Groups unite on breast cancer

One out of every eight or nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. More than 180,000 people in the United States alone are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the National Cancer Institute. With breast cancer an unfortunate reality for so many women, the Panhellenic Council and the Student Health Advisory Board are sponsoring events tomorrow, National Breast Cancer Awareness Day, designed to inform more members of the Penn community about of the disease. "Breast cancer is a women's issue and a hard thing to talk about," said College junior Elizabeth Edsall, Panhel's civic committee chairperson and the organizer of the event. By making information available to Penn students and staff, Panhel hopes to increase awareness of the dangers of breast cancer. While Panhel also had programming to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Day last year, the idea for this year's programs originated with College senior Meagan Axelroth, Panhel's women's issues chair, who wanted to bring the Lee Jeans Awareness Day to Penn. The jeans day is intended to promote unity among women by encouraging them to wear jeans and pink ribbons for the day, a trend Axelroth hopes will spread to the rest of Penn's campus. The events began Monday night at the Sigma Delta Tau sorority house when Vice Provost of University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum modeled the outfit along with members of Panhel's executive committee. "I think it is critically important to give Penn women, and the family members and friends who love them, accurate and contemporary information," McCoullum said. "I am very, very supportive of this important, and nurturing, work." Awareness day is a joint effort between Axelroth and Edsall, who also works for SHAB. Pink ribbons have been available throughout campus this week, and at SHAB's "Wellness Wednesday" table on Locust Walk. "Wellness Wednesdays" are set aside throughout the semester by SHAB to "raise awareness about whatever theme and make students aware of resources" both on and off campus, according to Susan Villari, an advisor for SHAB. This week, the table focused on women's health, which Villari considered a "nice tie-in" to Friday's Awareness Day. These events are being aimed especially at Penn faculty and staff, since women over age 35 have a greater risk of developing cancer. Edsall explained that this is a way to give back to them for all they do for students. "I think it's women helping women on a very important issue," Edsall said. "Women are doing so much these days," they need to "take three seconds and think about this issue? education is a key to preventing." Janelle Brodsky, a College and Engineering senior and president of Panhel, applauded the Greek organizations joining in educating the entire University. "It's a bunch of different groups coming together on a very important issue. Many women think we're young and invincible." But, as Brodsky pointed out, women are not. Deborah Mathis, a nurse practitioner and coordinator of the Women's Health Program at Penn Student Health, agreed. "We probably all carry some cancerous genetic material," she said. However, what causes this material to develop into a tumor is still unknown, she added. Women are not the only ones at risk, Mathis explained. Men are also at risk for developing breast cancer, although again, causes are not known. Three percent of all reported breast cancer cases are found in men. Edsall said that the goal of Awareness Day is making all Penn women "united in knowing dangers of breast cancer and united in knowing what they can do to prevent it." "I really hope everyone chooses to participate," Axelroth said at the modeling Monday night. "We just want women to be aware."