News & Events

Moustaches are in vogue this month at Ryerson.

All students in residence are being encouraged to either join or support the Ryerson Residence Grows Luxury team in honour of Movember. The month-long contest challenges men to grow a moustache and both men and women to raise money for prostate cancer.

Leadership and community service students in the Living & Learning Communities residence program are partnering to bring attention to the cause on campus. In addition to each individual's quest for facial hair growth, the group will also venture into downtown Toronto on Nov. 29 to further spread the word. Starting at 11:45 p.m. students will travel through the downtown core wearing fake or real moustaches and will write inspirational messages, statistics and facts about prostate cancer in chalk on public walls. All proceeds from chalk sales ($1/chalk) will go to prostate cancer research.

First-year social work student Heather Sadkowski and fourth-year nursing student Sonam Bhojani are leading the pack. Sadkowski is a residence advisor in Pitman Hall who got involved after two of her close family members were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Bhojani, an academic link for the Faculty of Community Services in the Living & Learning Communities program, has worked with prostate cancer patients and has seen the effects of the disease first hand.

"We wanted to collaborate on this event to spread awareness about the cause and involve as many students as possible. The rates of prostate cancer for men is proportional to the rates of breast cancer for women and if caught in the early stages prostate cancer can be successfully treated," Sadkowski said. "It's about spreading awareness and encouraging others to spread awareness. Hopefully as a result of this event more men will get tested for prostate cancer and students will encourage loved ones in their families to get tested as well."

So far about 30 students have been growing moustaches for the event,  which is open to the entire residence community. Sadkowski is hoping for a large crowd.

"This is an excellent way to increase awareness about a disease that affects so many," she said.