Relay for Life, Beta Theta Pi fraternity lead second annual event
Put down your razors, boys. It’s time to raise awareness.
If you’ve seen unusually hairy men around campus, it’s probably the work of Relay for Life and Beta Theta Pi fraternity, who have dedicated the month they’re calling “No-Shave-Ember” to raising awareness and money for prostate cancer and other cancers whose patients are predominantly men.
This Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., about 11 people will show off their “before” and “after” pictures on Greene Street. Those pictures will be printed on jars, and people can vote for their favorite beard by putting spare change in those jars, a la penny wars. People can help their favorites and sabotage others by putting dollar bills in the jars of other competitors, which count as negative points. Brothers of Beta Theta Pi and members of Colleges Against Cancer will also be on Greene Street, advocating for prostate cancer awareness and motivating people to vote.
Lora Stearns, a third-year environmental science student and overall director of Relay for Life, said all the money raised from that event will be donated to the American Cancer Society through Beta Theta Pi’s Relay for Life team.
“This is our second year doing it, and this year has already been so much more successful compared to last,” Stearns said.
Although only about 11 hairy people are officially competing, the tradition of facial hair is spreading across campus. For second-year international business student Matt Calcagno, No-Shave-Ember gives him the opportunity to see how his beard will grow out.
“I am not shaving just to see what I look like with facial hair. The longest I’ve ever gone without shaving is about a week and now it’s been over three,” Calcagno said. “I can’t wait to see the look on my mom’s face when she sees it and probably immediately shaves it off herself.”
Calcagno said his beard is starting to get itchy, patchy and “embarrassing,” so he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to maintain his bushiness until December.
John Grzymalski, a second-year criminal justice major, has also put down his razor for the month. He said he was interested in facial hair after Boston Red Sox players donned beards during the World Series this past year and wanted to see if he could grow his own.
“I haven’t been able to do it before because of wrestling in high school and work dress restrictions,” Grzymalski said. “I plan to last until December because I don’t have much of a reason not to.”
Chase Gossett, a fourth-year marketing and management student, is helping to organize the event on behalf of Beta Theta Pi as their Relay for Life captain. He says most of the chapter has been involved with the fundraising because they are passionate about battling cancer.
“A lot of the brothers are really passionate about Relay for Life and fighting cancer, and it really shows through their support for fundraisers like this,” Gossett said. “When it comes to college guys and fundraising, the simpler ideas (like not shaving for a few weeks) always seem to be the better ones.”
Gossett is also looking forward to Saturday’s event and believes it will be a success.
“As of now, I am not sure how many dollars will be donated as a part of No-Shave-Ember, but I can say that each dollar donated to the American Cancer Society has an extremely profound impact on the search for a cure and in support of patients, survivors and caregivers. I would love to see the event continue to grow like it did last year,” Gossett said.