DECATUR - Millikin University junior Andrew Brown has not watched "American Idol" since the first season.

"I haven't felt a connection to 'American Idol,' " he said. He added that he never cared for the music on the show, either.

But as word spread of seventh-season finalist Luke Menard, a Millikin alumnus, Brown tuned in to the television show Tuesday evening.

Brown and a handful of other Millikin students came out to offer encouragement for Menard at an "American Idol" viewing party in the Richards Treat University Center.

The event was sponsored by the Millikin alumni group MilliSTAT, the University Center Board and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota, the men's and women's music fraternities, respectively.

Menard, 29, is one of 24 finalists, and it is up to viewers to say if he will continue to the next round. Viewers began voting Tuesday after the show ended.

Dan Stuby, associate director of young alumni relations, is encouraging Millikin students and alumni to vote for Menard. He said students and alumni have expressed their backing for the 2001 graduate through e-mails and on the Internet, including the social networking site Facebook.

"We felt this was an exciting opportunity to rally around a cause like this," Stuby said. "He's an amazing performer. It's exciting to have someone from Millikin on this show."

At Millikin, Menard was part of the a cappella group Chapter 6. He is from Crawfordsville, Ind., and he auditioned for season six's show but was cut before becoming a finalist.

Sigma Alpha Iota member Katie Sullivan said she really isn't a fan of the show and doesn't know Menard personally but knows of the quality of Chapter 6's music.

"I'm probably going to vote for him," she said. "I know how great the music of the group is. The music group is so talented and so well-known around here," especially within the music department.

"It's really exciting to see people of our musical community going on and accomplishing what they have," she said, also mentioning Millikin alumna Sierra Boggess, starring in Broadway's "The Little Mermaid."

Freshman Chelsea Schultz has a personal connection to Menard through her family. Schultz's mother was good friends with Menard's grandmother and used to baby-sit for his aunts and uncles while living in Kankakee.

"To know someone's out there I know, I'll support him," she said.

The room of students was anticipating Menard's performance, yelling whenever he came on the scene. After singing a ballad on '60s night, the judges didn't show much favor to Menard, one of the oldest finalists performing, saying it was pitchy and forgettable.

"They say he was pitchy, which I don't agree with at all," Brown said. "He said he was going out there and showing who he was, and that's who he is. He's a really nice guy."

"He was OK," Sullivan said of the performance. She agreed with some of the judges and felt he should have picked a better song.

"I'll probably still vote for him," she said.

Alicia Spates can be reached at aspates@herald-review.com or 421-6986.