Freshman Girls’ Dorms Collect Shower Drain Hair for Charity

by Grace Carballo

A philanthropic movement that began in Birnkrant Hall is quickly spreading across campus residences, with successful branches already operating in New, North, and Pardee.

Founder, Val Roveriano, of BK7, explained, “It all started when I noticed that no one takes their hair out of the shower drains, so I took the only logical course of action and made passive-aggressive signs reminding everyone to.”

The signs were not as effective as she had hoped and so she changed her tactics.

“I realized that common courtesy isn’t something you can put on your résumé.  So with no real incentive, people leave their hair behind,” elaborated Roveriano, “But once I made it into a charity, I had people campaigning for executive board roles within minutes.”

Despite its unconventional beginning, the program has become wildly successful.

Four bins are placed under the sinks in each girls’ bathroom and after every shower, residents are encouraged to collect their hair from the drain and put it into the appropriate bucket, sorted by color (black, brown, red, blonde). Long-haired male residents take their hair to the designated Drain Executive Delegate on their floor. Be sure to congratulate them on their new job via their Linked-In profiles!

So far, they have gathered enough hair to make 1,463 wigs campus-wide in just three short days.

Locks of Love and Pantene Great Lengths, both charities that traditionally accepted ponytail donations of 8-10 inches or more, are the beneficiaries. They have adjusted their mission statements to value quantity over quality and are very proud of the high numbers, as well.
Roveriano gushed, “A lot of the freshman girls are experiencing hair loss from stress, so we’re really doing a lot better than I ever expected,”