They were thick. They were bushy. They were two weeks old.
The brothers of Theta Delta Chi (123) ended their mustache-growing campaign with a "Mustachio Bashio" Saturday night. According to senior and fraternity member Danny Stein, all the brothers were sporting their facial hair growths.
The campaign aimed to raise money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. According to Stein, who was involved in the collection process, the house has already raised $1,759. Stein expects the tally to grow as the pledges from parents and other donors continue to arrive. He also said the donations collected at the door on Saturday had not been counted yet.
And the winner of the mustache growing competition? Sophomore Matt Ryder.
"He grew the thickest, grossest and bushiest mustache I had ever seen," Stein said.
While most college students don't sport mustaches, Stein said they abounded at the 123 house on Saturday.
"We were making fun of ourselves and we all had a good time," he said.
Stein, who also grew a mustache, said he was impressed with everyone's effort. "You have to tip your hat," he said. "Although it feels great to get it off my face."
Junior Jessica Snow, the public relations chair for the Inter-Greek Council, said that "it was one of the best community service projects I've seen while at Tufts."
Snow said that service projects usually involve work with children or the community, but this project bridged the gap to college students, making fundraising for a good cause enjoyable.
"It got people who don't usually participate involved," she said. "The idea was, 'Let's make our friends look really funny and let's raise money off of that.'"
The V Foundation was started 14 years ago by former North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano as he battled cancer.
