This past Friday, Jan. 30, Keene State’s Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity participated in its annual head-shaving event for charity. The amount earned from the event will be split between five philanthropies, each with its own organization to donate to. Some of the charities that are being donated to are Stop Hazing, Active Minds and Home for Our Troops. The final amount raised was $2,919.
Senior and President of Alpha Sigma Phi Ian Carter commented on the annual tradition.
“We’ve been doing this for years before I even joined,” he said.
Carter continued on to say why the fraternity chose head shaving for the charity event in the first place rather than just sending out fliers or emails to people.
“I think they chose head shaving just because it’s a wacky idea that grabs people’s attention,” said Carter.
First-year Sam Cusumano explained why he joined fraternity life and Alpha Sigma Phi in particular.
“Honestly, the connections. I really love all the brothers,” said Cusumano. “Once I started getting to know the other people joining along with me, it made the experience 100 times better.”
Cusumano ended his statement with some strong words from his fellow brothers, going on to say, “I learned that no matter what, they always have my back. So why would I back out on them?”
A dynamic duo that was attached at the hip during the event was first-year Evan Cabanas and senior Benjamin Westbrook. They described each other as the hype men of the fraternity, creating a perfect pair in the mix. Cabanas said that he never experienced a brotherhood growing up because he was the only brother in a family full of sisters.
“It’s like another family, I only have sisters in my family, so it felt like a brotherhood,” said Cabanas.
Each time the fraternity reached a new milestone for the money raised, they reached a new brother to shave. Some of the most honorable hair transformations were Cusumano, first-year Keegan Johnson and senior Josh O’Neill.
Cusumano described how charity and giving back were a big reason for playing a part in this event, and how doing a small part goes a long way.
“I always love doing stuff for charity, it’s a big thing of mine,” Cusumano said. “I saw the opportunity come up, I said it’s for charity, so I don’t mind being bald for a little bit.”
Some unfortunate events did occur for Johnson with the clippers dying in the midst of his grand shave, forcing him to go from a guarded shave to a fully unshielded cut. In the end, all nine participants got their heads shaved.
Vice President of Retention for Alpha Sigma Phi, senior Brandon Valley, explained why he chose Alpha Sigma Phi last spring.
“They offered a lot of cool things with professional development, and just the principles they stood by,” said Valley.
Valley said the fraternity has created a safe environment where people feel welcomed and included.
“Wanting to create a safe environment, people to hang out off campus really appealed to me,” he said. “The guys were always cool.”
Those interested in joining or donating to Alpha Sigma Phi can go to their Instagram page, @AlphasigKSC, and click the link in their bio to rush for the upcoming semester.
Sophia Merenda can be contacted at
