George Checks Our NUTS: Annual Festival a Smash Hit with Students

“Check your nuts!” — The memorable slogan blared out by volunteers that no student who attended this year’s Testival will forget. The slogan was also printed on this year’s blue T-shirts that featured several large peanuts on the front with the word “Testival” bolded and enlarged on the back.

Testival, which is an annual testicular cancer awareness-raising event, provided George Mason University students a fun way to learn how to check themselves for lumps.

With games like Testicle Toss, Guess that Nut, Balls to the Wall and Plinko, students were ready to stop by and play. Winners received prizes such as a blue balls keychain, a ballsy mouse pad, a nutty stress reliever, a ShamWow or a “Check Your Nuts” calendar depicting ordinary objects in suggestive poses.

When asked what he learned at the event, sophomore Justin Ladson replied enthusiastically, “I learned how to check my balls!”

In order to get the prized T-shirts, students had to talk to three different volunteers about testicular cancer, who taught them how to check for unusual lumps and nodules.

“I learned how to do a self-exam,” said sophomore government major Nicholas Mondi. “They actually made me touch fake balls to feel for nodules. This is definitely a good idea.”

Founded three years ago by Danielle Lapierre, the event is sponsored by the Office of Alcohol, Drug & Health Education (OADHE), Phi Sigma Kappa and University Life. Testicular cancer targets men ages 15 to 40 and is a curable cancer if caught in time.

Phi Sigma Kappa President Patrick Rooney, a co-sponsor of Testival, was in charge of aligning his fraternity as volunteers with the event. They gave out free Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and helped the OADHE inform students of the risks of getting testicular cancer.

“It kills over 400 people a year,” explained Rooney. “This is a staggering number, especially when it’s curable.”

Along with men taking an oath in the middle of the North Plaza “to check their balls once a month,” women also pledged to ensure their boyfriends or husbands did the same.

“It’s important for us girls to know what we are dealing with,” said Sulma Perez. “If we are touching them regardless, we might as well check for lumps down there!”

If you missed the event this year, Testival will come back next spring to teach us the basics about our cojones.