(Nov. 22, 2011)– Many of Clark’s male students are participating in the month-long annual event of No Shave November, sacrificing smooth and non-itchy faces. Students such as junior David Khachatrian, who shaves regularly, found that participating in No Shave November was a good opportunity to become lazy and not shave. “Honestly, I’m just lazy,” said Khachatrian. “I’m not one to care what other people think about my appearance.” “Gross” is usually what comes to mind when other students find out about what these men are doing. Students, usually girls, are not supportive of the overly-rugged appearance of their peers. “Guys should have facial hair they can manage on a daily basis,” said junior Megan Zari. “But too much hair no-go.” Students who stop shaving have become accustomed to the various comments made about their facial hair — anything ranging from “why” to “cool beard.” Sophomore Aram Balaian, who shaves on a weekly basis, has put down his razor and received both good and bad reactions. “Personally, I don’t really care what others think,” Balaian said. “Sometimes, I get comments like ‘nice beard’ and I think that’s pretty cool.” However, appearance is the one of the last things in mind when thinking about the event. While No Shave November may be seen as a fun event for some, its origin and purpose is serious. According to Movember, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the month of unshaven facial hair is meant to raise awareness for prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. As stated on their website, U.S. Mo Bros managed to raise $7.5 million in 2010. “I think this is a great cause,” said Khachatrian. “It’s a great way to get everyone together to work towards the same goal.” Khachatrian feels that this month-long event is a smart way to raise awareness for cancer because a student who continues to get hairier on a daily basis is bound to get asked questions. “It’s inevitable; people are curious by nature and doing something like this just adds to that,” Khachatrian said. “It’s as if you become a walking pamphlet.” Some believe that in order to raise awareness for such an important cause, students should be educated about prostate cancer. Sophomore Arman Tatavosian supports the No Shave November without actually taking part in the annual event. “It just gets too unmanagable,” Tatavosian said. Unlike Tatavosian, freshman Ryan Garcia is against No Shave November. Garcia believes that students should not stop shaving for a month if there are other ways to raise money for prostate cancer, such as fundraising, recycling and donations. “Not shaving for an entire month is exactly like not brushing your teeth,” Garcia said. “There’s really no difference. If someone feels the need to shave daily, they should; they shouldn’t put their daily routine on hold for something that they don’t need to do.” Just like completing a task relating to sports or academics, not shaving for a month brings a feeling of accomplishment to some students. “I’ve never worn a beard for longer than two weeks,” said Balaian. “I’ll be proud at the end of November because I’ll finally know what it feels like to have a legit beard.”