Jessica Hutcheson '11 tried to look stoic as she awaited the single snip that would send nine inches of her golden locks to the carpeted floor of Sherman Function Hall.In her hands she held an empty Ziploc bag that, in just a few minutes, would be filled with enough of her locks to make a single wig for a patient undergoing chemotherapy cancer treatment.

Hutcheson was one of 53 Brandeis students, faculty and Waltham residents to participate in the Hair Donation Event on Wednesday, April 8th.

A wide variety of religious organizations and activist clubs sponsored the program, including the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, the Waltham Group, Tzedek Hillel, Mitzvah Corps, Colleges Against Cancer, Save a Child's Heart, Student Peace Alliance and Brandeis University Recycling Program. Tamar Rock '10, BOO's Chesed coordinator, came up with the idea for the Hair Donation Event and was largely responsible for organizing the donations.

"It's a really great feeling to know that our hair that will always grow back will go to someone else," said Rock, who'd already donated her hair to Locks of Love several times before donating on Wednesday.

All hair donors were required to cut off a minimum of eight inches of hair, which was given to Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths, an organization that donates hair to the American Cancer Society to make wigs for cancer patients in chemotherapy. Hairstylists from Great Cuts in Waltham worked at the event and by the end of the day had sheared off a total of 39 feet of hair, enough to make about 20 wigs.

Aviva Zadoff '10 had been deliberating for some time before the event whether or not she'd be willing to part with her hair. In order to ensure the significance of her contribution, Zadoff announced on Facebook that she'd only donate her hair if she could raise $150 for a cancer society.

Ultimately, Zadoff collected $200 in donations and, with her friends holding her hand for moral support, cut off eight inches of her hair to donate. As she proudly announced , Zadoff had ultimately done "two good deeds."

Victoria Kagan '11 said she signed up for an appointment prior to donation day when she "saw the opportunity to do something charitable."

"It's fun," she said after checking out her new 'do in the mirror "I've never had really short hair before."

While the majority of hair donors had signed up for haircut appointments prior to the donation event, others made more spontaneous decisions to donate.

Alex Singer '10 came to the Hair Donation Event to visit a friend who was volunteering there when she noticed, "Hey, I have a lot of hair!" She promptly picked up one of the many rulers available for people to see if their hair was long enough to donate and realized she'd be able to donate eight inches of her thick, jet black hair to charity.

"Why not?" Singer said. "It's for a great cause."

Sam Spence '11, who'd walked in spontaneously on the day of donation, sat anxiously at one of the waiting tables with her friend by her side for encouragement as she waited until one of the hairstylists was available.

Spence said she planned to donate 16 inches. "I think I'm going for a different look," she explained. "An offbeat look."

Spence conceded she was nervous to lose so much of her sleek blonde hair, then tied back in a braid that stretched all the way down her back. But, she said she was "excited to get [a haircut] for free" by professional stylists.

Three hairstylists from Great Cuts in Waltham worked all day at the event. One of them, Dennis Kelley, had helped at a similar event when he owned a salon in Pennsylvania and noted that the Brandeis event had a "fabulous turnout."

"One girl cried" when her hair was cut off, he admitted. "But I think she got over it."

Great Cuts hairstylist Lynda Gogliormella said she'd given people a diverse range of hairstyles, including layers, angles and bobs.

Rock said local stores also contributed to the donation. CVS donated ponytail holders and Ziploc bags.

The hair donation event was also part of Colleges Against Cancer's "Paint the Campus Purple" week, a series of events to raise awareness and money for the American Cancer Society.

Katy Agule '09 and Nadine Channaoui '10 established the Brandeis chapter of CAC last semester, starting off with the Relay for Life event in December. Other CAC events have included a Think Pink-themed basketball game, in which the club raised $550 to donate to the American Cancer society.

Agule, who also donated her hair, said people "knew [Beautiful Lengths] was a great cause. Their hair would really help someone feel normal."

Although losing Rapunzel-length hair to a cancer patient they will likely never meet was for many an intimidating concept, hair donors were willing to make the sacrifice and contribute to the charitable cause.

While Kagan said she was "a little bit" nervous before getting her first short haircut, she nevertheless said with a confident smile, "I'm glad I did it.