From screams at midnight to streaks of underwear and flashes of
skin, UCLA boasts a variety of unique traditions, some of which
have undergone significant transformations over the past few
years.
A traditional night of fraternity parties on the first Sunday of
fall quarter became a university-run series of events; a nightly
yell during finals week morphed into a half-naked streak through
Westwood; and this year Beat ‘SC Week turned into Blue and
Gold Week.
Many of these changes were the result of pressure from the
university, after the administration and university police deemed
some of the traditions dangerous liabilities.
Until four years ago, the Sunday before Zero Week of fall
quarter was an infamous party day. Students from UCLA and other
colleges would flock to fraternity row for the multiple parties
known collectively as Black Sunday.
“There were big parties with free alcohol for everybody.
It was a really good way to socialize and get to know
people,” said Jeremy Guo, a fourth-year chemical engineering
student who experienced the last Black Sunday as a freshman.
But university officials said the festivities soon got out of
hand.
“There were thousands of people in the street,
acquaintance rapes, EMT calls for alcohol poisoning, and for some
students, this was their first weekend and first impression (of)
school,” said Nancy Greenstein, the director of police
community services for university police.
In 2002, the chaos prompted the Interfraternity Council, a
student-run organization, to put Black Sunday on hiatus and join
forces with other groups on campus to try to replace it with a less
dangerous and equally entertaining event. This event was Bruin
Bash, consisting of a dance, an activities fair with informational
booths about student groups and the Welcome Back concert.
With the creation of Bruin Bash, Greenstein said the number of
police calls decreased significantly.
“A lot of the public-safety concerns were addressed.
Residents weren’t complaining; there were no (reports of)
date rapes or alcohol poisoning.”
But for some students, the hiatus of Black Sunday was not an
ideal solution.
“It had been a tradition forever and it got cancelled in
just one night. I loved it. I regret that I won’t ever get to
experience it again,” Guo said.
Black Sunday is not the only campus tradition to undergo a
transformation in the last four years.
The Undie Run was created in lieu of Midnight Yell, during which
students would scream out their windows at midnight to relieve
their stress during finals week.
Though screaming still occurs in the apartments, the university
began cracking down on the 24-year-old tradition on campus when the
noise began to generate complaints from Bel-Air residents around 16
years ago. Midnight Yell antics had grown to include launching
water balloons and firecrackers from rooftops and setting fire to
furniture.
Under the careful eye of authorities concerned about safety
hazards, Midnight Yell participants began looking for other ways to
relieve their finals stress. During spring quarter of 2002, Undie
Run was born.
It began with a small gathering of students who ran through the
streets of Westwood in their underwear after being told by police
they could not participate in Midnight Yell.
Undie Run has since grown into a quarterly gathering of
thousands of students on Wednesday of finals week. This year, amid
concerns about the safety of the run’s route, the university
began to work with student groups to redirect the route onto
campus. Despite the change, students have expressed continued
support of Undie Run.
“I definitely like Undie Run better. Midnight Yell did
relieve more stress, but Undie Run is more fun,” Guo
said.
Other traditions have changed for less controversial
reasons.
This year marked the birth of Blue and Gold Week, which combined
Homecoming and Beat ‘SC Week.
According to Jennifer Middleton, the Blue and Gold Week director
for the Student Alumni Association, Homecoming and Beat ‘SC
week were playing to the same audience, so it made sense to combine
them. Also, many student groups wanted UCLA to devote a week to the
celebration of Bruin spirit rather than simply to the rivalry with
USC.
“The focus of Beat ‘SC week was only athletics
““ (it was) all about beating USC. But this year, there was
much more to the week, such as speakers, a canned-food drive, all
different kinds of events put on by all sorts of groups across
campus,” said Middleton, a third-year English and political
science student.
Middleton said the transition proved successful, with high
turnout at the Beat ‘SC parade, rally and bonfire.
She said she could see Blue and Gold Week becoming a lasting
tradition.
“I can foresee it lasting for awhile. We have so many
organizations on campus, and it’s nice that we can represent
them,” she said.