MU honors Breast Cancer Awareness month
A variety of organizations and groups on campus planned special events for the month.
Published Oct. 12, 2010
Students are seeing a lot of pink on campus for Breast Cancer Awareness Month due to efforts from a variety of student organizations aiming to not only raise breast cancer awareness, but to educate the MU community on how to prevent breast cancer.
“The week that was the biggest week was October 4 through 10,” said Michelle Horan, Missouri Students Association vice presidential candidate. “A lot of things are probably going to be up for the whole month.”
Horan said that last semester, the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority came to MSA to coordinate getting pink lighting around campus outside of the bookstore. She said MSA decided to do a lot of their breast cancer awareness ideas the same week as Zeta Tau Alpha’s events.
Zeta Tau Alpha Assistant Philanthropy Chair Samantha Hutmacher said Zeta Tau Alpha’s philanthropy is breast cancer awareness and education, and that aside from working with MSA, they also passed out pink ribbons and ran lemonade stands.
“This year was the first year we were able to get legislation passed for lights around campus,” Hutmacher said.
Horan said MSA wanted to get lighting around Jesse Hall and the columns, but because Jesse is a ceremonial building, they were unable to do so.
MSA printed table tents with facts about breast cancer and posters for some of the residence halls. Horan said another poster is supposed to go up under the archway in Memorial Student Union and MSA, along with Zeta Tau Alpha, had banners printed for the MU Student Center.
“It’s something they’re very passionate about and I specifically wanted to do something for it this year and MSA was really behind me,” Horan said. “I think that MSA was more excited to take on this project because it was something that had never been brought to us.”
Along with MSA and Zeta Tau Alpha, the Mizzou Black Men’s Initiative has started their “Brothers for the Cure” campaign to help raise awareness about the prevalence of breast cancer in men and women, said Philip Simpkins, initiative ambassador. Simpkins said 2 percent of men get breast cancer and many do not know before it is too late to cure.
Simpkins said the initiative is still talking about what they want to do to raise awareness, but has tossed around ideas for a rally and gathering at the Gaines/Oldham Black Cultural Center. Simpkins said they also wear pink every week and will be selling buttons outside of Memorial Student Union on Thursday and Friday. All of the proceeds will go toward breast cancer awareness.
Simpkins said the Mizzou Black Men's Initiative wants to make Brothers for the Cure an annual event.
“We really want to have an impact on the Mizzou campus as far as breast cancer awareness is concerned,” he said.