Let’s be serious; who doesn’t like going to events for free things? Offices and organizations know that, at this university, students are on the prowl and no one can blame a broke college student.

With October being Breast Cancer awareness month, things were no different. Clubs had tables in Bartels selling pink everything— cookies, cupcakes, and desserts galore.

On the morning Oct. 30, The Office of Residential Life had a pink tie-dying event in the Quad, and later that night, the rec center sponsored a Party in Pink Zumbathon. Shirts could be purchased for this charity event, and the money raised went to the Zumba Research Grant for breast cancer prevention.

Ladies (and a few brave gentlemen) donned pink exercise clothing and danced for two hours on the Rec Center’s main courts. From the very beginning of the month, everything was pink and cheerful, but this didn’t seem to line up with the actual focus on Breast Cancer.

Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women? Women in Connecticut have the highest incidence of breast cancer across the U.S.

The Black Student Union held their third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fair in the Rec Center on Saturday, Oct.26, and provided this information. There were plenty of pink freebies, but the event was educational as well.

Organizations including Commuter Club, Serve, Omega Phi Beta Sorority, NAACP, Lambda Psi Delta Sorority, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, LASA, UNH Elite Step Team, Victomology Club, CSA, UNH Dance Team, Rotaract, Pride, and ORL had booths at the fair.

The Elite Step Team, Monsoon Dance Crew, 5, 6, 7, 8, Dance Team, and the UNH Dance Team each preformed at the event as well.

“In the past, we would assign people things, but this year we let organizations pick how they wanted to relay information,” said Ariel Pierce, President of BSU. “We go so many different creative ways.”

For most booths, you had to study a poster board of facts and then take a quiz, spin a wheel, or play jeopardy to get prizes. This method was impressive, as students pretty much had to learn info if they wanted a cakepop or bracelet. Other activities varied in terms of “Pin the nipple ring on the breast,” by the Commuter Club, nail painting with Rotaract, or cupcake decorating by the various sororities at the event.

Some students were surprised by facts they had learned. “One percent of breast cancer cases are in men,” “Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in pregnant women,” and “Five percent of breast cancer cases occur in women under the age of 40,” were some of the statistics that surprised students.

Sophomore Jenny Lam said, “They asked trivia questions that made me realize how little I knew about breast cancer.”

Sophomore Carolann Pacete added,“I was surprised to see how informative the Save A Breast Fair was…I thought the information that we would see would be typical statistics. Instead there were many surprising facts…it was a very knowledgeable event.”

For next year, Pierce hopes to “get some type of mannequin that has a lump in her chest so that students can feel/see what a lump feels/looks like, that way it is easier for them to check themselves and hopefully save someone’s life.”

This event is something to be on the lookout for next year— celebrating a good cause with a perfect balance of info, free stuff, and fun activities.