Members of the Tufts chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity this month are growing out their facial hair to participate in mustache November, or "Movember," a campaign to raise funds and awareness about men's health issues, including types of cancer specific to men.
Members of the campaign register to participate online and solicit donations from friends and family. Proceeds are distributed to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG, and Movember's own programs that promote awareness and education about men's cancers.
"As a fraternity, we have decided to be a part of the movement by growing our mustaches," AEPi Philanthropy Co−Chair Jeremy Gross, a sophomore, told the Daily in an email.
When participants register online, they are able to create profiles, post pictures and make and receive donations, AEPi President Alex Farmer, a senior, said.
While some AEPi brothers have "some serious 'stache growing," according to Farmer, the actual growth of facial hair is not a requirement for participation, he said.
"There are shades of gray in people's level of commitment," AEPi Executive Board Member David Reiff said.
Reiff, a junior, grew a beard to conceal his new mustache. He explained that participation in the movement is certainly a "sacrifice" to one's facial appearance.
While approximately 10 of the brothers are actually growing mustaches, 32 fraternity members are registered on the website to fundraise for the team, Farmer said.
The AEPi team has already raised over $1,400, with most of the donations coming from brothers' families, according to Gross.
The new acquisition of facial hair for many of the brothers has achieved its goal of raising awareness on campus.
"That's kind of the whole point of it, that anybody you see might come up to you and ask what you're doing with the mustache and it gives you an opportunity to talk about it," Reiff said.
Movember differs greatly from other AEPi philanthropy events because it manages to combine fundraising with activity.
"It's more engaging because we're actually doing something other than just asking for money," Reiff said. "The guys are very excited about it because of that fact."
While this marks the first year that AEPi has participated in the campaign, Reiff explained that the brothers are planning to make it an annual event.
"[It] would be really cool if it becomes a fixture of our Novembers at AEPi," he said.
