The 2025 Mullets Against Malaria Campaign

At the University of Notre Dame, mullets are not just a fashion statement on campus. The rad haircut from the 1980s is a force for good to fight malaria, the world’s deadliest mosquito-born disease.

In 2013, the president of St. Edward’s Hall at University of Notre Dame challenged Hall residents to launch a campaign against malaria. Their idea – “Mullets Against Malaria” – has become a popular tradition of love and follicles for the Gentlemen of the St. Edward’s Hall. Over the past twelve, the annual campaign has raised over $120,000 for United to Beat Malaria, providing critical malaria interventions for families around the world.

Residents of St. Edwards have their hair cut at the start of every year into the mullet to draw attention to the ongoing fight against malaria and raise funds for the charity. Led by a selected resident of the Hall, nicknamed the Mullet Commissioner, it is only when the fund-raising target for the year is met that the mullets can be retired—something that has occurred every year since the campaign’s conception. Kyle Mackey, this year’s Mullet Commissioner, said, “being Mullet Commissioner has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Notre Dame. Mullets Against Malaria is more than just a fun tradition. It is a way for us to turn something as ridiculous as a haircut into something meaningful. Each year, the Gentlemen of St. Ed’s rally together to raise awareness and funds for a preventable disease that still impacts millions. The mullet may be temporary, but the impact we make is lasting.”

Mullets Against Malaria reinforces the message that millions of people around the world are at risk for malaria, despite it being a preventable, treatable disease. As such, the residents of St. Ed’s reinvigorate the fight against malaria with each passing year by spreading awareness and encouraging donations, all of which go directly to providing lifesaving bed nets, treatments, and other malaria interventions for young children, pregnant women, displaced families, and other vulnerable populations. Through their hard work, the campaign has raised $10,100 from 112 donors this year alone (as of Feb. 4,) upkeeping momentum in the fight to end malaria.