Just as a pink ribbon is worn as a symbol for breast cancer, a mustache is grown in November as a statement for prostate cancer.

The Syracuse University club lacrosse team members have ditched their razors and allowed their facial hair to grow to raise awareness in Syracuse for Movember, a charity event to raise awareness about men’s health.

Movember is derived from the fusion of the Australian slang term for mustache, ‘mo,’ and the month of November, used in reference to ‘no-shave November.’ Throughout the month, a large majority of the players will not shave to raise both awareness of prostate cancer and money for the American Cancer Society. 

‘We have a few guys on the team that have recently had family members affected by cancer, and we thought this is a good way to raise some money,’ said Matt O’Donnell, a graduate student in the School of Information Studies and one of the captains of the team, in an e-mail.

This year 35 club players chose not to shave for the entire month. Some members of the team started growing their facial hair at the beginning of November. Other members began growing their mustaches before Nov. 1 to begin raising awareness early. The captains encouraged the idea, and the rest of the team supported it, said Marty Spears, a junior civil engineering major and a team member.

At the beginning of the month, team members were given sheets on which they filled in their names and how long they would avoid the blade. 

‘It’s for however long you choose not to shave,’ said Pat Grant, a junior mechanical engineering major.

The players convinced their friends and others they knew to sponsor them. Sponsors could give a set amount of money per week or donate a flat rate if the player has to shave before the month is out, O’Donnell said.

‘Older guys have gotten more people to pledge,’ said Ryan Forman, a freshman on the team and an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. ‘I’m just going to donate money myself.’

The money will be collected and donated in December to the American Cancer Society.  O’Donnell said he has no idea how much money the team will raise by the end of the month.

Grant said Thanksgiving bears an issue because some players do not want to return home for the holiday with untamed facial hair. O’Donnell also said several of the players have job or internship interviews during the month, which creates problems when trying to maintain a clean-shaven face.

So far the fundraiser appears to be running smoothly, O’Donnell said. Many players are bringing in a varying amount of donations. As for actually having to deal with growing the facial hair, some are having more luck than others.

‘There are guys on the team that don’t really grow facial hair but are still trying,’ Forman said.

Money collected from the general U.S. Movember campaign is donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, Lance Armstrong’s cancer foundation, according to the movement’s website. The Prostate Cancer Foundation uses the money to fund research in finding a cure for prostate cancer, along with funding enhanced treatments. LIVESTRONG uses the money to help fund programs for those trying to conquer the disease and to help the patients’ families get through the battle.

‘It’s kind of annoying, pretty itchy and looks kind of stupid,’ Forman said, ‘but it’s worth it.’

bnfowler@syr.edu

Published on November 15, 2010 at 12:00 pm