Growing beards and mustaches, Bellarmine students have been participating in ‘Movember’ throughout this month, November of 2019. Run by the Movember Foundation and administered by the ASB at Bellarmine, Movember is a movement that seeks to gather awareness about men’s health issues by encouraging people to grow beards and mustaches. Men’s health issues include but are not limited to prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. Although growing facial hair normally results in a JUG for students at Bellarmine, the ASB made an exception to that rule this month by allowing students who have donated $10 to freely grow beards and mustaches. For November only, Bellarmine students have had the opportunity to pay $10 to participate in Movember and grow their facial hair without getting a JUG.
Growing a mustache or a beard is, of course, an entertaining and meaningful aspect of Movember, but the ASB also encourages students (especially those who cannot grow facial hair) to participate in the event by raising awareness or donating to the cause.
“Bells can do a lot!” says Will Florentino, a senior member of the ASB. “Be it through having conversations with their peers, donating to the cause, or even just assessing their own health once, in a while, the ways in which we can help are endless.”
Ultimately, the ASB seeks to contribute to lessening men’s health issues by promoting Movember and encouraging students to do the same. Regardless of how students choose to participate, the ASB welcomes and encourages students to support the cause of raising awareness for men’s health issues.
“At an all-guys school, men’s health is incredibly important, yet something we often overlook,” Will notes.
“We hope to raise awareness about the importance of sometimes taking a moment to assess one’s own health, both physically and mentally, so that we can be better men for and with others. We also want to bring to attention the pressing men’s health issues (like testicular/prostate cancer) that pervade in our society, and hopefully inspire people to give to the cause to help mitigate these issues.”
Through the Movember initiative, the ASB works to better and support the Bellarmine community. Moreover, the ASB also hopes that their initiatives throughout this month will positively affect the larger society in general by raising awareness for the health of all men.
According to Will, “It’s important to keep in mind that this initiative is for the benefit of ALL men, including every bell.”
“So it’s important that we’re cognizant of our actions and how they affect our health and the health of those around us. ASB cares about Movember a lot because it’s incredibly relevant to every single one of us.”
As Will says, it is important for Bells to use this month to think about men’s health issues and assess their own well-being. However, once November ends, ‘Movember’ and the facial-hair-growing events at Bellarmine will have to conclude as well. Unfortunately, even after November comes to an end, men’s health issues will persist. Thus, going forward, Bells should continue to live in the spirit of Movember and remember the importance of their own health.
Written by: Michael Ahn ’22