FEATURE

On Nov. 1, 60 men at FAU shaved their facial hair and began to grow only a mustache.

“Movember” is in full effect, and that’s not a typo. It is a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Men all over the world are participating in the charity and this year FAU has joined the movement.

This initiative to raise awareness and funds for men’s health started in Australia in 2003. It began with only 30 men known as “Mo Bros.” Later, women, known as “Mo Sistahs,” found a way to help out. Over the years, people across the globe have joined the cause, raising the number of crusaders to 255,722 in 2009.

Robert Huffman heard about Movember and decided that this year he would introduce it to the FAU community. He said, “October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month … and yes, ladies go first. I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to show appreciation to the men.”

At the end of the month the FAU team will have a final celebration called the Tache Bash. Participants will dress to the theme of their mustache, and others are welcome to join the event. The team set a goal of $2,500, and thus far, they have raised a little more than $1,100.

Huffman will be giving two awards: one to the Man of Movember and another to the Miss Movember for raising the most funds. Women take part in the charity by donating or raising funds by selling shirts or cozies or asking for donations. 

One participant, ocean engineering freshman Kyle Aritt, shares that his grandfather has prostate cancer so he wanted to help out with the cause. He says, “The experience thus far has been fun and it’s funny that I get a lot of weird looks.”

The temporary appearance of the men participating may be funny, but the cause is serious.

Miles Amos, a psychology and sociology major, said, “A lot of men do not check for prostate cancer because they feel it lessens their masculinity. I feel there is no gender bias in taking precautions about health.” He said he hopes to get the attention of pessimists and influence men to take better care of themselves.

Here are some ways to get more information about the charity, join a team or donate:

• Team name: Movember at Florida Atlantic University
• Visit: www.movember.com
• When: You can join any time within the month of November and continue to donate year-round.

More info: Visit the Facebook group by searching the team name.

Charity sites: www.pcf.org and www.livestrong.org