Had an unsuspecting student wandered up to Goodyear X Saturday night, he or she might have stumbled upon a room full of women performing breast exams on themselves.
In conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, five resident advisers (RA) arranged "Joy is the Best Makeup," an event organized to educate students on breast cancer risks and provide some Mary Kay makeup tips.
Donations were welcome, but Suruchi Bhardwaj, a senior biomedical sciences major and one of the organizers, made it clear that the RAs hoped to raise awareness more than any dollar amount.
"We wanted to get different groups together, whether it be a cosmetics company or an organization that funds breast cancer research, to raise awareness on the UB campus," Bhardwaj said.
Pink and white balloons formed an arch over the doorway where students were ushered into the room filled with music, finger sandwiches and pink lemonade.
Tables were set up to promote women's health, including one for the non-profit organization Feel Your Boobies, which offered cards to hang in the shower that showed how to do a breast self-exam and a testicular self-exam for the men.
"It is important to know your body and to detect changes early because early detected cancer is the most treatable kind," said Jamie Bergeron, a graduate student in the School of Education and an event volunteer.
Risk factors, warning signs and personal stories were shared at the presentations that followed. Speakers were present from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Feel Your Boobies Foundation and the Witness Project, a breast and cervical cancer education project for black women.
"I thought the setup was amazing; it went above and beyond my expectations," said Amanda Barbour, a freshman political science major. "I was extremely impressed."
At one point, everyone in the room was asked to stand up and do their own breast self-exam.
Attendees then dined at pink cloth-covered tables while Mary Kay consultants gave out free samples of products.
