At the beginning of my 1L career just a few months ago, I was still under the impression that law school was a serious, humorless place and that most law students had an attitude that matched their setting. I had also heard that students oriented toward public interest law weren’t exactly the cool kids in school, which worried me as someone who dreams of working for a nonprofit that protects constitutional rights. Naturally, then, I had mixed feelings when I first heard about Justache at an Equal Justice Foundation interest meeting. Although I found the concept funny and clever, I assumed that the average law student, at least according to my vision at the time, either wouldn’t understand the humor or would laugh it off pretentiously. Happily, my vision has proven wrong, and when I was charged with the duty to recruit some of my section-mates to participate, I received an enthusiastic response!

Justache, though perhaps not quite yet an institution at GW Law like EJF’s spring auction, embodies the spirit at GW Law: cheerful and fun but sincerely committed to good causes. Justache is one of EJF’s fundraisers that calls on members of the GW Law community to grow a mustache or wear a fake mustache —after all, EJF promotes equality across the board, whether you’re a woman, a man, or a man who is not genetically gifted with mustache-growing ability—with the goal of collecting donations to fund $3,000 stipends for students who secure unpaid, public interest internships. Participants collect donations from friends, family, and classmates who wish to support their commitment to donning a facial hair trend that has not been fashionable in several decades (unless worn by our esteemed GW Law faculty, of course) for an entire month. Participants have the chance to win such honors as “Best Mustache”, “Best gentleman’s mustache”, “Best Ron Jeremy Stache”, and “Best Freestyle Stache.” Also, based on the amount of money they raise, participants could win one of various prizes, including mustache accessories and even an Amex gift card valued at over $100. The awards will be presented on December 2nd when EJF takes over Thirsty Thursday for its famous Justachio Bashio.

Justache also offers an opportunity for some friendly competition among 1L sections. By the close of registration on November 3rd, one representative for Section 11, five for Section 12, four for Section 13, six for Section 14, and one for Section 15 have signed up to participate. The entire section whose mustache-adorned representatives raise the most money gets a free breakfast paid for by EJF, not to mention bragging rights. “I’m going to be pissed if our section doesn’t win,” a proud member of Section 12 declared about the competition, throwing down the gauntlet for other sections to take up, if they dare. Sentimental 2Ls and 3Ls can help their former sections’ causes by donating at the Justache Coin Drive, which will take place during the weeks of November 9th and November 16th. Anyone may place coins in the can labeled with the section number that he or like wants to support and can sabotage other sections by placing dollars in their cans.

The Justache team thought that the 1L competition was the perfect way to integrate 1Ls in a growing tradition at GW Law considering that many of the EJF stipends are awarded to 1Ls for public interest summer internships. Vice-President of Justache, Jenn Ginsberg, shares that the Justache Team is “very pleased to see that the 1L competition has received such positive reactions from the 1L sections in hopes that it will spur some healthy competition and will increase Justache fundraising overall”.

As 1L participant Noah Gillespie describes, “In the past, mustaches were feared as the mark of dastardly villains and conniving knaves. Today, however, the Justache is a sign of a valiant hero, who strides forth boldly in the search for justice.” This year, a total of twenty-two justice-minded heroes will be sporting whiskers on their upper lips to raise money for public interest internship stipends. As it turns out, law students can be intellectually brilliant while retaining an excellent sense of humor, and public interest holds a valued place at GW Law.