Author: Emma Lodes
Students should be on the lookout for mustaches cropping up on campus this month because Movember is once again coming to Occidental. MoBros, or participants in Movember, will be growing out their mustaches throughout “No Shave November” to raise awareness for men’s health, specifically for prostate and testicular cancer. Phi Kappa Psi (Phi Psi) organizes this month-long extravaganza, but everyone is encouraged to participate.
Phi Psi has hosted Movember before, but this year, the Fraternity wants to ramp up enthusiasm around the cause. Zander Fried (junior) is Phi Psi’s philanthropy chair and has shouldered much of the work of advertising the Movember campaign at Occidental. The Movember campaign aims to raise awareness of men’s health on a wide array of issues.
“It’s not just about raising awareness for prostate and testicular cancer,“ Fried said. “It’s about getting your blood pressure checked, it’s about staying physically healthy, it’s about raising awareness for mental disabilities.”
Phi Psi will be putting on fundraising events at Occidental throughout November, including a dance by the name of Stashe-bash, a week of hat wars, a casino night and a car smash. During car smash, a car will be parked in the quad, and students who donate money will get the chance to smash it with a sledgehammer.
All proceeds from the events go towards the Movember Foundation. The foundation was initiated in Australia in 2003 and has since inspired over 1.9 million campaigners to raise awareness of men’s health risks throughout the world.
“The funds raised in the US support prostate cancer and testicular cancer initiatives. The funds raised are directed to programs [that] run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong Foundation,” according to the official Movember website. MoBros raised over $126.3 million dollars worldwide in 2011.
Movember rules include starting the month off with a clean shaven face and maintaining a mustache all month long. MoBros gathered in the quad to shave for the last time until December on Nov. 1. Phi Psi provided razors and shaving cream for MoBros. They also gave out stick-on mustaches for MoSistas, who are encouraged to support a MoBro, or if they really want to show solidarity, to give up shaving this month. Once mustaches start to grow, the Movember and Sons’ style guide will come in handy. Styling options include the Trucker, the Wisp, the Rockstar and the Under Cover Brother.
Creative mustaches will be all over campus this month. ”All of the Phi Psis are MoBros this year,” Fried said. President of Phi Psi Ian Husted (senior) added that students may see mustache growth on more than just fellow classmates. ”We’ve gotten some faculty members that say they’re willing to support us,” Husted said.
Phi Psi’s men are looking forward to giving back to the community through the campaign. “Its a great cause, and it fits right into our organization,” Fried said. Phi Psi also felt that they needed a unique fundraising event on campus to raise awareness for their organization.
Alex Keat (junior) agreed with Fried. “For us Movember is not just about just about teaching other men about health,” Keat said. “It’s about giving back to the Oxy community and celebrating giving back to the community at large.”
The fraternity also wanted to host a fundraising event that had to do with men. “There are not many philanthropic organizations that raise awareness on men’s health issues,” Husted said. “As a group of men, it’s more relevant to us. It’s also a very visual way to see who’s representing the campaign because you have to grow a mustache.”
Phi Psi encourages every capable man to grow a mustache this month, even with potential disapproval from the opposite sex. ”No girls should ever complain about mustache growth,” Husted said.”A kiss is never complete without a mustache.”
But Fried believes that won’t happen because people are going to see nothing but cool mustaches. ”Everyone is going to think, hey, that guy has an awesome, maybe nasty, mustache, but he’s doing something great,” Fried said.
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