Editor,

Every year a quarter of a million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the same year, over 30,000 will die from that illness. The issue of prostate cancer affects millions of men across this country whose health is directly impacted by the illness, their families and friends who hope for the best while knowing that the disease could take their loved one’s life, and the wider community who may lose a beloved father.

Worse, still, is the issue of suicide amongst men. 

Worldwide, every minute a man dies by suicide and the suicide rate amongst men is four times greater than the rate amongst women. Suicide itself impacts a majority of Americans and has only started to be addressed as the conversation around mental health has become more open. Especially when it comes to men, the subject of mental illness and depression is hidden because we are raised to bottle our emotions, problems, and struggles. These numbers are unacceptable, but we have started to see an awareness of these issues through organizations like Movember. 

Movember started in 2004 as an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer and other issues surrounding men’s health, both physically and mentally. Through no-shave November, the organization raised $99.5 million to support prostate cancer research, suicide prevention, and other men’s health projects. This charitable institution has done dividends to bring into the public view men’s issues, but by no means is their work complete. 

In 2021, after a year of social isolation, it is now more important than ever for the work of raising awareness to be done. Over the course of my life, whether it was myself or a close friend of mine, I have seen the effects of male depression and mental illness. Living on this campus and being a member of Greek life has made me keenly aware in past months what unaddressed mental illness especially can lead to. These things should not be taken lightly, the way our society has taught men how to handle their emotional well-being needs to change and that might just start with you. 

I encourage you to donate to Movember. Every dollar goes towards a better future for men’s health both physically and emotionally. Our fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, has partnered on the national level to raise money for this worthy cause and I am proud of that fact. To donate to the cause, I have included a QR code you can scan to donate through our local chapters Movember page. With your support, hopefully, we can make these issues more present in our conversation, less prevalent in men, and eventually a thing of the past.

Thank you for your consideration.