November is a month dedicated to voting, giving thanks and not shaving. No-Shave November is dedicated to men not shaving their facial hair to bring awareness to prostate cancer and other male cancer initiatives.

Women are invited to participate in the event by not shaving their legs, but some people would like the no-shaving part to be left to the men and their beards.

“I don’t think that women should participate in it — not to be sexist, but come on, that’s just a little gross,” said Taylor Proctor, a criminal justice major.

Proctor has been participating in No-Shave November for the past six years.

“For me, it’s just an excuse to grow a beard and to feel a little manlier,” he said.

Kevin Boyer, an undeclared major, has previously been a part of No-Shave November, but decided at the last minute not to participate this year.

“I feel cleaner with little facial hair,” Boyer said. “Facial hair is itchy, and I just didn’t feel like having a beard.”

In previous years, Boyer has completed the no-shave challenge, with one exception.

“I shave my neck because neck beards are gross,” Boyer said.

Many websites are dedicated to raising awareness of No-Shave November. The website www.no-shavenovember.com gives the rules of the challenge and ways of donating to the cause. Some websites have different names for the awareness event, like Movember (“mustache” and November) and Noshember. The website also offers users the option to post images of their scruff and beards.

Oliver Ford, an art major, has tried the no-shave challenge, but has never succeeded in going the entire month without shaving.

“No-Shave November is awful and itches,” Ford said.

Ford is not the only person who thinks No-Shave November is a month of itchiness.

“The beard does tend to get a bit itchy and scratchy until it is a full beard, which is a little annoying,” Proctor said.

Mario Barala, also a criminal justice major, said he shaved his beard because he was sick of itching all the time. Barala didn’t shave in October, but he did that for deer-hunting season.

The rules of No-Shave November, found on the website, are:

Rule 1: Shave clean on Oct. 31.

Rule 2: No shaving Nov. 1-30.

Rule 3: No shaving in November.

Recommendations: Take before-and-after photos.

While some people dislike not shaving for a whole month, some men actually continue into December.

“I go longer for hockey playoffs, and this year I am going to try and go as long as possible before it starts getting on my nerves,” said Blake Niflis, a 3-D design major.