Movember was launched in DCU on the 1st November with a ‘slave auction’ in The NuBar. DCU RAG Soc, Style Soc, MPS, Esoc, A&F society and DCU Rugby club were all involved in the auction as well as models from the DCU fashion show. Members of these were auctioned off as ‘slaves’ with people bidding on volunteers to do all manner of tasks.
It was the first of a number of events organised by Movember DCU for the month.
Movember DCU organiser and events co-ordinator for MPS Tracey Smyth said this year MPS decided to get a number of societies and clubs to work together to raise money for the charity. Last year a number of events were held on campus to raise money but were organised separately. She said the new approach “meant that we could hopefully make it bigger on campus and get more people donating money towards the great cause that it is and making it hopefully a fixed thing on campus every year”.
According to Smyth, the team have not set a figure on what they would like to raise for the charity. Instead they hope as many people as possible in DCU will get behind the cause.
Today, a tag rugby tournament is taking place in association with DCU Force. Societies, clubs and groups of friends will all be involved. Smyth said they organised this event as it was a big success last year and a lot of professional rugby players take part in Movember.
MPS are running the Big Men on Campus campaign. For this they are recording video diaries of participants charting their moustache growth. Posters will also be seen on campus as part of it.
Sallyann Downes, co-chair of DCU RAG, was involved in organising the ‘slave auction’ as well as volunteering as a ‘slave’. “The launch night was a challenge being a bank holiday weekend and the Halloween ball on the Wednesday”. All proceeds from the event went to the Movember charity and the Irish Cancer Society.
Movember began in Melbourne, Australia in 2004 by a group of friends who later went on to become the founders of the charity. The aim of the month is to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer.
There are certain rules for those growing a moustache. A moustache cannot join sideburns as this is considered a beard and handlebars cannot join the chin as this is considered a goatee.
A DCU Movember network has been set up on the Irish Movember website. Here, students taking part in the month can register as part of MO DCU. People can go onto the site and donate to the team or an individual.
Aisling Kett
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