The Hofstra
Chronicle Baldrick’s shaves old record HEMPSTEAD, NY VOL. 79
THURSDAY
Issue 19
March 13, 2014
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935
By Sean Mulligan staff writer
Dr. Berliner and 73 other participants will not need a haircut for some time after the Hofstra Roller Hockey team-sponsored St. Baldrick’s Day this past Wednesday. Hofstra community members donated nearly $35,000 to get their heads shaved in the Student Center during Common Hour in a show of solidarity with the fight against pediatric cancer. The funds raised this year were twice the amount from the previous year’s event and $10,000 more than the $25,000 goal, for the benefit of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. St. Baldrick’s is a non-profit charity organization created in 2000 to fund pediatric cancer research. Since Hofstra exceeded their $25,000 goal, Provost Herman Berliner honored his pledge to shave his head. Monetary donations were the highlight of this event, but participants could also donate their hair to the Children with Hair Loss Nonprofit. Men and women could elect to have certain lengths cut from their hair, like Caufield who chose to have 8 inches cut. Participants like freshman Darby Maxwell, sophomore Gabrielle Munoz and senior Inae Rurup opted to shave their heads entirely. “My best friend, her older sister has cancer, and my grandmother had cancer and nobody really told me what was happening, so I feel like I don’t have as much [cash to donate], but I do have this [lock of hair], and I could give this. It’s the least I could do,” said Maxwell of her impromptu decision to participate Wednesday. Rurup drew support as the first female shavee in five years at last year’s Baldrick’s Day event.
Photo courtesy of University Relations Sophomore Gabrielle Munoz, and senior Inae Rurup shaved their heads at the St. Baldrick’s Day event on Wednesday during Common Hour.
“Inae did it last year, and I was inspired by her. We sat down and wrote up a pros and cons list, and there was a million pros and only one con,” said Munoz, referring to the decision to shave their heads this year. Munoz said that the only con was that her head “was going to be really cold … for a little while.” She contested that if the event were held in July, there wouldn’t be any cons at all. “It’s such an awesome event. I think it’s so cool that other girls decided to participate and shave their heads,” said Rurup. “I mean it’s a really cool feeling being able to do it a second time, and then the second time around seeing so many women going up and not being afraid. Last year I was terrified, but it was such a positive experience that I realized there’s no reason
not to [do it again].” Alumnus Thomas Kostiw and the roller hockey team brought the charity event to Hofstra in 2008. “I shaved my head for the first time seven years ago [in 2007]. My first year, I had really long hair and I wanted to donate it for a good cause, so I ended up finding a St. Baldrick’s event, shaved my head, donated the hair, and I had such a good time I wanted to bring it to Hofstra,” said Kostiw. Kostiw is now a substitute teacher in Copiague, New York. The 2010 alumnus still works closely with the roller hockey team, faculty and Greek Life to continue the tradition. Kostiw was present Wednesday to see the largest turnout in donations and participants. “Previous years, I think our highest total was 45. To see it
grow to 73 is amazing,” said Kostiw, referring to the number of participants who volunteered to either cut their hair or shave it entirely. The event’s most vocal and longest supporter of years past, Chief Judge Lippman, was absent due to his own battle with illness. The School of Medicine alone brought in nearly half of the donations at $16,240.99. Sue Caufield, the School of Medicine’s assistant director of Student Affairs, fundraised the largest individual donation. Caufield’s $2,153 contribution surpassed her personal fundraising goal of $2,000. “This is our second year doing St. Baldrick’s at Hofstra. Most of us are doing it in honor of Branson Sparks, who is our student that passed away last year, and for
our friends, our loved ones, and in honor of people who are still fighting the battle with cancer,” said Caufield. Sparks was a second-year medical student who passed away from peripheral T-cell lymphoma in June of 2013. Caufield attributed much of her fundraising success to social media. “I turned 28 a couple of weeks ago, and I asked for my 28th birthday for 28 donations, and I wound up getting 52 donations and counting from people,” said Caufield. “So giving the gift of research for cancer, pediatric research is something that’s near and dear to my heart. I figured that would be better than any birthday presents or Starbucks gift cards I could ever get.”