A month of man madness

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Niedfelt Volunteer Extravaganza          

Honoring Thanksgiving, Niedfeldt’s November goal is serving the community for 400 hours.

“We talked about some philanthropic event and decided why not up the ante and make it a month-long?” senior House Director Ray Willis said.

Each student must complete about eight hours to achieve the goal.

Even Phyllis Niedfelt, after whom the dorm was named, writes to the house about her volunteering at a Mississippi veterans’ home and contributes her hours.

If the dorm accomplishes the feat, there will be a celebration with wings.

“It’s amazing to see 50 guys getting together and making a positive impact,” freshman Jacob Weaver said.

Galloway Man Month

Galloway guys spend November earning “man cash” by performing manly acts like fixing something with Duct tape and using power tools, competing to win a prize with the most cash.

In addition, Galloway has Man Events of the Week where the men on Feast nights compete in contests like making snow angels without shirts to earn more.

“We want to do something fun as a dorm,” freshman Nathan Lehman said.

The competition aims to represent Galloway’s motto, “Gentlemen. Scholars. Heroes.”

“It’s good stuff: walking a girl to her dorm,” Doan said. “It emphasizes chivalry. We implement that into ‘man month.’”

Simpson No Shave November

While the Movember Foundation started No Shave November in 2004 to raise awareness of prostate cancer since hair falls out during chemotherapy, Simpsonites practice it for Hillsdalian reasons.

“We study higher things,” senior RA Connor Gleason said. “The great philosophers are great men with great beards. What better way to honor  [them] than taking one month and donating it to great facial hair?”

While this explanation may sound far-fetched, according to Illinois State University’s “Vidette Online,” the event’s origins can be traced to ancient Greece. Plato proposed to be educated properly, one must imitate the most knowledgeable, so the young Guardians spent 30 days each year copying the look of gods, commonly depicted with beards. Aristotle even stated beard-growing traditionally is an ethics practice.