WLU grows a ‘Mo’

Walking around the Wilfrid Laurier University campus, eyes wander to each passing face.

This time of year, one may notice and abundance of facial hair. This can be attributed to the month dubbed, “Movember.”
Movember is a men’s health awareness campaign raising awareness of prostate cancer.

On Nov. 1st, men are clean-shaven and then proceed to grow out their “Mo’s” until the end of the month.

Anyone can choose donate to the participants, the “Mo Bros,” online on the Movember website. The money then goes towards programs run by Movember.ca and to Prostate Cancer Canada.

At Laurier, multiple groups are running their own Movember campaigns. The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union as a whole is running an online campaign and list several facts about prostate cancer on their website to raise awareness in the Laurier community. For example, they state that 11 Canadian men die of prostate cancer every day.

WLUSU is encouraging male students to grow ‘staches and post pictures on the section of WLUSU.com to “Show their Growth.” Ryan Sweeney is the student who spearheaded this idea.

He was most interested in the many prostate cancer facts that few people seem to know.
“Men are less likely to get involved in their health,” said Sweeney.
Right now, there are only a few photos on the website but Sweeney attributes this to how it is only the beginning of the month “[People are] waiting until their mustaches are a bit fuller,” he said.

Turret Tuesdays will also be a place for Movember participants to show off their ‘staches, and to win free giveaways including razors.

Another group involved in Movember is Foot Patrol. Foot Patrol co-ordinator Chandler Jolliffe finds that Movember convinces men to act to increase “awareness into prostate cancer which is actually a very deadly disease. Outside of Movember, it doesn’t get a lot of attention.”

Jolliffe says that Foot Patrol is running a more internal campaign compared to other groups. They’re almost doing a reverse Movember.

”One volunteer has a beard about halfway down his chest, and we started a group online trying to raise $750, and then he’ll shave for the first time in a year,” said Joliffe. All in all, the focus is still the same of raising awareness for men’s health and prostate cancer.

So whether you’re a “Mo Bro” growing your own stache, a bro simply trying to support the Mo Bros or a Mo Sista (a woman in the life of a Mo Bro), take a look at all the different Movember movements happening at Laurier, as there are many.