For many, “No-Shave November” is a month to stash your razors and have an excuse to grow out their facial hair.
While this may be what people think, Movember is really a month where participants do not shave to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
Movember is when men start the month clean-shaven, and often grow a mustache as “Movember” is a portmanteau for “Mo” (a mustache) and “November.” This month isn’t just for men or people who cannot grow mustaches; women, as well as men who can’t grow a mustache, can raise awareness by organizing events, participating in physical challenges, or simply donating.
While Ferris currently does not host a specific Movember event, raising awareness remains an important part of campus life for students and the PCC.
For many men, Movember is a yearly event; for senior construction management major Conner VanderHoff, it is incredibly important to him.
“Movember has been a tradition the last few years,” VanderHoff said. “This has been huge for me and my family, mainly because of the fact that I am able to do it for mental health. I love doing it every year.”
While here at Ferris, this is the time of year for client demand and scheduling for the Personal Counseling Center.
Many men are told throughout their lives to “man up” and push all their feelings down inside them, and not to express their feelings.
The director of counseling at the Personal Counseling Center, Andrew Slater, explained why men should express their feelings and do the opposite of what many have been told.
“Most men are taught from an early age that emotions define us in the negative and that we are less of a man if we are struggling with our emotions,” Slater said. “This leads to a ton of issues, including the fact that men die by suicide four times the rate of women. My biggest recommendation is to start talking about it; it does not have to be in therapy, but talk to a friend, mentor, coach, or family member. Talking is therapeutic in itself.”
The Personal Counseling Center offers services to all students and is a resource for those in need of someone to talk to.
According to the Movember Foundation, a growing number of men, around 10.8 million across the world, are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men. While across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 69% of all suicides.
The foundation started in 1999, with a group of young men in Australia growing mustaches in the month of November to raise money for charity. The group started with 80 men, and soon became an Australian phenomenon.
Since the foundation’s inception in 2003, the Movember Foundation has raised over $837 million while funding over 1,200 projects in more than 20 countries. The foundation uses the funding to impact men’s health both locally and globally.
For senior construction management major Dillon Dietze, he loves the tradition of Movember.
“I believe it is a really fun tradition,” Dietze said. “Men’s mental health is an incredibly important topic, and I believe it should be discussed more often than it is.”
If you are struggling with your mental health, reach out to the Ferris Personal Counseling Center.
The 24/7 support hotline is also available for students if a crisis arises outside of PCC hours.