“”The Nerdy McFly Manifesto.””

Sounds kind of like a comic book, doesn’t it?

Actually, it’s a collection of rules, essays, poems and drawings that focuses on the lifestyles and choices made by six young men from all different walks of life.

One of the authors is Arizona men’s basketball forward Fendi Onobun.

“”We’re showing by example how to be successful young men,”” Onobun said. “”And, through our diversity, we’re showing that anyone can be successful.””

Four of the six authors are black, one is Puerto Rican and one is white. They hail from New York, Phoenix, Houston and Memphis, Tenn. Three are fraternity members. Two are disc jockeys. Some are roommates. One, Jamal Boddie, is a men’s basketball team manager.

“”Guys are going to want to read this book because they can relate to it,”” said Rafael Morales, one of the co-authors. “”We are leading by example, showing how you can be a person of any race, from any background and part of any affiliation and be successful in life.””

Through their diversity, the authors exert originality as they advocate making the right choices in life to become a successful man, Onobun said.

“”It’s not just overt choices,”” said Onobun, an interdisciplinary studies junior. “”There are things every man should know, but it’s his choice to know them, something so simple as how to tie a necktie. Every guy doesn’t know how to tie a tie. That’s something we will incorporate.””

In the book, set to be published in the fall, rules of success are proposed to young men ranging from upperclassmen in high school to men in their late 20s.

“”We all abide by these 101 rules,”” said Egomeli Hormeku, another of the authors, “”and those rules define what we do and how we do it. The ‘Manifesto’ is a collaboration of ideas to create a new-age male that focuses on tradition but is still all about innovation.””

Hormeku, or Ego, as the guys call him, is working on a double major in political science and physical science. He’s a part of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and is also a DJ. He sports a Lacoste polo and reads GQ.

Like the rest of the members of the group, he’s the prime example of a Nerdy McFly.

“” ‘Nerdy’ defines the stereotypical nerdy kid with glasses who always does his work, who’s intelligent, a straight-A student that the masses don’t deem as ‘cool,’ “” Hormeku said. “”Then you have the ‘Mc’: The M.C., the Master of Ceremonies, that leads the pack. And then ‘Fly’ is to soar, or the adjective slang term, which is presentable, impeccable.””

“”‘Nerdy McFly’ is an ideology,”” he added. “”In order to come up with a bunch of guidelines for males, we all recognize that we’re all past the day where one ideology could be for every single male, since every male is different in every way.

Manlaws

The origin of the rules was very sporadic. A discussion of rules among the group would often lead to a synchronized tap on the table, followed by a group bellow, “”Manlaw,”” just like in the Miller Lite commercials.

“”Sitting around doing the Manlaws, we thought, ‘People really need to know this stuff,’ “” said Bryce Dawson, a sophomore majoring in English. “”It came to the point where we decided to write it all down.””

As time progressed, the ideas accumulated.

“”The rules just came up,”” said Boddie, a journalism sophomore. “”You’re walking around campus and you’re like, ‘He shouldn’t have on this belt and those shoes.’ “”

But it is not as simple as jotting down “”laws.””

“”It’s harder than it sounds,”” said Morales, a marketing sophomore. “”It takes a lot of time and complete agreement.””

Once the passage has been inked, it becomes a lesson to the reader.

Staying in vogue, many of the writings end with the phrase, “”Ya dig?”” to rhetorically ask the reader for affirmation of the stated proposal.

Fashion, chivalry, approaching girls and overall contemporary masculinity are all laws that are addressed.

NerdyMcFly.com

Until the book is published this fall, a day-old Web site, NerdyMcFly.com, is the foundation for the group’s production.

Visitors can also view photos of the group displaying the latest fashion trends.

“”It shows us well-dressed, well-kept,”” said Max Dubois, another author and a journalism sophomore. “”In every issue of GQ there’s always one article of clothing that’s new or just coming out, so we’re going to try to piggyback that.””

Book, movie and album reviews will be posted, along with a blog and the “”Nerdy McFly”” of the month.

“”It will be someone that is influential to us,”” Onobun said. “”We will pick someone like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Mr. Rogers to be the ‘Nerdy McFly’ of the month. It could be old people, young people, whoever. It will be someone who represents what we represent.””

Seated in the middle of the class

“” ‘Nerdy McFly’ is about balance,””

Onobun said. “”You can’t sit in the back of the class and talk about organic chemistry, but you can’t sit in the front of the class and talk about the latest movies or the hottest fashions. You have to have that adversity that makes you more probable in society.””

The main goal of the book – aimed to be around 150-175 pages and affordable to college students – is to make people see that there is a happy medium between the nerds and the cool kids.

“”There is a whole community that is untapped that is going to say, ‘OK, I do fit in’ after they read this book,”” Hormeku said. “”Those kids who sit in the middle of the class, metaphorically speaking, are going to see that it’s cool to have the best of both worlds.””

As Dubois put it, it’s about being able to go out at night, have fun and still make it to your 10 a.m. class, “”still ace your quiz and look good doing it.””

In essence, “”Nerdy McFly”” is an incorporation of the timeless and the new times.

“”James Dean meets Urkel. Hip hop meets classical,”” Hormeku said. “”From double Windsor knots to woman advice, from reading the classics to throwing a classic party, ‘Nerdy McFly’ is the future of America, and he is looking for new heights of knowledge to attain and new parties to crash.””

Simply put, “”Nerdy McFly”” is a lifestyle.

Ya dig?