Saturday, the winner was determined by a panel of three judges. The judges evaluated each comedian’s set and awarded the top three comedians with prizes. Justin Scott placed third, winning a Yeti cup. Runner up was Eric Langlois, winning a JBL speaker, and the champion, Marcus Cusic, won a Fitbit.

President of the Stand-Up Comedy Club Ben Stevens competed at the Last Laker Standing finals for his third and final year. Stevens’ set consisted of mainly observational humor. In addition to Stevens, several of the competing comedians are also in the Stand-Up Comedy Club.  

“It’s only once a year and other than our (stand-up) club shows, most students get very little exposure to stand-up as a performing art,” Stevens said. “The opportunity to see fellow students performing hopefully makes the idea seem less daunting.”  

The night not only included acts from student comedians, but the competition was hosted by professional comedian LeClerc Andre. Andre was featured in the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2018 for his TV debut.

The Campus Activity Board, previously known as the separate student organizations Spotlight Productions and Laker Traditions, promoted the show on social media. Comedy Director of the Campus Activity Board Jennastasia Chapa played a leading role in organizing and promoting the event. She shared her hopes of the event appealing to a majority of GVSU students, adding, “I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t enjoy comedy.”

Regarding the timing of the event, Chapa said, “We are all hitting the point in the semester where we are stressed out with projects and midterms, so the show is a good way for people to take time to come out and de-stress, have some laughs and support their fellow Lakers.” 

The organization hosts various events for GVSU students’ entertainment, with the Campus Activity Board comedy committee’s next event on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Valentine’s Day Dinner and Comedy Show featuring comedian Orlando Baxter is once again offering students free food and entertainment.