On Friday, around 100 students gathered outside Mod 37a to watch Jenn Arens, A&S '07, shave her head to benefit the next service trip to the Gulf Coast. Arens, who had traveled to New Orleans, La., last summer as a participant in an Appalachia trip, pledged to shave her head if $500 was raised for this year's trip to the Gulf Coast.

"At about 6:15 p.m., Jenn pulled a chair up to our back steps and prepared to shave her head. As the crowd watched, friends and supporters stepped up to each cut off a piece," said Arens' friend, Shannon Keating, A&S '07. Arens received amazing support from her friends and the campus community, raising $500 for this year's trip to the Gulf Coast, along with at least $250 to donate to the women's club soccer team and its efforts to get to the national cluAb soccer tournament.

The money was counted before any shaving was done. Once $500 was counted, Arens sat down on the steps and was ready to go. She said, "I had sectioned off my hair with elastics and one by one people came up and snipped sections, then the two people who donated the most money proceeded to buzz away. It was incredible to sit in a chair and look out into a crowd of friends cheering throughout the whole process."

Arens' defining experience in New Orleans last August made a tremendous impact on her. Keating says, "Over the summer, I was fortunate enough to hear the stories of Jenn's experience: the stories of the people, the perseverance, and the love that the community shared. It was evident how much Jenn learned on this trip and how much she grew from it."

The group's task in New Orleans was to clean the homes of hurricane victims. Sifting through what remained of their homes, the group discovered letters, pictures, and mementos of the lives of the people who once lived there.

"We were cleaning out houses that had remained the same since the hurricane had hit, and we were really moved by the spirit of the people to rebuild their lives and their community," said Arens.

Experiences such as these led to this year's planned return to the Gulf Coast.

Arens had put dreadlocks in her hair last summer, and, realizing that they needed to be shaved off, decided to do it for a good cause. She initially feared getting dreadlocks, but "I thought a lot about my reaction and it seemed silly to care so much about something as insignificant as a hairstyle," she said.

"I thought it would be interesting to challenge my own unnecessary concerns about vanity by doing something simple and temporary."

Keating describes Arens' decision to shave her head as a two-fold one. "Shaving her head would be a liberating experience," she says. "It was a personal challenge for Jenn to examine what she finds meaningful in her identity, those things which are deeper than surface level, and she also saw shaving her head as an opportunity to raise money for a trip back to the Gulf Coast this winter break."

Remarkable support was received Friday and through the weekend, as people continued to donate even after the shaving had occurred. "It was funny seeing different reactions when first proposing the idea, but so encouraging to hear words of support and to see people get excited about it," said Arens. "I can't voice how grateful I am for the amazing people who rallied friends to give money to the cause. I am personally touched by all the genuine encouragement, and particularly the kind words and extended support of people after the event."

Arens linked the importance of student awareness to fundraising for service trips. "It is a significant part of the story, I think, and one that needs to be addressed if the fundraiser is to be successful at all," she said. "I only hope that all this positive energy will generate more of a response to the efforts of those connected to the Gulf Coast, and particularly encourage more administrative support of enthused students looking to harness their energy in service to others and to a truly meaningful cause bigger than themselves."

An information session for this winter's trip will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in Fulton 511 for any student who is interested in volunteering down in the Gulf Coast.