Every November, men across the world grow their moustaches in support of prostate cancer research. These ‘staches are about more than just raising awareness: participants register themselves (and their upper lips) on the Movember website, where they raise money through sponsorship donations. There’s even an app to help guys track their fundraising with ease.

To keep it fair, the noble thing to do is to start the month clean-shaven. As part of their Movember efforts, a group of students from the Masters of Public Policy (MPP) program hosted a shave-off at SFU Vancouver. Some brave lads faced the music and said goodbye to their facial hair (whether their partners like it or not). Participant Jesse Joice (above) had been growing his moustache since the beginning of Movember 2010, and was pretty sad to see it go. “I’m looking forward to a few weeks from now,” said Joice, when asked how his feelings post-shave.

In conjunction with the shave-off, the MPP students also hosted a pretty delicious bake sale to raise extra cash (they even made a gluten-free option!). The students have created a moustache meter, showing their progress as they aim for $1,000. The bake sale was a huge success, so I would say they have a pretty good shot.

Special thanks goes out to the MPP students who organized these events, as well as the fresh-shaven troopers who donated more than just money. For the guys participating in Movember, there will be a second shave-off at the end of the month. Or, like Jesse, you can always just shave it off next year.

- L.H.