On Thursday, September 26th, the May Room, known for its theater performances and banquets, was transformed into a makeshift professional barber shop. The room was lined with 12 professional salon chairs, behind which stood six stylists and six barbers, each with their own professional equipment.
“Good luck, students!” From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., undergraduates will sit and receive free haircuts from experts at an event hosted by the Office of Alumni and Voter Exchange for Meliora Weekend. Beforehand, we were able to relax and enjoy refreshments provided by the Alumni Relations Office. stylist.
Over 132 slots were offered throughout the day. Although advance registration was required, students were still able to stop by during the event to see if walk-ins were still accepted.
The event is an initiative of ClipDart, a nonprofit founded by UR alumnus Kyle Parker, which provides free on-site hair care to underserved individuals.
“We are now in 26 states and have over 100 partners. Naturally, we wanted to partner with Rochester, which is an alum of mine and has a large population of low-income and underserved students. “People who spend a lot of time there, and LGBTQIA+ students who don’t feel comfortable going to the city,” Parker said.
ClipDart previously partnered with the university in the spring to provide free haircuts to graduating seniors.
“Due to popular demand, we decided to open this event to all undergraduate students during Meliora Weekend as part of our professional development to the UR community,” said Senior Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Voter Engagement. Michel Cavalcanti explained. .
The event was meant to go hand-in-hand with the free professional headshots offered through Meliora Weekend, which had over 450 registered students.
“I came out because the free haircut was so appealing. It’s nice to have a professional do your hair and it’s not like getting your hair done in the bathroom sink,” said sophomore Mika. McCollough said. “I’m really satisfied.”
Now that ClipDart has grown so large, Parker can’t attend every event, but he made sure to attend this one.
Parker explained: It’s a full circle. I wish I could have done something like this because I was one of those students who never got to get my hair cut here. ”
