A group of UWindsor students are braving the cold by taking on the heat — members of the Sigma Chi fraternity are taking turns to occupy a hot tub outside the CAW Student Centre for 100 hours straight this week as a fundraiser for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Computer science major Matthew Whitwam took his shift in the tub Tuesday afternoon.

“I want to make a difference,” he said. “I want to be part of the generation that ends cancer.”

The bitter cold has helped draw attention and donations to the cause, Whitwam said.

“About a third of people say ‘wow, it’s so cold’ and another third say that it’s cool to be supporting cancer research,” he said. “The last third ignore us.”

The Huntsman Cancer Institute is a research facility and hospital located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It seeks treatments to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, survivors, and their families.

The hot-tub-a-thon will continue through Friday. Learn more or make a donation on the fraternity’s charity Go Fund Me page.