Several Elon University student and staff organizations are taking part in a "No-Shave November" to raise money and awareness for addressing health issues that affect men.
Dozens of Elon University students and staff are ditching the razors and settling in for a November of fuzz to raise money and awareness for men’s health.
“No-Shave November,” also known as “Movember,” is a nationwide push to raise awareness of the prevalence of health issues in men, including prostate and testicular cancer, and several campus organizations are taking part in the effort.
This is the second year that brothers in the Delta Pi chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity tossed the Bics in favor of beards. The fraternity’s president, Elon senior Stephen “Mac” McCann, said that the group intends to take the opportunity to further the chapter’s connection with the national organization while supporting a good cause.
“It’s about raising awareness,” McCann said. “The more people know [about men’s health], the better.”
According to the Movember Foundation, a registered nonprofit for whom Lamda Chi Alpha is raising money, more than $650 million has been raised worldsince since 2003 in support of 1,000 projects “focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.”
The Lambda Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma is also participating in No-Shave November. The team has raised more than $7,000 to date, organizers said.
Students for Peace and Justice, a student-run social activism organization, is involved in the movement as well. The organization hopes to reach women in an effort to grow awareness for the cause and is raising money from the Cancer Research Institute.
“Women spend, on average, 72 days of their life shaving,” said Elon junior Xernay Aniwar, vice president Students for Peace and Justice. “If we can give that up for a month of being slightly uncomfortable, and do something good in the process, that’s great.”
Aniwar spoke about the group’s campaign on WSOE, a student-run radio station at Elon. She also said that the organization would have tables at College Coffee and periodically release videos to further awareness and encourage participation.
It isn’t just students involved with the cause. Elon Campus Safety and Police have created a group that will work with other departments in the country to donate the proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
More than 15 officers are growing beards, and many who plan to continue shaving have donated money or time for the cause. Participants were asked to give a dollar a day for the month of November for a total of $30 each.
“The goal is engage officers and staff in the community for a good cause and to strengthen those relationships,” said Scott Jean, technology services coordinator with Campus Safety & Police.