November: a time for sweaters, turkey, campfires and facial hair—wait, what?

During this month, do not be surprised if you see a few more guys with unshaved upper lips and chins walking around campus. This abundance of facial hair may not be due to simple laziness.

To some, this month is “No Shave November.” To others, it is “Movember.” No matter what you call it, the month formerly known as November means one thing—do not shave.

Movember is a worldwide campaign for raising awareness for men’s health, specifically cancers that affect men, like prostate cancer. The word “Movember” is a simple combination of the words mustache and November.

The mustachioed movement has its own Web site, www.movember.com, where participants can register and become honorary “Mo Bros.”

Once registered, the Mo Bros start Nov. 1 with a clean shave. For the next 30 days, these men help the cause by spreading the word to others and seeking out sponsorship for their mustache-growing efforts.

The ladies can also get involved with the cause. Women can register on the Web site and become “Mo Sistas” by supporting the men in their lives and helping to recruit more Mo Bros for the movement.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their efforts by either throwing their own Movember parties or attending one of the organization’s official, infamous Gala Partés held around the world.

So how did it all begin? According to www.movember.com, Movember began in 2003 when a group of friends in Melbourne, Australia, were talking about iconic trends from their childhoods.

When the question “What ever happened to mustaches?” was raised, the group of friends decided to start growing mustaches just for the fun of it. The very first Movember had 30 participants, but no money was raised.

Inspired by the women’s health movement and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the first Mo Bros decided to put a cause behind their mustaches the next year.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in every six men will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one in every 36 will die from the disease. Just behind lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men.

The 2004 Movember had 450 participants and raised $54,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, representing the single largest donation they had ever received.

Since then, Movember has become a global movement with more than 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the cause.

So far Americans have raised $7.5 million for Movember. Worldwide, participants have raised $174 million, which according to Movember, makes the group the largest nongovernment funder of prostate cancer research in the world.

Movember has grown more popular with each year since its inception. This year, one of the newest partners of the cause is Toms Shoes, the shoe company that gives a pair of shoes away to a child in need for every pair that it sells. Toms Shoes has even created a limited edition shoe with a mustache embroidered on the side in order to support the movement.

With the ever-growing popularity of Movember, it was only a matter of time before it reached the faces of Nicholls students.

“I actually prefer a five-o-clock shadow, but I grow my beard out for November so I can cut if off in the end to donate to the wigs for kids foundation,” Slade LeBlanc, freshman from Pierre Part, said.

According to some testimonies on www.movember.com, one of the best things about Movember is having friendly competitions with friends based on who can grow the best beard or mustache.

LeBlanc and Johnathan Comeaux, chemistry sophomore from Napoleonville, are competing for the best beard for this year’s Movember.

“I don’t think he’s man enough to grow a ‘Grizzly Adams’ like this,” Comeaux laughed as he rubbed his chin. “My secret is I shampoo my beard every night.”

Cody Blanchard, Nicholls graduate and survivor of testicular cancer, said that he has heard of “No Shave November” before, but never the Movember movement or the reason behind it.

“I think it is a great cause and a unique way to promote a message,” Blanchard said. “The message is definitely something which needs to be spread.”

Blanchard went on to say that many men take on a “macho” persona and believe that they do not need to consult with a physician regarding these diseases.

“Personally speaking, if I would not have consulted with a physician, my cancer could have been caught later or even killed me,” he said.

He then explained that testicular cancer is one of the most popular cancers in young men, however, many young men avoid the symptoms because they are ashamed or embarrassed to admit anything.

“Overall, I think this movement is fantastic and hopefully catches on to become a symbol of male health similar to that of the pink for breast cancer movement,” he said.