Sophomore finance major Steve Lercher went under the razor Friday at Coffman Union Plaza.

Lercher, along with about 150 students and University community members, got his hair cut for what he said is “a good cause.”

The second annual Clips for a Cure raised about $3,000 to fund research at the University’s Cancer Center.

Lercher, whose mother is a pediatric oncologist, said the struggles associated with cancer hit home.

“I never really saw it until I had two friends fight through it,” he said.

The event is the brainchild of Frontier Hall community advisers Brett Leeson and Karl Enroth, who last year saw their shaggy ‘dos as an opportunity to do something positive.

“We both had long hair and wanted to shave our heads,” Enroth said.

He said the pair thought they could turn their plans to shed their locks into a fundraiser within their hall, but the event grew quickly.

“It snowballed into a huge, campuswide thing,” Enroth said.

Enroth said cancer touches the lives of many people, including students.

“It’s the universal cause,” he said. “It doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”

In addition to discounted haircuts, volunteer stylists from local hair salon Hair By Stewarts collected about 20 hair donations for Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that makes hairpieces for children who have lost their hair because of medical reasons.

Katie Dahlke, receptionist for Hair By Stewarts, said she enjoys working at benefits such as Clips for a Cure.

“I love coming to this kind of stuff,” she said. “It’s for a good cause.”

The event also included music, food and a superhero- themed 5K run.

Local radio personality Staci Matthews shared her breast cancer experiences with event attendees. Matthews discussed some of the more graphic details of cancer, even detailing the tattoo of a nipple she received after a mastectomy.

Her message stressed the importance of keeping life in perspective.

“Don’t stop your life for teeny things,” Matthews said.