USC pageant suspended after accusations of missing money, bullying and racism
A University of South Carolina student group that organizes the annual Miss Gamecock Pageant has been suspended for theft and fraudulent behavior, according to documents obtained by The State.
The Gamecock Pageant Club was banned from campus for two years, beginning March 4, 2025, following an investigation by USC’s Leadership and Service Center. According to a letter sent to the club by Maureen Derrick, USC’s director of student conduct and academic integrity, the club is prohibited from returning to the Columbia college or any USC property without written permission.
USC’s police department is investigating the club, a spokesman said.
The Miss Gamecock Pageant is an annual competition held by and for university students. It bills itself as an organization aimed at empowering women. Victors, along with being awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships, may go on to compete in any at-large contests, like the Miss South Carolina pageant — the winner of which earns a place in the nationwide Miss America pageant.
After hosting the annual Miss Gamecock Pageant on Jan. 25, the organization behind the pageant was found responsible for allegations of theft, fraudulent behavior and failing to meet financial obligations, according to the March letter from Derrick.
Dues and other funds had been collected through a student’s personal Cash App account, and the money was then deposited into an individual student’s bank account, the letter said. The money had not been transferred to the student organization at the time of the reported mismanagement of funds or before a meeting with the Office of Student Conduct, the letter said.
Derrick wrote that the current and former presidents of the Gamecock Pageant Club said they did not have access to the bank account. Rather, an off-campus advisor “had the account.”
The current and former presidents and the advisor were not named. However, another document said the Alicia Gibson-Robinson is the current director and current lead on the bank account. Gibson-Robinson could not be reached for comment.
Another person, whose name was redacted in Derrick’s letter, later admitted to spending the club’s funds personally after having the money deposited into her account.
It is unclear how much money was involved or how much was missing.
No individual club members were disciplined, according to documents, and all members were allowed to continue attending classes.
The USC police department initially closed a criminal investigation into the group, but the case was recently reopened, according to a university spokesman. The State has requested investigative reports from the department.
An official nonprofit with $10,000 missing?
The Gamecock Pageant Club collected annual fees from its members — $75 for those competing in the pageant and $20 for those who were simply involved in the group. Contestants were also responsible for two $100 “ad pages” and for raising between $100 and $450 for a fundraiser, according to documents obtained by The State through a public records request.
The organization also raised money with the help of local businesses, including one that wrote the group checks for as much as $2,500.
While a specific amount of missing money was not listed, screenshots of receipts provided to The State show at least $2,731 was exchanged during the 2023-24 pageant season, and at least $2,975 during the 2024-25 pageant season was exchanged through the Gamecock Pageant Club Cash App account.
And notes obtained by The State said that the Cash App account the group used to collect money was empty and at least $10,000 was missing.
Byron Thomas founded the Gamecock Pageant Club in 2015 when he was a student. Thomas, now a Cayce city councilman, stayed on as a local executive director of the club for nearly 10 years. Because of the club’s former affiliation with the Miss South Carolina and Miss America pageant circuit, it was an official nonprofit that had to file taxes.
The Miss South Carolina organization and the Miss America organization have not been affiliated with the Gamecock Pageant Club for several years, as the group is not currently an official licensee and has not paid the licensee fee, director Charles Ellis told The State newspaper. However, the winner of the Miss Gamecock Pageant can choose to compete in the state pageant, whose winner competes in the Miss America pageant.
In November 2024, Thomas emailed the university, raising initial alarms about potential financial improprieties, according to one document.
He said a student had collected dues and money from students who competed in the Miss Gamecock Pageant in January 2024. But she had not reported those funds to an accountant and became “unreachable.” Thomas became worried about “fraudulent activity” — the organization was already late in submitting financial statements to the state for tax purposes, and pageant winners had not received their scholarships. The university reached out to the student about Thomas’ concerns.
One document said Thomas may have reported someone, whose name was redacted, for $10,000 in tax fraud.
The State was unable to reach Thomas.
Complaints of mismanagement and a lack of integrity
The Leadership and Service Center received another complaint in February 2025 from a student who reported concerns about funds. She had paid the club $75, but never received the promised headshots, and there was no scheduled date for the pageant as of winter break last year. So, she quit the group and asked for her money back.
USC received another email in February from a student who participated in this year’s pageant. She had wanted to drop out due to “financial mismanagement, blatant favoritism, targeted bullying, and unethical practices” but had already invested “so much money” — at least $3,000, according to the email.
Two other students later came into the USC Leadership and Service Center to discuss their concerns in person, where they shared “numerous instances of mismanagement of funds” and “pressure to raise funds,” according to a document.
They also shared that the audience was able to vote for the pageant’s “people’s choice” award at the Jan. 25 pageant by depositing funds, but it was unclear who collected the money or how. And the pageant, which had been free to attend in the past, cost money this year. Tickets were $20 for the general public and $10 for students, according to the club’s Instagram page.
The university received another complaint about the Gamecock Pageant Club in February from a parent.
“I am writing to ensure that leaders are aware of the utter violation of the integrity of USC, the pageant, and most of all our beloved daughters,” the parent wrote in a Feb. 12 email obtained by The State.
The parent, whose daughter had participated in the January 2025 pageant, said the competition was misrepresented. It also was managed by a student with no oversight or accountability.
The parent noted concerns about the unprofessional manner of handling money and not receiving the services that were advertised. And the date for the pageant wasn’t announced until only a few days prior.
The “entire pageant was a sham,” the parent wrote. “I personally spent thousands of dollars on a pageant that turns out to be a fraud. … We entered the pageant under the illusion that the girls would get scholarships.”
Marc Shook, USC’s dean of students, encouraged the parent to file a report with the Office of Student Conduct and informed the parent that their email would be shared with law enforcement.
“You join several others who have submitted similar complaints and naturally the university is taking this matter seriously,” Shook replied Feb. 13. “At the moment, our police has an open investigation and our office of student conduct is also gathering information.”
Experiences of ‘bigotry, racism, and deceit’
Other complaints about the Gamecock Pageant Club alleged abusive and predatory behavior, racism and a lack of ethics within the club.
Documents show that one student informed the university that she was “laughed at multiple times” during her community service initiative video. She said “everyone of color” was laughed at and “made a spectacle.”
The students who discussed complaints in person alleged “bigotry, racism, and deceit,” according to a report obtained by The State.
Another March email to university administration from a student said they were “personally affected” by behavior and treatment during the pageant “alongside other women of color.”
“I find it deeply troubling that the organization is still able to function publicly without any visible accountability,” she wrote. “The harm caused was not just emotional, but a reflection of broader systemic issues that should not be overlooked.”
University officials encouraged the students to submit reports of their experience.
As of Aug. 13, no official civil rights complaint had been filed, university spokesman Jeff Stensland said.
According to the parent, a pageant leader also behaved unethically and with bias, selecting the winner of some of the awards for girls she would later compete with in the same pageant circuit.
“It was a disgrace,” one parent wrote. “These beautiful young ladies had no idea when the(y) signed up to participate in this pageant that they would experience bullying, unethical conflicts of interest, misappropriation of funds, deceit, and judges bias.”
Documents don’t give further details about alleged bullying or discrimination.
After it was reprimanded, the organization continued to operate “as if no disciplinary action has taken place,” promoting events on social media and engaging with the public, according to a March 27 complaint from a student.
The club may be reinstated on March 4, 2027. In the meantime, the future of the Miss Gamecock Pageant is unclear.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
