The smell of acetone filled the air as Hillel was transformed into a nail salon Wednesday night.
Members of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity painted nails to raise money for Sharsheret, an organization that provides services for Jewish women with breast cancer. Women from Alpha Epsilon Phi co-sponsored the event.
The fraternity found out Tuesday night that its national headquarters will officially be making it a chapter April 27. Phi Kappa Sigma and
Alpha Epsilon Phi are currently both colonies.
Sharsheret means chain in Hebrew, which symbolizes the support networks people make when faced with breast cancer. Ashkenazi Jews, Jews of Eastern European origin, are 10 times more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancers.
More than 85 people said they would attend the event on Facebook, which Alpha Epsilon Phi President Jenna Leehan said was a big part of advertising.
“We didn’t want to just have a philanthropy event for this charity,” she said. “We wanted to be successful at it.”
The men giving the manicures paid close attention to detail, touching up any mistakes with a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover. Charlotte Lerner, Alpha Epsilon Phi vice president of finance, said the men practiced their polishing skills before the event started — on both the women and each other.
Greg Schuneman, Phi Kappa Sigma president and a microbiology senior, predicted he’d be a “pro” by the end of the night.
“This is where it gets tricky,” he said as he leaned in close to file a participant’s nail.
“I’m just faking it,” Schuneman said. “I’m just doing it so confidently, you can’t tell.”
Rachel Levine, chemical engineering graduate student and a sorority adviser, had Schuneman do her nails. She said his and the others’ conversational skills were perfect to set a salon atmosphere.
“I was very impressed with how talented these men are at providing manicures,” Levine said. “They were fun to chat with, too.”
Leehan said she was pleased with the men’s enthusiasm.
“They’re not just doing it for the heck of it,” she said. “They’re having fun.”