For the second year in a row, public safety officers at the university participated in No Shave November to raise money for the American Cancer Society through Colleges Against Cancer, a student organization.
Although it is typically a violation of policy to have a beard, officers were allowed to skip shaving during the months of November and December by making a donation to the American Cancer Society. Chief Frank Fernandez of public safety said many police departments do a similar program, but don’t have the unique opportunity to work alongside a student organization like Colleges Against Cancer.
Fernandez said this is the second year the officers have participated and raised money after getting approval for officers to participate for two months.
“We go a little bit extra because [students] are out of here the first week of December anyway and the university closes the last two weeks,” Fernandez said. “So we give the option to chip in a couple extra bucks more to just shave in the new year.”
According to Jacob Cooper, an officer with public safety, all nine full-time commissioned officers and supervisors participated and raised a total of $450 for the cause.
Cooper and Fernandez presented Colleges Against Cancer with the donation yesterday, Dec. 3, on Giving Tuesday.
Carly Messina, senior education major and president of Colleges Against Cancer, said the money will go toward their annual Relay For Life event, which is set to take place April 4. She was joined in receiving the check by the organizations co-vice presidents, Brianna Seeholzer, sophomore accounting major, and Jillian Russell, sophomore religion and psychology major.
“Ultimately, all the money that we raise for Relay for Life will go to the American Cancer Society,” she said.
